The story of Coast Guard Chief Petty Officer Johnny Trescott. A man as smart, tough, and fearless as they come. But he's about to lose everything-his boat, his freedom, and his identity. Long before Tom Hanks as Captain Phillips fell into the hands of modern-day pirates, Johnny faced the same high-stakes action on the high seas. He's cunning has always outwitted his antagonists, but now the odds have turned and he must pull off the ultimate drug bust. An adversary that has emerged from the deep blue. Johnny has met his match. The Phantom Patrol marked a turning point in L. Ron Hubbard's fiction. In writing this story he recognized the vital importance of research and realism. To that end, Hubbard toured Coast Guard vessels and interviewed officers who were actually involved in chasing down drug smugglers. The resulting authenticity and success of the tale was a sign of things to come. Read The Phantom Patrol and experience the development of a unique voice in storytelling. "Nonstop action and a hero to root for." -Publishers Weekly * An International Book Awards Finalists

Tom Christian is on the trail of revenge and a fortune in gold. As square-jawed and rugged as Clark Gable in his prime, Tom is headed deep into the jungles of the Solomon Islands to find Punjo Charlie-the ruthless criminal who killed his partner. But these jungles are thick with danger . . . as greed, temptation and sudden violence threaten to draw Tom into the heart of darkness. There's a pile of gold. . . . There's a beautiful blonde. . . . And there's a bloodthirsty tribe of headhunters who have fallen under the spell of Punjo Charlie. The trap has been set. The question is: will Tom fall into it? Will he lose his way and lose his head . . . or will he get his revenge, get the gold and get the girl? The answer lies buried in the rain forest . . . and in Tom's heart. And as he's about to discover, there's only one way out of the jungle: all-out war. In 1927, L. Ron Hubbard sailed across the Pacific to Guam to meet his naval officer father. It was the beginning of an adventure that would take him from the Western Hills of China to the South Pacific islands. Along the way he met Cantonese pirates, Chamorro natives, British spies, and headhunters of the South Pacific. He was one of the few Westerners to come away from an encounter with a headhunter tribe not only unscathed, but bearing gifts as well. Those experiences and knowledge proved invaluable in the writing of such stories as The Headhunters.

As the Boat Doctor in Boating magazine, Allen Berrien helped two generations of readers keep their boats alive and well. Now his practical know-how and wisdom is collected inPowerboat Care and Repair, the only book that focuses on do-it-yourself maintenance and repair of small powerboats.

Berrien provides tips on how to avoid and solve a host of common problems, such as electrolysis, pitted gelcoat, and battery failures. He also offers step-by-step guidance on spring commissioning and winterizing; inboard, outboard, and stern driveengine troubleshooting; exterior maintenance; emergency preparedness; and much more.

If Lars Marlin had three wishes, two have already been granted: he has escaped from Devil's Island ... and he has come face to face with the man who put him there-Paco Corvino. But the third wish-putting a bullet in Corvino-will have to wait. They're off to sea, and not since Fletcher Christian and Captain Bligh set sail on the Bounty have two more heated enemies been in the same boat. Corvino is a convict, con-man and killer who has schemed his way into a position as chief steward on a luxury yacht sailing out of Rio de Janeiro. And, in a twist as devious as it is diabolical, he's managed to install Lars-his hated rival-as captain of the very same vessel. And there are even darker twists to come.... Lars is determined to find out what Corvino has up his sleeve ... and what killer cargo he's hiding on board. But the yacht owner's daughter proves to be a beautiful-and dangerous-distraction. Will Lars be safe in her arms ... or is she part of Corvino's plot-a deadly trap set with honey? Like several leading writers of the day, L. Ron Hubbard was invited to Hollywood to write scripts, where his superior talent and productivity attracted numerous lucrative offers from the studios. But, as he wrote in a letter to the editor of Argosy magazine in August 1937: "I love to tie a yarn and try to make it blaze in print. The mags will never lose me to the movies. Never, at any salary!" And as Argosy gleefully responded in its pages: "Next to exorcise the Hollywood virus from his veins was L. Ron Hubbard ... he has set to work to give Argosy some more of his rousing yarns. The first, -Cargo of Coffins,' is due to appear in the November 13th issue, and a serial is likely to follow."

