Fictional Warships - Novels

[Graham1973]

Manning Lee Stokes (Pen name: Ken Stanton), Seek, Strike and Destroy, 1971

United States

USS Cuttlefish
'Destroyer', class not specified (Referred to as one of the "...old C Class Cans...")
Displacement: 1170 tons
Built: 1944
Speed: 36 knots
Described as being an 'overage rustbucket' at one point but now fully refurbished by SUS 'Black Money' and attached to that organizations chain of command.
No other details provided.

KRAB
Minisub
Crew: 1 + 1 passenger
Engine: "...miniature atomic reactor..."
Speed: 50kts (Max) (Submerged speed)
Maximum operating depth: 6mi (9.7km)
Description: "She was jet propelled, built like that most graceful of sea creatures, the manta ray..."
Equipment: "...exterior fangs and claws and legs and arms...", capable of producing "...oxygen from sea water...", also has an "...inertial navigation system..." that "...gave a constant position without need for external observation..." Fitted with a camouflage system that works in a similar way to the one that appears in the film 'Predator'.
Armament: 4 x torpedo tubes (2 forward, 2 aft) fire 'miniature torpedoes', three different guidance systems, thermal, acoustic, magnetic.
Note: The name is an acronym, for the full name see the entry for 'Cold Blue Death' (1970).

China (Peoples Republic)

Unnamed
Submarine (SSBN), class not specified
An exact copy of a US Ethan Allen Class Submarine. While the author simply refers to 'Polaris submarines' without specifying class, the dimensional details he does provide fit this class the closest.
Note: The author has one of his characters read from the submarines 2nd Officers log, but never gives the submarines name. In addition to this submarine the Chinese have built 14 others of the same type and at the time the story is set a further 11 are under construction.

For the Rocketry Mavens

Unnamed
Chinese copy of the Polaris SLBM
Details as per the original missile.

Plot summary: It is the early 1970s. When a renegade Chinese submarine commander decides to live fire his missiles off the California coast, only luck prevents the outbreak of WWIII. With the US Intelligence community reeling over missing China's ballistic missile submarine program, the Secret Underwater Service is tasked with locating the facility producing/housing the subs and taking it out by whatever means are possible.

Note: When initially published it was the third of the 'Aquanauts' series, when republished under the 'Tiger Shark' series name it became the second book in the series. As with the first book in the series, while there are some good set-pieces, the author seems to have had no idea of pacing, the first chapter for example is completely redundant, it's events should have, and indeed are relayed in dialog later on. Nor is there any specific dating information provided as in the first novel of the series, but presumably it's roughly contemporary with the date of publication. For more details on the series this novel is a part of see the entry for 'Cold Blue Death' (1970).

The plot idea of a nuclear submarine captain 'going rogue' and attempting an unauthorized launch first appeared (to my knowledge) in author Antony Trew's debut novel 'Two Hours to Darkness' (1963), which I have covered earlier in the thread.

 

[Graham1973]

Thomas Ramirez (Pen name: Don Pendelton) & Gar Wilson, Atlantic Scramble, 1982

United States

USS Seawolf (SSN-575)
Seawolf (1957) Class Submarine
Real ship, details as in service (1957 - 1987)
Note: The authors of this book refer to the submarine as the USS Sea Wolf.

USS Tullibee (SSN-597)
Tullibee Class Submarine
Real ship, details as in service (1960 - 1988)

Note: Both submarines are described as being equipped with Mark 64 Torpedoes, no specifics are given for these.

USS Beaumont
'Subchaser', class not specified.
Stated to be an older ship in mothballs since the 1960s and recently returned to service.

USS Dauntless
'Submarine Rescue Ship', class not specified.
No other details provided

USS Bolster
'Minesweeper', class not specified
No other details provided
Note: Name clashes with USS Bolster (ARS-38), the name ship of the Bolster Class Rescue and Salvage Ships, in service 1945 - 1994.

USS Glacier
'Salvage Ship', class not specified.
No other details provided

Libya

Unnamed
Whiskey (Pr. 644) Class Submarine (Whiskey Twin Cylinder)
Details as per the real ships.
Note: Former Soviet Navy unit sold to Libya.

Plot summary: 'Generic Libyan Backed Islamic Terrorists' (Red Anvil) have successfully infiltrated a US Army base disguised as Hispanics and with the aid of mind bending drugs stolen the contents, it's up to the heroes to stop them getting away with the loot. (Note: I'm not joking, that is the plot...)

Note: 'Phoenix Force', of which this novel is the third in the series, was one of a number of spin-offs from the highly successful 'Executioner/Mack Bolan' series of action-adventure novels. While the original 'Executioner' series had been created and written by author Don Pendleton, by this time he had retired from the series while allowing his name to be used by others as a pen name. The publisher Gold Eagle was noted for including lots of 'gun porn' and dubious right-wing sentiments in their action-adventure series. As a consequence this novel is not a pleasant read, full of over the top patriotism, cartoonish violence and a mocking tone regarding Americas enemies. Rather ironically Gold Eagle was an imprint of a Canadian publisher...

 

[Tzoli]

Michael Jahn (Pen name: J. D. Cameron), Omega Sub, 1991

United States

USS Roosevelt
Aircraft Carrier, class not specified
Length: 780ft (238m)
Airgroup includes "...Advanced Harriers and the Sea King and LAMPS helicopters..."
No other details provided.
Note: Author refers to this carrier as being a CVV, this was a 1970s proposal for a conventionally powered Nimitz type carrier that was cancelled at the start of the Regan Administration for building further Nimitz Class Carriers. However the dimension given does not fit that design, which was 912ft long (278m), the competing Sea Control Ship proposal was for a carrier 620ft long (190 m).

Your and thus the authors description fits more into the VSS or VSTOL Support Ship designs which were 210m long except the last Design IV with it's 237,7m length and 23.000tons displacement standard. Airgroup for this last larger design was to be a mixed VSTOL, STOL aircraft and helicopters (15 Harriers, 15 A-7 Corsairs, 4 S-3 Vikings and 16 helicopters (12 MH-53 Sea Dragon and 4 SH-60 Seahawk)
The other 3 variants were smaller and only to be carry 4 Harriers and 22 Helicopters ( 16-6 )
Some other info :

https://www.secretprojects.co.uk/threads/sea-control-ship-scs-and-vstol-support-ship-vss.7635/#post-67379

 

[Graham1973]

Your and thus the authors description fits more into the VSS or VSTOL Support Ship designs which were 210m long except the last Design IV with it's 237,7m length and 23.000tons displacement standard. Airgroup for this last larger design was to be a mixed VSTOL, STOL aircraft and helicopters (15 Harriers, 15 A-7 Corsairs, 4 S-3 Vikings and 16 helicopters (12 MH-53 Sea Dragon and 4 SH-60 Seahawk)
The other 3 variants were smaller and only to be carry 4 Harriers and 22 Helicopters ( 16-6 )
Some other info :

https://www.secretprojects.co.uk/threads/sea-control-ship-scs-and-vstol-support-ship-vss.7635/#post-67379

Thanks, I've incorporated those details into the entry.

 

[Graham1973]

Richard P. Henrick, Under The Ice, 1989

United States

USS Defiance
Sturgeon Class Submarine
Details as per the real ships
Equipped with an experimental Surface Scanning Fathomometer which makes use of lidar technology to determine the shape of the ice above a submerged submarine and so determine the best location to attempt to surface through an ice pack. It is capable of guiding the submarine through the ascent automatically.
Note: Name does not fit class. Explicitly identified as being a Sturgeon Class Submarine by the author.

Canada

HMCS Onondaga (S73)
Oberon Class Submarine
Real ship, details as in service 1967 - 2000.

Russia

Neva
Sierra Class Submarine
Details as per the real ships
Described as being "...less than a year old..." at the time the novel is set.

Plot summary: The Soviet Unions reformist leader has announced that he will fly to Canada to meet the US and Canadian leaders to discuss disarming the Arctic. On the way there his plane suddenly drops off the radar. Fearing the worst parties from all three nations converge on the crash site, but some have already decided what occurred.

Note: For the authors history, see the entry for 'The Phoenix Odyssey' (1986).

 

[Graham1973]

Manning Lee Stokes (Pen name: Ken Stanton), Whirlwind Beneath The Sea, 1972.

