Casemate has a long history of publishing high quality military
history non-fiction. Lately, they have expanded their range of work to
include well written novels using wartime settings. - WWII History
MagazineThe engaging story of a young American naval officer undertaking
his first command, in the middle of World War II.
Having survived the sinking of his first ship, Ensign Ash Miller USNR is
promoted and assigned to command one of the sleek new additions to "the
splinter fleet," a 110-foot wooden submarine chaser armed with only
understrength guns and depth charges. His task is to bring the ship
swiftly into commission, weld his untried crew into an efficient
fighting unit, and take his vessel to sea in order to protect the
defenseless Allied merchant vessels which are being maliciously and
increasingly sunk by German U-Boats, often within sight of the coast.
Ash rises to the deadly challenge he faces, brings his crew of three
officers and 27 men to peak performance, and meets the threats he faces
with understated courage and determination, rescuing stricken seamen,
destroying Nazi mines, fighting U-Boats, and developing both the
tactical sense and command authority that will be the foundation upon
which America's citizen sailors eventually win the war. During rare
breaks in operations, Ash cherishes a developing relationship with the
spirited Claire Morris who embodies the peaceful ideal for which he has
been fighting.