Over the years, several books featuring shipping on the River Humber have been published, but few have viewed their subject from an inland waterway viewpoint. This book, together with its companion volume "Shipping on the Humber - The South Bank", attempts to fill that gap, though sea-going traffic has not been ignored. Wooden sailing keels and sloops, characteristic of the region in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, and the steel motor barges that came along later, are featured in the illustrations, together with the shipyards where many of them were built and maintained. Maps and photographs of inland waterway craft at work on the docks, havens, rivers and canals of the Humber's north bank have been selected from locations including Driffield, Beverley, Brough, Hessle, Hedon, Newport and, of course, Hull.

Bat Conroy--cut him and he'd bleed ink, he's a born newspaperman. Edward R. Murrow, Walter Cronkite, Eric Sevareid--the greatest American journalists of the 20th century all made their names as war correspondents, but none of them would have beat out Bat Conroy to a good story.
Which makes it that much more mystifying--and aggravating--when an unknown writer, filing under the byline Perry Lane, scoops Bat on every story that comes along. Bat's always been the go-to reporter covering the Japanese invasion of China . . . until this Perry Lane person came along to steal his thunder and maybe even his job.
Now, the biggest story of the war is about to hit the fan, and Bat's going to get to the source first if it kills him. But the most shocking news of all is the true identity of the elusive Perry Lane.
As a young man, Hubbard visited Manchuria, where his closest friend headed up British intelligence in northern China. Hubbard gained a unique insight into the intelligence operations and spy-craft in the region as well as the hostile political climate between China and Japan--a knowledge that informs stories like Inky Odds.

Latitude Hooks and Azimuth Rings is for people who like to work with their hands and who appreciate traditional nautical craftsmanship. You dont have to be the master of any craft to undertake any of these projects--from a simple kamal or latitude hook to the more complex pelorus or octant--just a careful and enthusiastic worker.

These 18 projects fall roughly into three categories: decorative, useful, and somewhere in between. Some, such as the astrolabe, are mainly for display. On the other hand, the sounding line is an important and practical tool for small-craft navigation, particularly in the absence of an electronic sounder. The cross-staff falls somewhere in between, equally at home in the den or the ditch kit.

Each of the devices discussed here--with simple, proven building instructions complemented by clear illustrations--has at one time or another been used for the practical business of navigation, and each is worth reviving for its beauty, historic value, or sheer usefulness.

Dennis Fisher has designed these projects with an emphasis on simplicity and reasonable cost. Everything can be scratch-built using easily obtainable materials and tools, and each is true to the spirit and function of the original instrument.

In 1982, North Sea ferry MV Norland transported passengers and vehicles between Hull and Rotterdam. Requisitioned as a troop ship to take the 2nd Battalion, Parachute Regiment to the Falklands, the 'volunteer' merchant navy crew were told they would only go as far as the Ascension Island and that they should think of it as an extended North Sea booze-cruise run. However, without notice Norland's role was changed and it became the first vessel to enter San Carlos Water, ending up a sitting duck in 'Bomb Alley' air raids while disembarking troops and carrying out resupply runs. Narrowly escaping sinking, the ship was used as a shelter for survivors and for collecting the Gurkhas from the QE2 in South Georgia, ready for disembarking in San Carlos Bay, before repatriating Argentine POWs. Long after the surrender, MV Norland provided a ferry service between the Falklands and Ascension Island. While many in the war served an average of 100 days, for the crew of the Norland it was ten months; indeed, they were considered the first in and the last out. This is a gripping account of non-combatant volunteers railroaded into serving in a war they hadn't signed up for.

Figureheads developed from an ancient tradition of decorating vessels with painted eyes, carved figures and animal heads. Vikings in Northern Europe adorned the bows of their ships with dragon heads, which were thought to help ships see their way through the sea. But what other purposes did sailors believe figureheads served? What stories do these beautiful objects tell? And what do the different characters symbolise? Exploring the history and traditions associated with figureheads, this illustrated guide contains 60 examples from the National Maritime Museum, home to the world's largest collection of figureheads. With a selection of short in-focus studies, the book looks at mythology, memorial, gender, empire, politics and literature surrounding these unique carvings. The National Maritime Museum is part of Royal Museums Greenwich.

