Transcriber's Notes:
Obvious punctuation errors repaired.
The remaining corrections made are indicated by dotted lines under the corrections. Scroll the mouse over the word and the original text will appear.
About This Book
The narrative follows a group of young naval apprentices from a small coastal port who, after serving aboard a destroyer and earning furlough, pursue placement on a new superdreadnaught and training as gunners. Their leave and return journeys lead into episodes of coastal mystery, submarine sightings, fogbound searches, sudden accidents, explosions, and a climactic gun duel at sea. Interwoven are scenes of camaraderie, technical instruction in gunnery, and urgent special orders that drive a race to engage enemy U-boats and protect convoys, with explanations and reckonings that resolve several dangerous encounters.