United States

KRAB
Minisub
Crew: 1 + 1 passenger
Engine: "...miniature atomic reactor..."
Speed: 50kts (Max) (Submerged speed)
Maximum operating depth: 6mi (9.7km)
Description: "She was jet propelled, built like that most graceful of sea creatures, the manta ray..."
Equipment: "...exerior fangs and claws and legs and arms...", capable of producing "...oxygen from sea water...", also has an "...inertial navigation system..." that "...gave a constant position without need for external observation..." Fitted with a camouflage system that works in a similar way to the one that appears in the film 'Predator'.
Armament: 4 x torpedo tubes (2 forward, 2 aft) fire 'miniature torpedoes', three different guidance systems, thermal, acoustic, magnetic. Also 'Sea Snakes' anti-torpedo weapons about the size of "...Fourth of July rockets..." (Speed: 100mph)
Note: The name is an acronym, for the full name see the entry for 'Cold Blue Death' (1970).

MV Capricorn
Armed Merchant Ship (Floating bomb)
Converted tramp steamer
Capable of being remotely controlled by radio.
Original engines have been replaced with modern (1970s) engines.

Russia

Unnamed
Underwater Habitat
Large scale dome complex constructed on a seamount located at approximately 5ºN by 90ºE in the Bay of Bengal.

Unnamed
Submarine (SSN), class not specified.
No other details provided

Plot summary: The year is 1970. In the aftermath of the devastating Bhola Cyclone and tidal wave those searching for survivors make an unusual find, a body in a Soviet wetsuit. What is found on that body causes the US Navies Secret Underwater Service (SUS) to attempt to find out just what happened that night...

Note: This is the sixth book in the 'Aquanauts' series, from what I've been able to find out the fifth volume, entitled 'Stalkers of the Sea' (1972), is actually set after the events of book six. Plotwise this is like the 1997 film 'The Peacemaker' which opens with a nuclear explosion that has been completely forgotten by the films end. In this case the hero discovers that the tidal wave portion of the Bhola Cyclone disaster was caused by the explosive failure of a device the Russians had been testing at their underwater habitat. In the end the Americans chose to help the Russians cover this up in exchange for the Russians signing on to several arms limitation treaties. However the majority of the plot is taken up with the sleazy actions of a renegade CIA agent, something that most readers seeing the cover, which depicts the USS Tingey (DD-539) being torpedoed, would not have expected.

Following this novel, the remaining five books in the series, with the exception of the eighth which is a sequel to the fifth novel in the series, all featured unusual plot elements. The seventh novel sees a conspiracy of immortals hijacking US submarines. In the ninth the Mafia hijack a Russian submarine so they can use it to smuggle drugs into the United States. The last two novels feature sea monsters and mermaids respectively.

 

[Dilandu]

Michael Jahn (Pen name: J. D. Cameron), Omega Sub, 1991

First book is available to borrow on Internet Archives. Unfortunately, the others are either still copyrighted, or nobody actually bothered to scan them.

 

[Graham1973]

Michael Jahn (Pen name: J. D. Cameron), Omega Sub, 1991

First book is available to borrow on Internet Archives. Unfortunately, the others are either still copyrighted, or nobody actually bothered to scan them.

That's where I found it. It's very hard to find the kinds of paperbacks written specifically for newsstand sales these days, since most of them were only published once. 'Name' authors like Tom Clancy, Clive Cussler & Alistair MacLean tend to be reprinted on a regular basis and have huge print runs.

 

[Dilandu]

That's where I found it. It's very hard to find the kinds of paperbacks written specifically for newsstand sales these days, since most of them were only published once. 'Name' authors like Tom Clancy, Clive Cussler & Alistair MacLean tend to be reprinted on a regular basis and have huge print runs.

Unfortunately true. A pity, because those books-that-time-forgot often were surprizingly good.

 

[Graham1973]

A chance find at a second hand store...

Stephen Cade, Slade's Marauder, 1980

United Kingdom

ML-25
Fairmile A Motor Launch
Armament: 1 x 2pdr, Lewis Guns, Mk. VIII Torpedoes.
Otherwise as the real ships.
Note: Not able to confirm if a fictitious vessel or not.

HMS Loch Syne
'Frigate', class not specified
No other details provided.

HMS Loch Cheran
'Frigate', class not specified
No other details provided.

'HMS' Tinkerbelle
Armed Merchant Ship
Displacement: 3000 tons
Launched: 1919
Note: American Tramp steamer 'unofficially impressed' into the Royal Navy and armed with the weapons from ML-25.

Germany

Tamerande
Armed Merchant Ship (Commerce Raider)
Displacement: 7860 tons
Length: 488ft
Built (e.g. Launched): 1935 (Bremen)
Armament: 5.9 inch Guns, 1 x 75mm gun, 20mm guns & 21 inch TT (Exact locations and number not specified for most weapons.)
Aircraft: 1 x He-114b Seaplane.

Plot summary: The year is 1939 and the Second World War has just begun. In the Caribbean the discovery of an atrocity at sea brings together a motley alliance to hunt the raider down.

 

[Graham1973]

Manning Lee Stokes (Pen name: Ken Stanton), Operation Sea Monster, 1974

United States

USS Brunswick
'Support Ship' (Possibly a salvage ship), class not specified.
Displacement: 15,000 tons.
No other details provided
Note: Support tender for the Pelagus I underwater habitat. Name clashes with an Edenton Class Salvage/Rescue Ship in service 1972 - 1996.

USS Clayton
Submarine Depot Ship
No other details provided.

USS Samaritan
GUPPY conversion of a late WWII submarine class.
No other details provided.

USS Sea Horse
GUPPY conversion of a late WWII submarine class.
No other details provided.
Note: Name clash with a Balao Class submarine, USS Seahorse (SS-304) that was in the inactive reserve between 1946 - 1967, it is possible that the submarine in the novel is the USS Seahorse given a GUPPY conversion rather than being scrapped.

KRAB
Minisub
Crew: 1 + 1 passenger
Engine: "...miniature atomic reactor..."
Speed: 50kts (Max) (Submerged speed)
Maximum operating depth: 6mi (9.7km)
Description: "She was jet propelled, built like that most graceful of sea creatures, the manta ray..."
Equipment: "...exerior fangs and claws and legs and arms...", capable of producing "...oxygen from sea water...", also has an "...inertial navigation system..." that "...gave a constant position without need for external observation..." Fitted with a camouflage system that works in a similar way to the one that appears in the film 'Predator'.
Armament: 4 x torpedo tubes (2 forward, 2 aft) fire 'miniature torpedoes', three different guidance systems, thermal, acoustic, magnetic. Also 'Sea Snakes' anti-torpedo weapons about the size of "...Fourth of July rockets..." (Speed: 100mph)
Note: The name is an acronym, for the full name see the entry for 'Cold Blue Death' (1970).

USS Cuttlefish
'Destroyer', class not specified (Referred to as one of the "...old C Class Cans...")
Displacement: 1170 tons
Built: 1944
Speed: 36 knots (Engines produce 40,000 horsepower.)
Armament: "...five-inchers and the forty and twenty mm AA and the old CA8 torp tubes..."
Described as being an 'overage rustbucket' at one point but now fully refurbished by SUS 'Black Money' and attached to that organizations control.
No other details provided.

Pelagus I
Undersea Habitat
Nuclear Powered.
Suspended 2000ft (609.6m) beneath a set of pontoons over the Mariana Trench, at a point where the water is 36,198ft (11km) deep.

Russia

K-372
Submarine (SSN), class unspecified
Armament: 2 x 5 inch deck guns, 2 x 14.5mm KPV & 1 x 3 20mm (Or nearest Soviet Equivalent.) mounted on conning tower. Other armament details not specified.
No other details provided.

Plot summary: As the US Navies most recent and most daring undersea habitat project prepares to deal with an approaching typhoon a panicked report reaches the support ship from the habitat, one of the divers has been attacked and killed... by a sea monster! The damage caused to the cables connecting the pontoons to the support ship cause them to fail when the storm hits. As the search for the habitat begins, the Navies Secret Underwater Service is bought in, because while a sea monster is an impossibility, Soviet interference in the project is much more likely.

Note: This is the tenth book in the 'Aquanauts' series (And the last of four volumes in the series available via the Internet Archive.). It is one of four volumes in the series featuring a 'non-standard' (E.g. Not the Russians or Chinese.) antagonist in this case the story culminates with the hero doing battle with a squid of gargantuan proportions. Compared with the first six volumes of the series this is a much more focused story, with the exception of Chapter two which seems to have been written to provide titillation to the reader. Other than that, the story concentrates on the plight of the men in the habitat and the attempts to rescue them.

