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Three Corvettes
Nicholas Monsarrat, unquestionably the best writer on sea warfare during World War II, saw the horror firsthand as a frigate captain in the British Navy. In dramatic, vivid language, this unforgettable collection records the terrible years between 1940 and 1943. It includes the autobiographical It Was Cruel; A Ship to Remember, about the sinking of the Lancastria in 1940 (3,000 men lost their lives); and I Was There, HMS Marlborough Will Enter Harbour, and The Ship That Died of Shame--three short fictional pieces.
224 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1945
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246 people want to read
About the author
Nicholas Monsarrat
92 books89 followersBorn on Rodney Street in Liverpool, Monsarrat was educated at Winchester and Trinity College, Cambridge. He intended to practise law. The law failed to inspire him, however, and he turned instead to writing, moving to London and supporting himself as a freelance writer for newspapers while writing four novels and a play in the space of five years (1934–1939). He later commented in his autobiography that the 1931 Invergordon Naval Mutiny influenced his interest in politics and social and economic issues after college.
Though a pacifist, Monsarrat served in World War II, first as a member of an ambulance brigade and then as a member of the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve (RNVR). His lifelong love of sailing made him a capable naval officer, and he served with distinction in a series of small warships assigned to escort convoys and protect them from enemy attack. Monsarrat ended the war as commander of a frigate, and drew on his wartime experience in his postwar sea stories. During his wartime service, Monsarrat claimed to have seen the ghost ship Flying Dutchman while sailing the Pacific, near the location where the young King George V had seen her in 1881.
Resigning his wartime commission in 1946, Monsarrat entered the diplomatic service. He was posted at first to Johannesburg, South Africa and then, in 1953, to Ottawa, Canada. He turned to writing full-time in 1959, settling first on Guernsey, in the Channel Islands, and later on the Mediterranean island of Gozo (Malta).
Monsarrat's first three novels, published in 1934–1937 and now out of print, were realistic treatments of modern social problems informed by his leftist politics. His fourth novel and first major work, This Is The Schoolroom, took a different approach. The story of a young, idealistic, aspiring writer coming to grips with the "real world" for the first time, it is at least partly autobiographical.
The Cruel Sea (1951), Monsarrat's first postwar novel, is widely regarded as his finest work, and is the only one of his novels that is still widely read. Based on his own wartime service, it followed the young naval officer Keith Lockhart through a series of postings in corvettes and frigates. It was one of the first novels to depict life aboard the vital, but unglamorous, "small ships" of World War II—ships for which the sea was as much a threat as the Germans. Monsarrat's short-story collections H.M.S. Marlborough Will Enter Harbour (1949), and The Ship That Died of Shame (1959) mined the same literary vein, and gained popularity by association with The Cruel Sea.
The similar Three Corvettes (1945 and 1953) comprising H.M. Corvette (set aboard a Flower class corvette in the North Atlantic), East Coast Corvette (as First Lieutenant of HMS Guillemot) and Corvette Command (as Commanding Officer of HMS Shearwater) is actually an anthology of three true-experience stories he published during the war years and shows appropriate care for what the Censor might say. Thus Guillemot appears under the pseudonym Dipper and Shearwater under the pseudonym Winger in the book. H.M. Frigate is similar but deals with his time in command of two frigates. His use of the name Dipper could allude to his formative years when summer holidays were spent with his family at Trearddur Bay. They were members of the famous sailing club based there, and he recounted much of this part of his life in a book My brother Denys. Denys Monserrat was killed in Egypt during the middle part of the war whilst his brother was serving with the Royal Navy. Another tale recounts his bringing his ship into Trearddur Bay during the war for old times' sake.
Monsarrat's more famous novels, notably The Tribe That Lost Its Head (1956) and its sequel Richer Than All His Tribe (1968), drew on his experience in the diplomatic service and make important reference to the colonial experience of Britain in Africa.
Though a pacifist, Monsarrat served in World War II, first as a member of an ambulance brigade and then as a member of the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve (RNVR). His lifelong love of sailing made him a capable naval officer, and he served with distinction in a series of small warships assigned to escort convoys and protect them from enemy attack. Monsarrat ended the war as commander of a frigate, and drew on his wartime experience in his postwar sea stories. During his wartime service, Monsarrat claimed to have seen the ghost ship Flying Dutchman while sailing the Pacific, near the location where the young King George V had seen her in 1881.
Resigning his wartime commission in 1946, Monsarrat entered the diplomatic service. He was posted at first to Johannesburg, South Africa and then, in 1953, to Ottawa, Canada. He turned to writing full-time in 1959, settling first on Guernsey, in the Channel Islands, and later on the Mediterranean island of Gozo (Malta).