The 1960s witnessed a magnificent, if misguided, swansong for the ocean liner. As the decade progressed a steady succession of elaborate new 'ships of state' populated the world's sea lanes, in futile defiance of the vapour trails above them. Into this atmosphere of one-upmanship the Italian Line introduced Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo and Raffaello, the largest, fastest and most prestigious passenger liners in the nation's post-war merchant marine. Named after the Renaissance masters, this book tells their stories, from troubled inception to heart-rending finale. It explains their design origins and interior decor, relates the triumph and tragedy of their all-too-brief careers and provides an insight into what it was like to live, work and take passage on these vessels, each with their own special personality. Profusely illustrated throughout, this book pays tribute to the ships and the people who brought them to life.

Freighters of the 1950s and '60s - with masts, booms and hatches - were the last of their generation. It was the end of an era, just before the massive transition to faster, more efficient containerised shipping on larger and larger vessels. These were 'working ships', but many would be retired prematurely and finish up under flags of convenience, for virtually unknown owners, before going off to the scrappers in the 1970s and '80s. For some ships, their life's work was cut short and their decommissioning was quick. In Handling Cargo, William H. Miller remembers the likes of Cunard, Holland America and United States Lines on the North Atlantic, Moore McCormack Lines to South America, Farrell Lines to Africa and P&O out East.

Founded in 1873, the Holland America Line provided services carrying passengers and freight between the Netherlands and North America. When the Second World War ended, only nine of Holland America Line's twenty-five ships had survived and the company set about rebuilding. The pride of HAL's post-war fleet was SS Rotterdam, completed in 1959, which was one of the first ships on the North Atlantic equipped to offer two-class transatlantic crossings and single-class luxury cruising. However, competition from the airlines meant that in the early 1970s Holland America ended their transatlantic passenger services; in 1973 the company sold its cargo-shipping division. Now owned by the American cruise line Carnival, Holland America offers round-the-world voyages and cruises in the Mediterranean, the Caribbean and Asia. In this book, renowned ocean liner historian and author William H. Miller takes a look at the Holland America Line and its post-war fleet up to 2015.

From 1888 to 1898, the American Steel Barge Company built and operated a fleet of forty-four barges and steamships on the Great Lakes and in international trade. These new ships were considered revolutionary by some and nautical curiosities by others. Built from what was then a high tech material (steel) and powered by state-of-the-art steam machinery, their creation in the remote north was a sign of industrial accomplishment. In Whaleback Ships and the American Steel Barge Company, C. Roger Pellett explains that the construction of these ships and the industrial infrastructure required to build them was financed by a syndicate that included some of the major players active in the Golden Age of American capitalism. The American Steel Barge Company operated profitably from 1889 through 1892, each year adding new vessels to its growing fleet. By 1893, it had run out of cash. The cash crisis worsened with the onset of the Panic of 1893, which plunged the country into a depression that mostly halted the ship-building industry. Only one shareholder, John D. Rockefeller, was willing and able to invest in the company to keep it afloat, and by doing so he gained control. When prosperity returned in 1896, the interest in huge iron ore deposits on the Mesabe Range required larger, more effi cient vessels. In an attempt to meet this need, the company built another vessel that incorporated many whaleback features but included a conventional Great Lakes steamship bow. Although this new steamship compared favorably with vessels of conventional design, it was the last vessel of whaleback design to be built. Whaleback Ships and the American Steel Barge Company objectively examines the design of these ships using the original design drawings, notes the successes and failures of the company's business strategy, and highlights the men at the operating level that attempted to make this strategy work. Readers interested in the maritime history of the Great Lakes and the industries that developed around them will find this book fascinating.

Insurance investigator Brent Calloway may be too hard-boiled to crack a smile, but he'll go to any length to crack a case. As tough, terse and tireless as insurance man Edward G. Robinson in Double Indemnity, Calloway's about to go to extremes to see to it that one ship makes it safely from Hawaii to the mainland. Going undercover and posing as ruthless killer Spike O'Brien, Calloway quickly discovers that on this ship nothing is what it seems, and no one can be trusted. With so much insurance money at stake, and the whole crew apparently in on the scam, this could end up being a voyage to the bottom of the sea.... And when the real Spike O'Brien shows up, it's Calloway who'll need a good insurance policy. Because life is cheap when the stakes are so high-on a ship of lies bearing a False Cargo. A veteran sailor who had voyaged long and far, L. Ron Hubbard knew well the life at sea. He once wrote in his journal: "There is something magnificently terrible about a savage sea in the unwholesome green of half-dawn.... The ship is an unreal, fragile thing, full of strange groans, and engine and sails are dwarfed in their puny power when matched to all the countless horsepower in wave and wind and current. The whole world is an awesome threat. Alone, wet, hungry, hand cramped upon a tiller, a sailor knows more truth in those hours than all mankind in his millions of years." Also includes the sea adventure "Grounded", in which a Royal Air Force lieutenant loses a friend and tarnishes his reputation, and sets out in search of redemption ... no matter the price.