 

[Graham1973]

Richard P. Henrick, Sea Devil, 1990

United States

USS Iwo Jima (LPH-2)
Iwo Jima Class Amphibious Assault Ship
Real ship, details as in service 1961 - 1993

USS Fanning (FF-1076)
Knox Class Frigate
Real ship, details as in service 1971 - 1993

USS Hawes (FFG-53)
Oliver Hazzard Perry Class Frigate
Real ship, details as in service 1985 - 2010

USS Pigeon (ASR-21)
Pigeon Class Submarine Rescue Ship
Real ship, details as in service 1973 - 1992

USNS Lynch (T-AGOR-7)
Robert D. Conrad Class Oceanic Research Ship
Real ship, details as in service 1964 - 1994

USS Billfish (SSN-676)
Sturgeon Class Submarine
Real ship, details as in service 1971 - 1999
In the novel the submarine has been equipped to carry a DSRV and currently carrying Avalon (DSRV-2)

USS Bowfin
Sturgeon Class Submarine
Details as per the real ships
Note: This name was last used for a Balao Class Submarine that was decommissioned in 1971 and is currently a museum ship in Pearl Harbour.

Russia

Lagoda
India (Pr.940) Class Submarine
Details as per the real ships.

Sea Devil (Russian: Morskoy d'yavol)
Minisub (Tracked)
Length: 15m
Crew: 4 (All members of the Spetznaz)
The plexiglass hull is coated with anechoic tiles giving it a minimal sonar and magnetic signature.
Fitted with an external manipulator arm and a divers airlock.
Battery powered
Note: Stated to be derived from a German Seeteufel prototype captured at the end of WWII. Can be delivered to an operating area either by being towed by another submarine, carried aboard an India Class Submarine or transported aboard an Ugra (Pr.1886.1) Class Submarine Tender.

Unnamed
Ugra (Pr.1886.1) Class Submarine Tender
Details as per the real ships.
Has been fitted with a moonpool to allow the Sea Devil to be transported and deployed from it.

Australia

Stated that the RAN is planning to order two copies of the Mystic Class for their own use. In real life the RAN developed it's own system which the Americans purchased to replace the Mystic Class.

Plot summary: It is the early 1990s (The climax effectively takes place on the day HMS Vanguard (S28) is launched, the 4th of March 1992.). As evidence continues to accumulate of the use by the Russians of tracked minisubs for espionage and the hunters get closer to catching one in the act, hardliners in Russia come up with a scheme to fatally damage America's position in Europe...

Note: This novel marks a conscious change in the authors work, previous novels are straightforward action stories with a relatively small cast of fictional ships and containing a number of plot tropes, such as having a 'native mystic' predict global disaster ('The Phoenix Odyssey' (1986), ' Cry of the Deep' & 'Under The Ice ' (Both 1989), similar scenes involving witnesses to weapons tests occur in 'When Duty Calls' & 'Beneath the Silent Sea' (Both 1988)) before the main plot kicks off. This novel has a much higher portion of real ships and a much more complicated plotline, with the second major thread based off the 1966 Palomares Incident, in which a mid-air collision results in the loss of four nuclear weapons, one of which falls into unfriendly hands.

 

[Graham1973]

Richard P. Henrick, Sea of Death, 1992

United States

USS Enterprise (CVN-65)
Enterprise Class Aircraft Carrier
Real ship, details as in service 1961 - 2012.

USS Hawkbill (SSN-666)
Sturgeon Class Submarine
Real ship, details as in service 1971 - 2000.

Alpha Base
A secret underground facility located in the north of Okinawa intended to be "...utilized by our submarines for refit and repair in the event of a global nuclear war." Normally mothballed, the facility has been activated for this operation as it provides a highly secure location.
Includes a dry dock large enough to hold a Type 033 Class Submarine (And possibly submarines all the way up to Ohio Class, although the largest WWII class in Japanese service was the 400ft (122m) long I-400 Class.) along with docking space for at least two other submarines.
The base was constructed by the Japanese during WWII and taken over by the Americans at the conclusion of hostilities.
A similar facility, designated Delta Base and located inside a hollowed out seamount in the Vava'u District of Tonga, appeared in the author's 1986 novel 'The Phoenix Odyssey'.

Japan

JDS Nadashio (SS-577)
Yūshio Class Submarine
Real ship, details as in service 1984 - 2003.

Non State

Ishii Industries (Japan)
Note: This fictional company is a legitimate organization whose leadership is heavily involved in the Black Dragon Society, an organization that seeks to restore the Japanese Empire.

Katana
Type 033 (Romeo (Pr.633)) Submarine
Details as per the real ships

Bokken
Type 033 (Romeo (Pr.633)) Class Submarine
Details as per the real ships
Note (Spoiler): Captured and repaired by the Americans. Original Chinese torpedoes are replaced with Russian ones (Identified as 'M-57s') obtained on the black market.

Note: Both ships are Chinese built versions of the Romeo Class and were sold to Ishii Industries ostensibly for use in undersea mining operations. Both submarines retain their full armament.

Unnamed
'Patrol Boat'
2 x 40mm guns, depth charges
No other details provided.
Note: Possibily a Chinese design given the origin of the companies other warships.

Plot summary: An attempted bioweapon attack on Kadena Airbase, the main US base on Okinawa has resulted in the infection of large numbers of Japanese civilians with anthrax, realizing that the attackers may try again a trap is set. What is caught in it reveals an unexpected foe. While the villains headquarters could be taken out with a cruise missile strike, the presence of uninvolved civilians forces the use of a more... elegant, if high risk means of striking back.

Note: The authors evolution continues in this novel. Most of the major naval units (With the notable exception of Alpha Base.) are real. Only the villains units are fictional. Story-wise this is a reworking of the 1988 novel 'When Duty Calls' with the US Navy having to make use of a captured diesel-electric submarine to infiltrate an enemy facility. The presence of Alpha Base opens up the possibility, not confirmed by the author, that this story is set in the same fictional 'universe' as 1986s 'The Phoenix Odyssey'. Finally, this another Yellow Peril (Japan) story, written at a time when such plotlines were popular. Other stories in this sub-genre I've covered are 'Dragon' (1990), 'The War in 2020' (1991), 'Debt of Honour' (1994), 'High Flight' (1995) and 'White House' (1999)

 

[Graham1973]

With thanks to Hood, who took the first run at this book.

Neville Shute, Most Secret, 1945

United Kingdom

HMT Harebell
Armed Trawler
Sunk: 1940
No other details provided.

HMT Grimsby Emerald
Minesweeping Trawler
No other details provided.

HMT Gracie Fields
Armed Trawler
Armament includes depth charges, other armament not specified
No other details provided.

HMT Louise
Armed Trawler
No other details provided.

MGB-261
Details as per typical ships of this type
Note: Pennant number matches that of an MTB.

MGB-268
Details as per typical ships of this type
Note: Pennant number matches that of an MTB.

Note: In my copy of the novel the two MGBs are numbered as shown above, in Hoods copy they were apparently numbered MGB-161 & 168. It is possible that my copy has a misprint, but the numbers are consistent throughout the portion of the novel the two ships appear.

HMT Geneviève
Armed Trawler
Crew: 12
Length: 70ft (21.34m)
Engine: Diesel (Made by Sulzer)
Speed: 12knots
Armament: 1 x Flamethrower, 6 x Thompson SMGs, "...several revolvers...", Bren LMGs.
Note: The flamethrower fitted to the Geneviève is not a man-portable unit. The author describes it as having the oil/propellant tanks located in the former fish hold with the projector on the deck. According to Wikipeida the author was present at the test of a vehicle mounted flamethrower designed by Lagonda which had a range of 200ft (61m), it is probable, but unproveable that the one fitted to the Geneviève was inspired by that device.

Germany

Unnamed
Several R-Boats.
Details as per the real ships.
Note: Two pennant numbers which fall into the actual range of R-Boat pennants are mentioned, R-81 & R-172, these two boats are described as being based out of Brest, but do not take direct part in the story.

Unnamed
'Destroyer' Class not specified
Note: Insufficient details to determine class, but the armament suggests either a Type 23 or Type 24 Class Torpedo Boat (Which were large enough to be considered destroyers by the Allies.), the later types did not have a bow gun and the ships the Germans classified destroyers were armed with weapons heavier than 4 inch guns for the main battery.

Plot summary: The novel runs between 1941 - 1942, an officer in the Royal Navy, determined to hit the Germans hard, decides to take Churchill's injunction to 'set Europe ablaze', literally and in doing so brings hope to the people of the Brittany.

Note: Neville Shute Norway (Who used his first two names as a pen name.) is most well known for his post-WWII novels, particular 'On the Beach' (1957) which covered the survivors of World War III as they faced up to their inevitable deaths. I've covered one of his earlier novels 'Landfall' (1940) earlier in the thread. Hood as noted above covered this novel earlier, but having located a copy I thought I'd take another look at it.

