H.M.S. Ulysses

"This is the story of a ship in time of war, a ship in her finest hours, engaged in the work for which she was built, protecting the vital lifeline of supplies against the King's enemies.

"This is, above all, the story of a gallant ship's company, of men driven to the limit of human endurance and beyond, battered by the elements, sought and fought by the enemy with grim resolution and every diabolical device. The characters are memorable and typical of the Navy, unforgettable in their living and in their dying, from the Admiral down to the latest ship's boy."
(From the dust-jacket)


Let me tell you now, I L.O.V.E. this book!! This is one of the most riveting books I have ever read. It is the story of a legendary ship, the H.M.S. Ulysses, the "luckiest" ship in the Navy. It patrols the Arctic Circle as leader ship of a convoy bound to destroy the undestroyable "Tirpitz". Churchill saw this ship as a great threat. He said: "The destruction, or even the crippling, of this ship is the greatest event at sea at the present time. No other target is comparable to it. The entire naval situation throughout the world would be altered." (Winston Churchill) Close to the end of WWII the "Tirpitz" was sunk by British Air fighters, amongst which were some fighters from the "Dambuster" squadron.

The H.M.S. Ulysses was not in any way responsible for the "Tirpitz's" downfall. The fundamental reason for this is that the H.M.S. Ulysses never existed. This is a novel that is based around facts. It is a very depressing book. Almost the entire convoy (around 36 ships) is destroyed, including the Ulysses. A love of the characters is developed, the characters are destroyed. A love of the ship is developed, the ship is mutilated. Hatred for the enemy is developed, the enemy are victorious.

However, it is well worth the read. You are left, not with a depressed or a hopeless feeling, but with a renewed respect for the glorious actions mankind sometimes demonstrates. There is the young man whose mother and sister's entire village is wiped clear off the earth; whose brother is accidentally killed in a mutiny; and who is commanded by his superior officers to pull the trigger in order to speed his own father's death and save the rest of the convoy. Murder is attempted on him twice by another crew member. And if that were not bad enough, he must be clapped in irons for defending himself against this murderer because of the murderer's superiority of rank. He is alternately released during action stations, then imprisoned again when the action stations are over. His story ends when he is shot while defending the ship against a company of Heinkel III's (a German aircraft capable of carrying 1000kg worth of bombs/torpedoes), his hand still clasping the trigger.

This novel dives deep into the character of man. It illustrates man at his best, and man at his worst. Like the (attempted) murderer of the young man of the previous paragraph, who even while the ship is being blown to pieces around them, even while the young man is attempting to shoot down the enemy, is trying to push him over board in the storm. Or like the murderer who saves the lives of many. Or like the kind hearted Norwegian who pulls out one after the other the half drowned men, then jumps down into the hold and pulls the lid down after him in an act of "laying down his life for his friends". The lid would not shut from the outside, if it was not closed the entire ship would have sunk. The men who were rescued later die (there was never any hope that they would live, they had been so long in the toxic water) by an enemy aircraft crashing into the infirmary.

I have given this book an Adult rating, as there is violence, blasphemy and (minor) swearing in it. My copy is about to be black permanent mark(ered?)!