In The Great Escape and Papillon, Steve McQueen embodied the tough guy on the run from captivity and injustice. But when it comes to toughness, McQueen is following in the daring and determined footsteps of Captain Spar.
Wrongfully accused, Spar has been condemned to suffer the brutality of the guards and the conditions on Devil's Island. But they haven't broken his will, and now, escaping, he has one mission in life: revenge. Spar's out to kill the man who put him into the devil's hands. But he'll have to take on a gallery of rogues who are as treacherous as the waters of the Caribbean.
Pressure is rising and a storm is brewing. But even in the face of a natural disaster, Spar discovers that nothing is more volatile than human nature--as temptation and danger are about to collide with Hurricane force.
In 1937 L. Ron Hubbard wrote to one of his editors: "You might have noticed that I am intensely wary of becoming any kind of a story specialist. I have sold the gamut of types: air war, air, western, detective, love, terror. . . . My one passion is to build a name for variety. . . . I like my freedom. I fight hard for independent individualism. I love to tie into a yarn and make it blaze in print." Hubbard's passion for writing, creativity and individualism certainly blazes across the page in stories like Hurricane.
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"""The excitement is made even more thrilling through the superb production Galaxy Audio puts behind these audiobooks. Excellent voice acting, sound effects that keep the story thrilling, and incidental music that makes you feel as though you are in an old time radio drama." "--Gather.com"
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The definitive account of the life and career of the respected and popular captain of the "Titanic" includes original research drawing on the ship's logs, crew lists, newspapers, and first-hand accounts Commander Edward John Smith's career had been a remarkable example of how a man from a humble background could get far in the world, and this biography tracks the fascinating career and many voyages of a seasoned captain. Born to a working-class family, he went to sea at the age of 17 and rose rapidly through the ranks of the merchant navy, serving first in sailing vessels and later in the new steamships of the White Star Line. By 1912, he was their senior commander and regarded by many in the shipping world as the "millionaire's captain." In 1912, Smith was given command of the new "RMS Titanic" for her maiden voyage, but what should have been among the crowning moments of his long career at sea turned rapidly into a nightmare following the Titanic's collision with an iceberg. In a matter of hours the supposedly unsinkable ship sank, taking more than 1,500 people with her, including Captain Smith. This account dispels myths about the man and tracking his movements and motives in detail on that fateful night.

When Royal Princess was named in Southampton by HRH The Princess of Wales in November 1984, she was the most advanced purpose-built luxury cruise ship ever conceived and constructed. Built at the beginning of the modern commercial age of cruising, she was the trend-setter of the cruise ship world and continues to hold a number of records, among them, the first contemporary cruise ship to have all outside cabins, and in 2010 as Artemis, the first British passenger ship to be commanded by a female captain, Sarah Breton. In the following years of service, she has taken passengers all over the globe in luxury and style, and it is hoped she has many more years of cruising ahead of her. At 45,000 gross tons she is small in comparison with the super-liners of today, but when launched she was one of the largest cruise ships afloat. Her traditional ambiance and service standards have attracted a loyal following, not only among passengers, but also among her crew. This book, written by Andrew Sassoli-Walker and Sharon Poole, celebrates the innovation in cruise ship design that Royal Princess / Artemis represented, and highlights her career with both Princess and P&O Cruises in the words of both passengers and crew. Fully illustrated throughout with many never-before-seen colour images, it is a tribute to a unique and much-loved vessel.