 

[Graham1973]

Richard P. Henrick, Dive to Oblivion, 1993

United States

USS Iwo Jima (LPH-2)
Iwo Jima Class Amphibious Assault Ship
Real ship, details as in service 1961 - 1993

USS Hewitt (DD-966)
Spruance Class Destroyer
Real ship, details as in service 1976 - 2001

USS Lewis and Clark (SSBN-644)
Benjamin Franklin Class Submarine
Real ship, details as in service 1965 - 1992

USS John Marshall (SSBN-611)
Ethan Allen Class Submarine
Real ship, details as in service 1961 - 1992
Note: In the 1980s the submarine was disarmed and modified to act as a covert transport for Navy SEALS.

USS Hunley (AS-31)
Submarine Tender
Real ship, details as in service 1962 - 1994

USS Hyman G. Rickover (SSN-709)
Los Angeles Class Submarine
Real ship, details as in service 1984 - 2006
Note: Carrying USS Avalon (DSRV-2)

USS Seawolf (SSN-21)
Seawolf Class Submarine
Real ship, details as in service 1997 - Ongoing
Note: In this novel the submarine is preparing for her sea trials.

Russia

Pantera (K-317)
Akula (Pr.971) Class Submarine
Real ship, details as in service 1990 - Ongoing.

Academician Petrovsky
Oceanic Reserch Ship
Crew: 90
Length: 300ft
Engines: Steam Turbines
Launched: 1990 (At what is now called JSC Admiralty Shipyard in St Petersberg, at the time it would have been the Leningrad Admiralty Association)
Has a moonpool. Installed near the moonpool is a small nuclear reactor used to power an ocean bed experiment.
Carries two: 2x SP-350 Denise 'Diving Saucers' (Named 'Alpha One' & 'Alpha Two' (This is the minisub used by Jacques Cousteau. These are presumably Russian copies of the design, with similar specifications.)
Note: Acting as the support ship for the Mir Underwater Habitat, while simultaneously is being prepared for a secondary function. (Spoilers)

Spoiler

"Power cables have been run along the ocean bed to a series of electromagnetic generators and a 'magnetic resonator' located in the underwater canyon known as the 'Tongue of the Ocean', an improved Russian version of the technology used in the Philadelphia Experiment. With it they hope to teleport the USS Seawolf (SSN-21) into Russian territorial waters where it will be stripped of all its secrets, once the calibration issues revealed during test one are sorted out.."

. This ship falls into the 'non-warship, but interesting' category.

Non-State

Columbian Cartels

Unnamed
TR 1700 Class Submarine
Details as per the real ships.
Mentioned in a characters backstory as one found wrecked in the Caribbean with a cargo of drugs, exactly who owned it was never discovered.

United Nations

Mir
Underwater Habitat
Located off the northeastern coast of Andros Island at a depth of 60ft (18.3) below the surface.
Consists of three structures 'Starfish House' (The habitation module) 'Habitat One' (Power generation & Oxygen supply) and the hangar (One SP-350 Denise type minisub named 'Misha', see the notes for Academician Petrovsky above for more details on these.)/warehouse
Crew: 5 (Commander (France), Geologist (Russian), Aquaculturist (Japan), Engineer (Norway), Nurse/Cook (New Zealand))
Research program deals with the evaluation of underwater resources.
Note: This falls under the category of 'non-warship but interesting'.

Plot summary: A Japanese fishing boat in the Pacific has managed to catch a ballistic missile submarine in it's nets, when investigators board the seemingly lifeless vessel, they find it empty but for one man in profound shock. Following confirmation that the submarine was supposed to be deployed in the Atlantic, the statements of the sole survivor of the crew point to a horrific possibility...

Note (Spoilers): As with the other novels the author wrote after 1990 all the US Navy Ships in the novel are real, even the ones the stories focal character travels on. Making use of the Philadelphia Experiment, a tale from the fringes of science that has been made use of in other stories I've covered ('Thin Air' (1977), 'Thunderfish' (1999), 'Whisper' (2010), 'The Displaced' (2017) & 'Operation Paradox' (2018)) and Bermuda Triangle lore (Featured in the novels 'Sargasso' (1977), 'A Time to Heal ' (2014) & the comic book 'Biggles and the Sargasso Triangle ' (1977).) the author crafts a thrilling ride.

 

[Graham1973]

Owen Gibson, Search and Destroy, 1966

United Kingdom

HMS Hinsley
H Class Destroyer
Details as per the real ships
Note: Class assignment based on the ships name only.

HMS Valkyr
V & W Class Destroyer
Built: 1917
Details similar to those of the real ships that received the WAIR Anti-Aircraft conversion. Armament given as 2 x 2 4 inch guns (A & Z Turrets), 1 x Mx VII 2 pdr (Quad mount), ? x 20mm Oerlikon Guns, 2 x triple 21 inch TT.

HMS Vital
V & W Class Destroyer
Details as per the real ships
Note: Explicitly identified as a member of the V & W class by the author. Sunk in 1940 during the Norwegian Campaign.

HMS Westmead
V & W Class Destroyer
Details as per the real ships
Note: Explicitly identified as a member of the V & W class by the author.

HMS Spray
S Class (WWI) Destroyer
Details as per the real ships.
Note: Built as a Destroyer Leader. Class assignment based on the ships name only.

HMS Nighthawk
Tribal Class Destroyer
Details as per the real ships.
Note: A Tribal Class Destroyer of the same name appears in the authors earlier '20º West - To Hell' (c. 1950). The name itself does not fit the class.

Germany

Unnamed
U-Boat, type not specified.

Plot summary: A fictional account of the events of the Norwegian campaign following the Second Naval Battle of Narvik.

Note: Owen Gibson was an Australian author of military fiction whose biography can be read in my entry on an earlier story of his '20º West - To Hell' (c. 1950). This story seems to be set in the same 'universe' as the earlier story and if the last words in the story are to be taken literally, this novel appears to have been the first in a series following the crew of HMS Valkyr throughout World War II.

 

[Graham1973]

Robert Knauer, Murder on Steel Beach, 2016

United States

USS Iowa (BB-61)
Iowa Class Battleship
Real ship, details as in service, 1943 - 1990

USS California (BB-44)
Tennessee Class Battleship
Real ship, details as in service 1921 - 1959
Note: This ship was scrapped in 1959, however the author has the characters specifically refer to this ship as a battleship (and give a BB pennant number), rather than the guided missile cruiser which was commissioned as the next USS California in 1974. Perhaps in this universe the ship was retained in reserve, and like the Iowa Class battleships reactivated for Vietnam gun support duties and then reactivated again (and modernized in a similar way to the Iowa Class.) in the 1980s rather than being scrapped.

USS George Shultz (CVN-68)
Nimitz Class Aircraft Carrier
Details as per the real ships.
Note: Pennant clashes with that of the lead ship of the Nimitz Class.

USS Philadelphia (CV-19)
Aircraft Carrier, class not specified (Probably Essex Class)
Details as per the Essex Class.
Note: Pennant is that of USS Hancock (CV-19) an Essex Class Carrier in service 1944 - 1976. This ship is still in US service in the early 1980s.

USS Pegasus
'Aircraft Carrier', class not specified
No other details provided.
Note: Name clashes with the lead ship of the Pegasus Class Hydrofoils.

USS Les Aspin
'Aircraft Carrier', class not specified
No other details provided.

USS Tuttle (CG-34)
Belknap Class Cruiser?
Details as per the real ships
Notes: Pennant clashes with that of the Belknap Class Cruiser USS Biddle.

USS Bordelon
'Destroyer', class not specified
No other details provided.
Note: Name was last used for a Gearing Class Destroyer transferred to Iran in 1977 for use as a spare parts source.

USS San Clemente (AFS-16)
Mars Class Combat Stores Ship
Details as per the real ships.

USS Saint Louis
Sacramento Class Fast Combat Support Ship?
Details as per the real ships.

USS Passumpsic (AO-107)
Cimmaron/Ashtabula Class Oiler
Real ship, details as in service 1946 - 1991

USNS Spica (T-AFS-9)
Sirius Class Combat Stores Ship
Real ship, details as in service 1981 - 2008
Note: Former Royal Navy Supply Ship RFA Tarbatness (A345)

Plot summary: It is the 1980s (The story starts on December 10, 1980, reference is made to the 1982 song 'Don't Pay The Ferryman' part way through the plot.), a private game played by three supply officers to deal with the frustrations of serving under a martinet captain comes back to bite them when the man disappears at sea.

