H.M.S. Ulysses - Alistair MacLean

Perhaps once in a lifetime there comes along a novel that both captivates and inspires. For me this is one such novel and if I tell you that I have owned my copy for more than 40 years then perhaps you will understand the impact it has had on me. This is the story of a warship H.M.S. Ulysses and her crew. A unique ship, built especially for escort duties on the notorious Russian Convoys of World War Two. As the story begins we join Ulysses at anchor in Scapa Flow, she has just returned from Murmansk on convoy escort duty and her crew are tired. No perhaps tired is the wrong word; exhausted ... more

In the recent BBC review of public books, Sir Jackie Steward said that this was his ideal of the 'greatest book ever written'. At 12 years old I first found my copy on the bookshelf of my grandfather, who had served on a flower class Corvette, on a couple of North Atlantic runs. He would not speak of his 'Fast Russian Runs' experience, except that it was the only time he had ever wanted to grow a beard, and that they used to dry the blankets on the steampipes. He spoke freely of his time during the 'Freedom of Malta' and of convoy duty in the Pacific, but not of that cold sea. I inherited two ... more

I must own up to being a big fan of the early maclean books and this, his first is really outstanding. It takes you on a trip through the hell of the north atlantic during world war 2. It is not a war book as such, the war plays second place to the descriptive and will take you on a emotional rollercoaster. A ship who's crew have had their patience and loyalty tested beyond belief, as they set out to protect the convoys from u-boats. The elements are as big a threat as the enemy, freezing water, ice, wind,storms,and tired, tired men with a deadly unseen enemy afoot. the question is which will ... more

In the recent BBC review of public books, Sir Jackie Steward said that this was his ideal of the 'greatest book ever written'. At 12 years old I first found my copy on the bookshelf of my grandfather, who had served on a flower class Corvette, on a couple of North Atlantic runs. He would not speak of his 'Fast Russian Runs' experience, except that it was the only time he had ever wanted to grow a beard, and that they used to dry the blankets on the steampipes. He spoke freely of his time during the 'Freedom of Malta' and of convoy duty in the Pacific, but not of that cold sea. I inherited two ... more