Bob Sherman has a strength of character and purpose that would make Spencer Tracy proud. But signing on to the crew of the yacht Bonito, he'll need every ounce of his strength and courage to overcome the forces arrayed against him--in Sea Fangs.
He'll take on the forces of nature--a hurricane smashing into the boat off the Venezuelan coast. He'll stand up to the forces of ignorance--Bonito's incompetent captain. He'll defy the forces of corruption--the boat's owner, who stripped him of his land years ago. And he'll fight the forces of evil--a ruthless band of pirates who take all aboard, including the owner's daughter, to the uncharted Island of Death.
His fate intertwined with a woman whose father stole everything he valued, Sherman is about to discover that there's one force as powerful, unpredictable and dangerous as the sea itself . . . the force of a beautiful woman's love.
Hubbard had vast experience at sea. By the time he'd written this story, he had traveled twice to China on Naval vessels, had signed on a twin-masted schooner plying the Chinese coast, and had organized a five-thousand mile expedition aboard a four-masted schooner. He had first-hand experience of the violence of the sea--and of the men who ply it--as he depicts in Sea Fangs.
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"The cast brings alive romance, bravado, menace, and the thrill of escape." "--AudioFile
*Winner of AudioFile's Best Audiobook for 2011

As daring and defiant as Kirk Douglas journeying 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, there's no stopping diver Hawk Ridley as he takes the plunge into a briny world of untold riches and danger. The Caribbean is a fortune hunter's dream, salted with the gold of galleons long ago claimed by the deep. Now Hawk's headed for the Windward Passage of Haiti to stake his claim. But a rival team has also picked up the scent, and they're willing to turn the sea red with blood to get to the gold first. Fighting off ruthless competitors is nothing new to Hawk...but fighting off a beautiful woman is a different story. Is she an innocent stowaway or a seductive saboteur? Between the cool millions lying on the bottom of the ocean, and the boiling-hot race to grab it, Hawk's about to find the answer and make a discovery Twenty Fathoms Down that will blow you out of the water. When it came to research, Hubbard was not one to head for the library. He always went to the source-in this case a U.S. Navy deep-sea diver who agreed to show him the ropes and the danger. Hubbard admits it was daunting-even frightening-but he returned from the experience with all the first-hand knowledge he needed to fathom the true nature of life and death underwater. "Primo Pulp Fiction." - Booklist

Long before Captain Jack Sparrow raised hell with the" Pirates of the Caribbean, "Tom Bristol sailed to hell and back "Under the Black Ensign.""That's" where the "real" adventure begins."
"Bristol's had plenty of bad luck in his life. Press-ganged into serving aboard a British vessel, he's felt the cruel captain's lash on his back. Then, freed from his servitude by pirates, his good fortune immediately takes a bad turn . . . as the pirates accuse him of murder--and leave him to die on a deserted island. Now all he has left are a few drops of water, a gun, and just enough bullets to put himself out of his misery.
But Bristol's luck is about to change. Finding himself in the unexpected company of a fiery woman and a crafty crew, he unsheathes his sword, raises a pirate flag of his own, and sets off to make love and war on the open seas.
In his early twenties, Hubbard led the two-and-a-half-month, five-thousand-mile Caribbean Motion Picture Expedition. He followed that with the West Indies Mineralogical Expedition near San Juan, Puerto Rico, in which he completed the island's first mineralogical survey as an American territory. It was during these two journeys that Hubbard became an expert on the Caribbean's colorful history--an expertise he drew on to write stories like "Under the Black Ensign.""
"" "The ever-present soundtrack is never distracting and . . . lends a richness to the imagined picture." "--AudioFile

Why will a sailor never go to sea on Friday 13th? Why are boats always referred to as 'she'? How do you navigate the ocean without a compass? Does the Bermuda Triangle really exist? Why do sailors wear earrings? Did Blackbeard actually exist? Did Nelson really say 'Kiss me, Hardy'? What is the correct way to bury a body at sea? Why is a rope never called a rope? This fascinating collection of maritime folklore and trivia delves into the history, science and culture of the sea, and is packed full of entertaining, surprising and insightful facts, from the delightfully obscure to the amusingly quaint, including everyday expressions that have their origins on board ship. It is a complete treasure trove for young and old alike. Topics include: sailors and superstitions; ships and shipbuilding; navigation and seamanship; pirates and smugglers; fish and fishermen; coasts and oceans; tides and weather; art and literature of the sea.