Note: This was not a novel I enjoyed reading, bad formatting, bad spelling and poor proofreading made it hard to work through. The authors decision to reveal to the reader exactly what happens to the captain and who is responsible before the characters in the story find out ruins the effect of what happens after that event.

 

[Graham1973]

P. T. Deutermann, Scorpion in the Sea: The Goldsborough Incident, 1992

United States

USS Coral Sea (CV-43)
Midway Class Aircraft Carrier
Real ship, details as in service 1947 - 1990.

USS Deyo (DD-989)
Spruance Class Destroyer
Real ship, details as in service 1980 - 2003.

USS Goldsborough (DD-920)
Forrest Sherman Class
Details per the real ships.
Commissioned: 1962, which is three years after the commissioning of USS Turner Joy (DD-951) the last member of the class to be completed.
Note: The name clashes with that of the Charles F. Adams Class Destroyer USS Goldsborough (DDG-20) and the pennant with an unbuilt member of the Gearing Class. Class assignment is based on the authors armament description, which adds WWII style depth charge racks to the standard Forrest Sherman Class armament, he states that the ship is 27 years old at the time the story is set (1989) and that she is not only the last member of the class in service, but the last steam powered ship in US service. Attached to DESRON-12

Libya

Al Akrab
Al Badr (Foxtrot (Pr.641)) Class Submarine
Details as per the real ships. Four of the torpedoes have been replaced by torpedo tube launched mines. The mines are French in origin, can be launched from a torpedo tube, have an 1800kg warhead and are fitted with a magnetic influence trigger. (As far as I've been able to determine the mines are a fictitious design, unless anyone knows otherwise.)
Note: Libya had purchased 6 Foxtrot Class Submarines from Russia, this would have been the seventh. In the novel the other six have been cannibalized for spare parts. While the pennant is not given in the novel it would most likely have been (S317).

Ibrahim Abdullah
Submarine Support Ship (Converted Oil/Bulk/Ore Tanker)
Displacement: 25,000 DWT
Essentially a typical medium sized freighter of this type.
The ship carries supplies and spare parts in addition to oil.
Note: This covert supply ship is pretending to be an ordinary merchant ship.

Plot summary: The year is 1989, it is three years since the US Bombing of Libya. In the aftermath of the bombing Colonel Quadaffi ordered a plan of revenge be drawn up, unfortunately for the US the person tasked with putting the plan together has proven to be unusually good at what they do. Now a submarine lurks off Jacksonville in Florida, crewed by men chosen for their competence, unseen except by someone who reported spotting a 'U-Boat'...

Note: This was the authors first novel and it's a very good thriller novel that avoids falling into the 'Generic Islamic Terrorist' trap. The crew of the Libyan submarine (While referred to only by their position in the crew, rather than by name.) are competent professionals. They know what they are doing is high risk, and there is a chance they will be killed in the attempt, but believe that with surprise on their side they should be able pull it off and get home alive. The same care extends to his other characters, from the fishermen who decide to 'catch themselves a U-Boat' to the captain of the USS Goldsborough trying to convince his superiors to take what's being reported seriously, all are well drawn and believable. Like 'Dauntless: A Novel of the Gulf War ' (2018), the plot involves something that was theoretically possible, but highly unlikely, however unlike the author of 'Dauntless' the author of this novel maintains a good head of tension all the way through to the final clash.

 

[Grey Havoc]

The mines are French in origin, can be launched from a torpedo tube, have an 1800kg warhead and are fitted with a magnetic influence trigger.

Possibly the mysterious FG 18 mine, originally developed for the Daphné-class SSKs.

 

[Dilandu]

while simultaneously is being prepared for a secondary function. (Spoilers)

...This is seems to be a case of author being so absorbed by playing into submarine warfare and Russian evul plotsky, that he just did not notice that his plot make zero in-universe sense. Because (Spoliers)

Spoiler

If Russians have even a remote glimpse of possibility of actual teleportation technology, then why would they bother with such pile of obsolete technology as "Seawolf"? They are literally standing on the brink of absolutely new area of fundamental physics, that could literally change the world and put Russia a lightyear above everyone else! Why bother with capturing some insignificant USN submarine, if you already have technology to build warp-capable starship?

Being Russian, I'm mildly offended by the author impracticality.

 

[Graham1973]

The mines are French in origin, can be launched from a torpedo tube, have an 1800kg warhead and are fitted with a magnetic influence trigger.

Possibly the mysterious FG 18 mine, originally developed for the Daphné-class SSKs.

Thanks for that suggestion, but with no details for the FG 18, I thought I'd play it safe in this case.

 

[Graham1973]

while simultaneously is being prepared for a secondary function. (Spoilers)

...This is seems to be a case of author being so absorbed by playing into submarine warfare and Russian evul plotsky, that he just did not notice that his plot make zero in-universe sense. Because (Spoliers)

Spoiler

If Russians have even a remote glimpse of possibility of actual teleportation technology, then why would they bother with such pile of obsolete technology as "Seawolf"? They are literally standing on the brink of absolutely new area of fundamental physics, that could literally change the world and put Russia a lightyear above everyone else! Why bother with capturing some insignificant USN submarine, if you already have technology to build warp-capable starship?

Being Russian, I'm mildly offended by the author impracticality.

Well, the Russians still have been unable to solve one problem the Americans had with the original device.

Spoiler

Any living thing aboard a teleported vessel is disintegrated during transit, unless they are surrounded by water (Something the Russians don't know about and the Americans only realise very late in the novel.). In the finale three ships are transported simultaneously, a fishing boat, Avalon (DSRV-2) and Pantera (K-317). The crew of the Avalon have some idea of whats happening as the process starts and manage to flood their submarine with water while breathing from oxygen masks. One of the crew on the fishing boat is underwater trying to free the propellor after it got wrapped up in seaweed. Those people are the only survivors aboard the three vessels when the 'teleporter' sends all three vessels to Lake Okeechobee.

 

[Graham1973]

Harold Coyle, Sword Point, 1988

United States

USS Franklin
'Aircraft Carrier', Class not specified
No other details provided

USS Hornet
'Aircraft Carrier', Class not specified
No other details provided

Note: At this point in time the US still had some conventionally powered carriers in service making an identification impossible without specifics.

USS Utah
Iowa Class Battleship
Details as per the real ships.
Note: Author does not state the class, but the Iowa Class were the only class of battleships in service.

USNS Tranquility
Mercy Class Hospital Ship?
Details as per the real ships
Note: Author simply refers to this vessel as a 'Hospital Ship', but at the time the Mercy Class were the only class of Hospital Ships in US Service.

Russia

Iskra
Oscar (Pr.949) Class Submarine
Details as per the real ships

Gorki
Kiev (Pr. 1143) Class Aircraft Carrier.
Airgroup includes Yak-38 Fighters.
No other details provided.

Kynda
Kynda (Pr.58) Class Cruiser
Details as per the real ships.

Plot summary: The Soviets launch a push for the Persian Gulf via Iran and the US moves into Iran to counter the move.

Note: Harold Coyle (b. 1952) is the author of a number of technothriller's starting with 'Team Yankee' (1987), a World War III novel that provided a soldiers eye view of the conflict. One interesting feature of the authors work is the use of inactive US Divisions in his stories, both actual units (6th Marine Division) and ones created for deceptive purposes (25th Armored Division, created for Operation Fortitude South.) appear in this novel. This, his second novel covers the other major US/USSR zone of conflict after Europe.

 

[Graham1973]

Alexander Fullerton, A WREN Called Smith, 1957

United Kingdom

HMS Slayer
S Class Submarine
Details as per the real ships
Note: Class assignment based on name only.

Japan

I-17
B1 Class Submarine
Real ship, details as in service 1941 - 1943 (Note: This story appears to be set after the submarine was sunk in real life.)
Note: The author does not identify the ship beyond referring to it as a 'submarine', the cover artist (Chris Mayger) in his depiction of the scene in which the submarine appears chose to depict the I-17.

United States

Various Unnamed Warships.

Plot summary: It is late WW2 (It appears to be set after the reconquest of the Philippines.), a transport ship travelling out of convoy is sunk by a Japanese submarine resulting in a struggle for survival.

 

[Nick]

Jeffrey Archer, First Among Equals, 1984

United Kingdom

HMS Broadsword
HMS Brilliant
Described as Destroyers, presumably Type 42.
They are actually Type 22 Frigates, pennants F88 and F90.

HMS Conqueror
HMS Courageous
Churchill class nuclear powered Fleet Submarines.
Details as per the real ships.

