Patrol to the Golden Horn
In the third novel of a nine-volume naval series, we find the protagonist, Nick Everard, in a submarine. Nick has previously commanded a super-dreadnought earning promotions to flag rank and enjoying the speed and excitement of ‘destroyer actions.’
But Nick hates submarines. His background is also very different from the rest of the E57 crew. Nick’s uncle is a distinguished admiral in the Royal Navy and his father a baronet. But Nick and the E57 crew share a common purpose: their mission. As WWI draws to a close, these men must do what no submariners have been able to do in two years: go through the Dardanelles and into the Marmara Sea. Then they must destroy Goeben, a 23,000-ton German battle-cruiser, symbol of German power, which is anchored in Constantinople.
Having attended the Royal Naval College and served in battleships, cruisers, and submarines, Alexander Fullerton knows life at sea, and he recreates it with authenticity and vigor. In Patrol to the Golden Horn, Fullerton evokes the warm, oily, claustrophobic atmosphere of the submarine and the psychological, emotional, and physical difficulties its crew must endure, pointing out where and how tension flares up. However, he is less interested in his characters than in the submarine itself or in the journey, an adventure full of nets, charges, mines, and thin air. All in all, a good tale colorfully told.
