The Ship (novel)

"The Ship" is a novel written by C. S. Forester set in the Mediterranean during World War II, and first published in May 1943. It follows the life of a Royal Navy light cruiser for a single action including a detailed analysis of many of the men on board and the contribution they made.

A convoy is heading to Malta, escorted by five light cruisers, including "HMS Artemis". It is afternoon. "Artemis" has just beaten off air attacks. An Italian surface fleet, with two battleships and several light cruisers, will intercept it. The convoy must get through, so the ship must fight.

The bare narrative of the action is this: Upon receiving reports from the lookouts at the masthead of enemy ships ahead, the cruisers lay a smoke screen, then attack. The ship sustains two hits, one of which requires the flooding of "X" turret aft. The other two turrets continue to fire upon the Italian fleet, while destroyers lay a torpedo attack. The Italian fleet retires as night falls.

This bare narrative interweaves the stories of the men aboard, from the Paymaster Commander to the Captain to the gun crew that fires the shot that changed the course of history, with chapter headings that come from the Captain's official after-action report.

The author dedicated the book "with the deepest respect to the officers and crew of HMS "Penelope"", and the action described is based on the First Battle of Sirte.

ee also

It is also a science fiction novel by the Spanish author Tomas Salvador (Spanish: La Nave).