Plot Summary: First Among Equals is a political thriller set from 1964-1991, based around Westminster and Parliament.
In a sub-plot set during the mid 1980s HMS Broadsword (described as a Royal Navy Destroyer) is hijacked while passing through the Gulf of Surtis near Benghazi by over 100 Libyan mercenaries posing as coastguards. Her 217 crew are locked below decks while demands are made for the release of a handful of Libyan prisoners in the UK.
After some political drama the SBS launch from HMS Conqueror in the Med, board Broadsword, release the crew and she sails back to a heroic welcome.
They use HMS Brilliant in Rosyth for practice boarding first.
HMS Courageous is in the Med as backup for the rescue.

 

[Graham1973]

Both HMS Conqueror & HMS Courageous are real members of the Churchill Class.

 

[Graham1973]

Keith Douglass (Pseud.), Carrier: Flame-Out, 1992

United States

USS Thomas Jefferson (CVN-74)
Nimitz Class Aircraft Carrier
Details as per the real ships.
Note: Nimitz Class Aircraft Carriers of the same name have appeared in the novels 'Nimitz Class' (1997) by Patrick Robinson and 'Night Trap' (1999), 'Top Hook' (2002), 'Hostile Contact' (2003), 'Force Protection' (2004) and 'Damage Control' (2006) by Gordon Kent (Pseud.). The Pennant number clashes with that of the USS John C. Stennis (CVN-74).

USS Shiloh (CG-67)
Ticonderoga Class Cruiser
Real ship, details as in service 1992 - Ongoing.

USS Bangor
Los Angeles Class Submarine
Details as per the real ships
Note: This name has not been used for a US Navy ship since WWII.

USS Galveston
Los Angeles Class Submarine
Details as per the real ships
Note: This name was last used for a Cleveland Class Light Cruiser in service 1958 - 1970.

USS Lawrence Kearney (DDG-59)
Arleigh Burke Class Destroyer
Details as per the real ships.
Note: Pennant clashes with that of the Arleigh Burke Class Destroyer, USS Russell (DDG-59)

USS John A Winslow
Arleigh Burke Class Destroyer
Details as per the real ships.

USS Gridley
Oliver Hazzard Perry Class Frigate
Details as per the real ships
Note: Class assignment based on armament. The name clashes with a Leahy Class Cruiser in service 1963 - 1994.

USS Esek Hopkins
Oliver Hazzard Perry Class Frigate
Details as per the real ships
Note: An Oliver Hazzard Perry Class Frigate of the same name appears in the novels 'Hostile Contact' (2003) & 'Force Protection' (2004) both by Gordon Kent (Pseud.).

USS Stephen Decatur
'Frigate', class not specified
Note: No specifics are given and as both the Knox and Oliver Hazzard Perry Classes of Frigate were still in service at the time the novel was published it is not possible to assign a class. The US Navy has had several ships named USS Decatur, but no ship specifically named USS Stephen Decatur.

Russia

Kreml
Kremlin Class Aircraft Carrier (A fictional version of the Kuznetsov (Pr.1143.5) Class)
Displacement: 65,000 tons
Length: 1000ft
Airgroup: MiG-29D (Navalized MiG-29) (60 aircraft in total?)
Note: Does not appear in story, described as the first in the class

Soyuz (ex-Riga, ex-Admiral Flota Sovetskogo Soyuza Gorshkov)
Kremlin Class Aircraft Carrier (A fictional version of the Kuznetsov (Pr.1143.5) Class)
Displacement: 65,000 tons
Length: 1000ft
Airgroup: MiG-29D (Navalized MiG-29) (60 aircraft in total?)
Note: Described as the second member of the class.

Note: Reference is made to a further Unnamed nuclear powered aircraft carrier with a 100 plane airgroup undergoing trials in the Black Sea.

Tbilsiskiy Komsomolets
Victor III (Pr.671RTM) Class Submarine
Details as per the real ships

Krasniy Ritsary (Eng: Red Knight)
Oscar (Pr.949) Class Submarine
Details as per the real ships

Plot summary: The year is 1997 (The novel runs from the 4th of June to the 17th of June of that year.). Hardliners in the Russian government have revived the Soviet Union after assassinating the Russian premier. Their first act is to invade Norway. America, slipping into isolationism following the 1991 dissolution of the Soviet Union finds itself scrambling to respond.

Note: The 'Carrier' series of 'gung ho' action novels was created by author J. Andrew Keith (1958 - 1999) in the early 1990s and ran for 23 volumes with the last volume coming out in 2006. This book is the fourth in the series and launched a sub series dealing with a major US/Russian conflict in Europe (Books 4 - 6.) with the aftermath being dealt with in Book 7 ('Afterburn' (1996)). To date I have covered Books 14 ('Typhoon Season' (2000)), Book 15 ('Enemies' (2000)) & Book 16 ('Joint Operations' (2000)). I have also covered one volume of the 'Seal Team Seven' action series ('Battleground ' (1998)). Both series are set in the same fictional 'universe'.

Three authors have been associated with the series, the series creator, his brother William H. Keith and Chet Cunningham, an author who contributed to a number of action series. However it is not possible to determine who wrote which book.

 

[Dilandu]

Well,

Spoiler

Any living thing aboard a teleported vessel is disintegrated during transit, unless they are surrounded by water (Something the Russians don't know about and the Americans only realise very late in the novel.). In the finale three ships are transported simultaneously, a fishing boat, Avalon (DSRV-2) and Pantera (K-317). The crew of the Avalon have some idea of whats happening as the process starts and manage to flood their submarine with water while breathing from oxygen masks. One of the crew on the fishing boat is underwater trying to free the propellor after it got wrapped up in seaweed. Those people are the only survivors aboard the three vessels when the 'teleporter' sends all three vessels to Lake Okeechobee.

This doesn't matter. The mere fact that teleportation is possible would literally change the physics model of the world. It would be the scientific advancements comparable with STO in scale and effect. Absolutely new technology would be capable to emerge. Author clearly did not even realize that, while using it as a plot point.

 

[Graham1973]

William H. Keith (Pen name: H. Jay Riker), UNODIR, published in First to Fight I, Martin H. Greenberg (ed.), 1999

United States

USS Nimitz (CVN-68)
Nimitz Class Carrier
Real ship, details as in service 1975 - Ongoing.

USS Olympia (SSN-717)
Los Angeles Class Submarine (Flight I)
Real ship, details as in service 1984 - Ongoing.

USS Bremerton (SSN-698)
Los Angeles Class Submarine (Flight I)
Real ship, details as in service 1981 - 2018.

USS San Antonio (SSN-725)
Los Angeles Class Submarine (Flight II)
Details as per the real ships of Flight II (e.g. fitted with VLS Tomahawk Missiles.)
Note: At the time the story was published there was no clash by 2003, this name clashes with the lead ship of the San Antonio Class of Amphibious Transport Docks. The pennant number clashes with that of USS Helena (SSN-725) a member of the Los Angeles Class.

China (Peoples Republic)

Chongmingda (302)
Type 925 Submarine support ship
Real ship, details as in service

Unnamed
Kilo Class Submarine
Details as per the real ships

Unnamed
Type 037 Corvette
Details as per the real ships

Vietnam

Nguyen Khan
Petya III (Pr. 159AE) Class Frigate
Details as per the real ships
Note: Vietnamese Petya's are unnamed. The ship is described as a former Russian unit purchased "...a few years ago..."

Plot summary: The Chinese are making moves to solidify their hold on the Spratly Islands, a US mission to investigate what's happened on a seized US oil exploration platform suddenly runs into trouble when Washington DC gets cold feet.

Note: 'First to Fight I' was one of a number of military themed anthologies that were published in the late 1990s and early 2000s, I've covered two stories from another similar anthology 'Combat' (2001) which was edited by author Stephen Coonts earlier in this thread.

Author and illustrator William H. Keith, along with his brother the late J. Andrew Keith are well known in the role playing game community for their work with several companies in developing the Traveller science fiction setting in the late 70s/early 80s. They also wrote a large amount of action fiction some with science fiction elements for various publishers, under a wide variety of pseudonyms. One of these, Keith Douglass was used for the 'Carrier' and 'Seal Team Seven' series. The pseudonym used for this story was used for the 'SEALS: The Warrior Breed' series, a family saga that covered the evolution of US combat frogmen from the WWII Underwater Demolition Teams to the Navy SEALS and 'The Silent Service' a series covering the US Navies submarine branch.

 

[Pioneer]

Christopher Nicole, The Ship With No Name, 1987

British

HMS Erebus
Tenth E-class destroyer

Details are as the actual ships circa 1942. Author probably not aware that a Monitor of the same name existed in WWII.

