5/13/2023 0 Comments Author of the novel the cruel sea![]() ![]() The Cruel Sea is a novel but it is based very much on Monsarrat’s own wartime experiences. At times the description of sailing through rough seas is strong enough to make the reader almost feel seasick. The book captures the rituals of life at sea and goes into the heart of the action. ![]() It tells the story of HMS Compass Rose, a corvette, and HMS Saltash, a frigate, and the crews who sailed them from 1939 to 1945. It focuses on the relationship between Captain George Ericson and a reserve officer who becomes his Number One, Keith Lockhart. Monsarrat described it as the story ‘of one ocean, two ships, and about one hundred and fifty men.’ In a gritty, realistic style the book conveys the joys and the tragedies, the cruelty and the horror of the Battle of Atlantic. In 1951 Nicholas Monsarrat published his fourth book on the naval war, The Cruel Sea. The face of Jack Hawkins looks out from the 1953 poster for The Cruel Sea. Taylor Downing reviews a WWII naval epic based closely on Nicholas Monsarrat’s famous novel. ![]()
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