HMS Bombast
Cruiser - Class unspecified only detail provided by the author is that the ship is 500ft (150m) long.

German

Atlas - German Commerce Raider (Details as per the historic ships)

Colossus - German Commerce Raider (Details as per the historic ships)

Nemo - German flat-top aircraft carrier

Length - 820ft (250m)
Displacement - 20,000t (Empty)
Speed - 40 knots
Aircraft - 20 JU88 bombers
No other armament or armor.

Plot summary: Following the Doolittle Raid on Tokyo and the Battle of Midway, Japanese pilots travel to Germany to train for a one-way strike against New York City. The attached cover picture depicts the moment the strike is launched.

I read this book in about ~1990 and I recall enjoying it.
From memory it sort of made me wonder what Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan might have achieved if they'd seriously cooperated.

Regards
Pioneer

 

[Graham1973]

I read this book in about ~1990 and I recall enjoyi g it.
From memory it sort of made me wonder what Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan might have achieved if they'd seriously cooperated.

Regards
Pioneer

I enjoyed it too, hope you find other things you remember in this listing.

 

[Graham1973]

William H. Keith (Pen name: H. Jay Riker), The Silent Service: Grayback Class, 2000

United States

USS Bluefin (LPSS-570)
Grayback Class Submarine
Details as per the real ships. Note: Name does not fit the class, the two real life members used fish names that started with the letter 'G'. The Pennant number clashes with the one initially assigned to USS Mackerel (SST-1).

USS Queenfish (SSN-651)
Sturgeon Class Submarine
Real ship, details as in service 1966 - 1990

USS Sea Devil (SSN-664)
Sturgeon Class Submarine
Real ship, details as in service 1969 - 1991

USS Pittsburgh (SSN-720)
Los Angeles Class (Flight II)
Real ship, details as in service 1984 - 2019

Russia

Komsolets Polyamyskiy
Victor III (Pr.671RTM) Class Submarine
Details as per the real ships

Bars (K-480)
Akula (Pr.971) Class Submarine
Real ship, details as in service 1988 - 2002
Note: As of this post the submarine has been partially dismantled so that the hull can be used as the basis for the Borei Class Submarine Vladimir Monomakh. In the novel the submarine is the class prototype and is undergoing its first sea trials in 1985, which was in fact the year the submarine was laid down.

Marshal Timoshenko
Kresta II (Pr.1134A) Class Cruiser
Real ship, details as in service 1975 - 1992.

Other unnamed warships.

Plot summary: The year is 1985 (The story runs between the months of July and August in that year.) The United States has learned that the Russians are about to launch the first of a new class of submarines. It is decided to send two submarines into the White Sea and learn as much as they can before the class enters large scale service.

Note: I've covered the authors details in the post for the short story 'UNODIR' (1999).

 

[Graham1973]

James Moffatt, The Sleeping Bomb, 1970

Germany (WWII)

U-2017
U-Boat, type not specified
Fitted to cary a minisub aft of the conning tower.
No other details provided.
Note: Pennant does not appear to have been used by the Kreigsmarine.

Unnamed
Minisub
Crew: 1
Armament: 1 x Nuclear Weapon.

Spoiler

The device has been modified in an unspecified way such that when it detonates it will create a firestorm capable of destroying an area of 1000 square miles (2590 square kilometers) around the detonation point.

Twin screw propulsion system
Note: The author describes one system on the submarine as follows: "A slender nozzle slid from the sub's nose - a nozzle with corkscrew threads running it's entire length. As the fine stream of air exploded from the nozzle the shaft revolved at fantastic speed: boring, clearing, digging into the muddy riverbed." This allows the submarine to tunnel beneath the Hudson river to reach the granite bedrock on which Manhattan sits.

Plot summary: The year is 1975. Workers tunneling beneath the Hudson River find something unexpected, Hitler's last throw of the dice....

 

[Graham1973]

Keith Douglass (Pseud.), Carrier: Nuke Zone, 1998

United States

USS Thomas Jefferson (CVN-74)
Nimitz Class Aircraft Carrier
Details as per the real ships.
Note: Nimitz Class Aircraft Carriers of the same name have appeared in the novels 'Nimitz Class' (1997) by Patrick Robinson and 'Night Trap' (1999), 'Top Hook' (2002), 'Hostile Contact' (2003), 'Force Protection' (2004) and 'Damage Control' (2006) by Gordon Kent (Pseud.). The Pennant number clashes with that of the USS John C. Stennis (CVN-74).

USS La Salle (AGF-3)
Raleigh-class amphibious transport dock
Real ship, details as in service 1964 - 2005
Note: Currently serving as 6th Fleet Flagship in the novel. Stated to be carrying AV-8 Harriers.

USS Shiloh (CG-67)
Ticonderoga Class Cruiser
Real ship details as in service 1992 - Ongoing
Note: Also appears in 'Carrier Flame-Out' (1992)

Turkey

Several Unnamed Kilo (Pr.877) Class Submarines

Ukraine

One Unnamed Juliett (Pr.651) Class Submarine

For the Aircraft Mavens

Turkey

The novel gives the Turkish Air Force F-14 'Tomcats', an aircraft they have never operated.

Ukraine

MiG-31 'Foxhound'
Real aircraft, details as in service.
Note: Has been modified with an anti-detection system that uses the hull of the aircraft as an antenna, it can manipulate any incoming signal making the plane effectively invisible to radar or appear to air traffic controllers as any other aircraft in the sky. A similar fictional 'active stealth' system created by a US aerospace company appears in the novel 'Flight 902 Is Down!' (1982) by Hal Fishman & Barry Schiff. The planes phased array radar has also been modified to have an alternate mode where it mimics the signature of a commercial ship radar of the type made by the Furuno Electric Co., Ltd of Japan.
Armament: 1 x SS-N-22 'Sunburn' missile (Note: Two missiles, the P-80 Zubr and P-270 Moskit were given this designation, the author does not specify which was used.), the nuclear warhead has been modified to maximize the EMP effect on detonation.

Plot summary: It is the early 2000s (The plot runs from Monday, 3rd September to Wednesday 12th of September, this happens in 2001 & 2012. It is most likely that the earlier year is the correct one.). As the US Sixth Fleet enters the Aegean sea, the flagship is crippled by an EMP strike. Strong circumstantial evidence points to Turkey being at fault, but are they indeed the culprits...

Note: This is the 11th novel in the 'Carrier' series, a 'gung ho' action series centering on the USS Thomas Jefferson (CVN-74), a Nimitz Class Carrier.

While it is not possible to determine who wrote which volume of the 'Carrier' series by checking the copyright page as this simply indicates the books are copyrighted to the publisher. In this case the dedication suggests that the author may have been William H. Keith. The dedication itself thanks a large number of people for help, one of whom is author Cyn Mobley one of whose novels has been covered in this thread.

Some novels in the series have been made available as eBooks, others are only available through the internet archive at present. To date I have covered the following novels, 'Flame-Out' (1992), 'Typhoon Season' (2000), 'Enemies' (2000) & 'Joint Operations' (2000). In addition one volume in the companion 'SEAL Team Seven' series, 'Battleground ' (1998) has been featured in the thread.

 

[Graham1973]

William H. Keith (Pen name: H. Jay Riker), The Silent Service: Los Angeles Class, 2001

United States

USS Parche (SSN-683)
Sturgeon Class Submarine
Real ship, details as in service 1974 - 2004

USS Indianapolis (SSN-697)
Los Angeles Class (Flight I)
Real ship, details as in service 1980 - 1998

USS Pittsburgh (SSN-720)
Los Angeles Class (Flight II)
Real ship, details as in service 1984 - 2019
Note: This submarine also appeared in the previous novel in the series 'Grayback Class' (2000).

Russia

Ivan Rogov
Sierra II (Pr.945A) Class Submarine
Details as per the real ships.
Note: Name clashes with the lead ship of the Ivan Rogov Class Amphibious Landing Ships. Specifically identified as the third boat in the Sierra II sub-class.

Krasnoyarskiy Komsolets
Mike (Pr.685) Class Submarine
Details as per the real ships
Note: The Mike Class was a technology test bed and so in real life only one was built which sank in 1989. This is a fictional second member of the class. The author explicitly identifies this submarine as being a second member of the Mike Class and further that other submarines of the same class are under construction.

Unnamed
Tracked Minisub, class not specified
Length: 15ft (4.6m)
Beam: 7.5ft (2.3m)
Crew: 4 (All Spetznaz)
Engines: Diesel (Fitted with a snorkel)
Armament: 2 x 406mm Torpedoes mounted externally on either side of the conning tower.
Fitted with an airlock to allow divers to enter and leave the craft.

Admiral Yumashev
Kresta II (Pr.1134A) Class Cruiser
Real ship, details as in service 1977 - 1992

Marshal Voroshilov
Kresta II (Pr.1134A) Class Cruiser
Real ship, details as in service 1973 - 1992
Note: In 1991 the ship was renamed Khabarovsk.

Plot summary: The year is 1987. Evidence has just emerged that the Mike Class, thought to be a one-off technology testbed is in fact the first of a new class of submarines even more advanced than the Akula's. As in 1985 closeup investigation is needed to clarify the threat.

Note: This is the second in a series of five novels covering the evolution of the US Navies submarine service from the mid-80s to the early 2000s.

 

[Graham1973]

William H. Keith (Pen name H. Jay Riker), The Silent Service: Virginia Class, 2004

United States

USS Virginia (SSN-774)
Virginia Class Submarine
Real ship, details as in service

China (Peoples Republic)

Yinbi de Gongji
Kilo (Pr.636) Class Submarine
Details as per the real ships

Non-State

Al Qaeda

Shuhadaa Muqaddseen (eng: Holy Martyrs) (ex-Al Saif (S137))
Kilo (Pr.636) Class Submarine
Details as per the real ships.
Armament: In addition to the standard armament for this class, the submarine adds a single SAM launch tube in the sail (Unnamed missile is derived from a Russian design and is a heat seeking missile with a 5000ft ceiling.), it's described as an 'Optional Extra' offered by the Russians for their export model Kilos.
Note: Officially this ship is part of the Pakistani Navy, but has in fact been purchased from Russia for Al Qaeda by a faction in the Pakistani Government. The pennant number of it's 'Official Identity' clashes with that of PNS Khalid (S137) one of the Agosta 90b Class submarines in Pakistani Service.

Al Qahir
Command Ship (Converted high-end motor yacht)
Armament: Small Arms for the crew.
Fitted with a naval quality sonar system (Identified as a Russian "...Tamir high frequency system...") in addition to standard yacht electronics.
Other details as per typical ships of this type.

Plot summary: The year is 2006. In 2004, the United States and China clashed over the Spratley Islands. The exchange went against the Chinese, now they have a 'cunning plan' which they think will give them what they want.

Note: This is an interesting one for a number of reasons, while the author makes use of 'Hot Button' issues, he does a much better job than might be expected.

The crew of the Al Qaeda submarine are midway between 'Generic Islamic Terrorists' and the crew of the Al Akrab in P. T. Deutermann's 'Scorpion in the Sea' (1998) in terms of their general characterization. There's a very nice scene where the Al Qeada controller reflects on how much easier things would be if Islam was, as some in the West see it a unified force with all thinking as one. Similarly the Chinese sub commander is portrayed as a skilled professional, somewhat uneasy about what he's involved in but willing to give his best to make it work.

This novel is the fourth in a series of five novels covering the evolution of the US Navies submarine service from the mid-80s to the early 2000s. The third volume is not available via the Internet Archive and will be covered once I have found a copy.

 

[Graham1973]

Moving back to WWII for a bit...

David Beaty, The White Sea Bird, 1979

United Kingdom

HMS Marlborough
'Cruiser', class not specified
No other details provided
Note: At the time the story is set, there was no ship of that name in the Royal Navy, the previous holder an Iron Duke Class Battleship, having been scrapped in 1932. The next holder was a Type 23 Frigate launched in 1989.

HMS Seawolf (S47)
S Class Submarine
Real ship, details as in service.

Germany

Groningen
Armed Merchant Ship (Commerce Raider)
Armament: 6 x 5.9 inch guns (3 a side), 12 x 21inch TT, "...a massive anti-aircraft armament of 75 millimeter, Oerlikons, cannon and multiple pom-poms..."
Aircraft: Unspecified "Heinkel Seaplane"
Twin funnels
Length: 500ft (152.4)
Weight: 10,000 tons
Speed: 30 knots
Note: Stated to be armored. The ships name does not fit the actual practice the Germans used for ships of this type, they tended to be named after animals or birds.

And for the Aircraft Mavens

United Kingdom

B-24 'Liberator'
Details as per the real planes
Note: Aircraft is part of 507 Squadron, RAF Coastal Command (The squadron number was allocated to the Royal Auxiliary Air Force, but not used during the war.). Armament has been modified to include 2 x 6pdr anti-tank guns (Molins Guns) firing through the nose of the plane. This would appear to be the two gun version of the mount fitted to the Mosquito FB Mk XVIII 'Tsetse'.

Plot summary: It is the end of 1942 (The story runs into 1943). For the men of 507 Squadron, RAF Coastal Command, their commanders determination to sink a German commerce raider is starting to look more and more like Ahab's quest for Moby Dick. Will any of them survive to see the end of 1943?

Note: David Beaty (1911-1999), was an author well known for his non-fiction works on aviation safety as well as his various novels exploring aspects of air travel.

 

[Graham1973]

David Beaty (Pen name: Paul Stanton), Village of Stars, 1960

United Kingdom

HMS Centipede
'Destroyer', class not specified
No other details provided

HMS Scorpio
'Destroyer', class not specified
No other details provided

HMS Scipio
'Destroyer', class not specified
No other details provided

Note: All three ships are referred to in a way that makes clear all three are not submarines. On the basis of what is said, they are most likely destroyers.

Russia

Potemkin
'Destroyer/Minesweeper', class not specified
No other details provided

Ziakov
'Destroyer', class not specified
No other details than it's newer and larger than the Potemkin.

Note: Part of a squadron of 41 destroyers based out of Archangel.

For the Aircraft Mavens

Venger
Bomber
Manufacturer: Not specified in novel.
Nation: United Kingdom
Engines: 4 (Jets)
Crew: 5
Maximum altitude reached in story: 60,000ft (18.3km)
Armament: 1 x K6 Hydrogen Bomb (100 megaton nuclear bomb, Weighs 20 tons (Note: The Russian Tzar Bomba was a 50 megaton nuclear bomb which had it been tested as designed would have been a 100 megaton bomb.))
From the various descriptions given in the novel, it probably looks a lot like a Avro Vulcan
Note: Bombers in novel are part of 714 Squadron of the RAF. Aircraft is equipped for air-to-air refuelling.

Plot summary: The year is 1964 (Not stated by the author, but the story takes place between Monday, October 12 and Saturday, October 17 and the first time this occurs after publication is 1964.). A crisis in the Middle East turns into a superpower confrontation, the British put a bomber into the air carrying the most powerful weapon in their arsenal, a 100 megaton hydrogen bomb. As the crisis deepens, the crew is ordered to arm the bomb. When tensions ease, the crew try to disarm the weapon and find they cannot. A solution has to be found and fast, the plane cannot stay in flight forever and the bomb is set to detonate at an altitude of 5500ft (1.7km)

 

[Graham1973]

Richard Cox, The Ice Raid, 1983

Norway

FV Northern Light (F 192 H)
Covert Operations Vessel (Converted Fishing Boat)
Description: "...a traditional fishing boat, wooden-hulled, the planks varnished except where a white band was painted all the way round."
Length: 60ft (18.3m)
Speed: 11knots (Max)
Forward fish hold has been modified to provide accommodation for 16 soldiers and their equipment.
Rear fish hold has been converted into an ammunition storage area.
Note: Civilian vessel requisitioned by the Norwegian Government and converted with the assistance of the British SAS.

Various Unnamed Warships.

Russia

Various Unnamed Warships.

Plot summary: The Soviet Union decides to force a confrontation over the Svalbard (Spitzbergen) Archipelago

Note: The author does not state exactly when the story takes place, but makes it quite clear it is some time after the events of the Falklands War (April - June 1982). It also contains the usual 'period notions', in this case that the various European peace movements were either directly or indirectly under the control of the KGB.

 

[Graham1973]

Tom Yates, The Living Torpedo, published in Full Forty Fathoms: Stories of Underwater Adventure, Phyllis R. Fenner (ed.), 1975

United Kingdom

HMS Tricorn
T Class Submarine
Details as per the real ships.
Modified to carry Chariot Manned Torpedoes, the book describes the early method with the Chariot being carried inside a cylinder mounted on the hull.

'Lucretia'
Chariot Mk. 1 Manned Torpedo
Details as per the real ships
Note: Also referred to as 'Nº. 6'

Germany

Prinz Wilhelm
'Battleship', class not specified
No other details provided.

Plot summary: Two men risk their lives to sink a German battleship.

Note: The book this story came from mixed fictional and real underwater adventures. The story covered in this post was first published in 1951 in 'The Saturday Evening Post'.