Monsarrat's first three novels, published in 1934–1937 and now out of print, were realistic treatments of modern social problems informed by his leftist politics. His fourth novel and first major work, This Is The Schoolroom, took a different approach. The story of a young, idealistic, aspiring writer coming to grips with the "real world" for the first time, it is at least partly autobiographical.
The Cruel Sea (1951), Monsarrat's first postwar novel, is widely regarded as his finest work, and is the only one of his novels that is still widely read. Based on his own wartime service, it followed the young naval officer Keith Lockhart through a series of postings in corvettes and frigates. It was one of the first novels to depict life aboard the vital, but unglamorous, "small ships" of World War II—ships for which the sea was as much a threat as the Germans. Monsarrat's short-story collections H.M.S. Marlborough Will Enter Harbour (1949), and The Ship That Died of Shame (1959) mined the same literary vein, and gained popularity by association with The Cruel Sea.
The similar Three Corvettes (1945 and 1953) comprising H.M. Corvette (set aboard a Flower class corvette in the North Atlantic), East Coast Corvette (as First Lieutenant of HMS Guillemot) and Corvette Command (as Commanding Officer of HMS Shearwater) is actually an anthology of three true-experience stories he published during the war years and shows appropriate care for what the Censor might say. Thus Guillemot appears under the pseudonym Dipper and Shearwater under the pseudonym Winger in the book. H.M. Frigate is similar but deals with his time in command of two frigates. His use of the name Dipper could allude to his formative years when summer holidays were spent with his family at Trearddur Bay. They were members of the famous sailing club based there, and he recounted much of this part of his life in a book My brother Denys. Denys Monserrat was killed in Egypt during the middle part of the war whilst his brother was serving with the Royal Navy. Another tale recounts his bringing his ship into Trearddur Bay during the war for old times' sake.
Monsarrat's more famous novels, notably The Tribe That Lost Its Head (1956) and its sequel Richer Than All His Tribe (1968), drew on his experience in the diplomatic service and make important reference to the colonial experience of Britain in Africa.
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
March 24, 2015
I will never tire of reading books from authors who"were there."
March 28, 2021
Best historical fiction writer around. Truly amazing that Monsarrat isn’t talked about in professional military publications. Gritty; his work makes To Build A Fire feel like a walk in the park.
October 25, 2022
Nicholas Monsarrat’s The Cruel Sea is one of my favourite novels – sea, war, and generally – of all time. Much of it was based on his experiences in – wait for it – three corvettes during WW2, respectively as an under officer, first officer and captain. He took notes and that is what these essentially are, edited together into a coherent whole. So, as well as a glimpse at ordinary people doing extraordinary things – he makes much of the fact that his fellow sailors were mostly conscripted in from civvy street, some of them rescued from the horrors of 1930s level of poverty – it’s interesting to see the original versions of fictionised scenes I know from the later book.
A theme I remember well from The Cruel Sea is his contempt for black marketers riding on the backs of the sacrifices made out in the Atlantic, like dock workers who steal the emergency rations from the lifeboats and sell them on. Monsarrat had seen the cost in men’s lives of getting a single drop of petrol across the Atlantic, so meeting smug civilians back in Blighty who had, for instance, classified their private car as a taxi to get more petrol ration (but had no intention of using it as such), and felt quite pleased with themselves for beating the system, made him almost homicidal with rage. Quite rightly.
A theme I remember well from The Cruel Sea is his contempt for black marketers riding on the backs of the sacrifices made out in the Atlantic, like dock workers who steal the emergency rations from the lifeboats and sell them on. Monsarrat had seen the cost in men’s lives of getting a single drop of petrol across the Atlantic, so meeting smug civilians back in Blighty who had, for instance, classified their private car as a taxi to get more petrol ration (but had no intention of using it as such), and felt quite pleased with themselves for beating the system, made him almost homicidal with rage. Quite rightly.
March 7, 2022
The title is a little misleading as you are getting a whole lot more than the tale of serving aboard three vessels on convoy escort duties during WWII. This is an anthology of short fictional stories and factual tales that draw heavily on Monsarrat's personal experience. The reader will come away with an understanding of what it was like to serve on the convoy runs and will also see where much of the material for the novel 'The Cruel Sea' - published by the author in 1951 - was gathered.
August 21, 2023
Nicholas Montserrat wrote the Cruel Sea, a grinding account of the Battle of the North Atlantic. Three Corvettes is a collection of three novellas, covering the three stints he had on smaller Royal Navy ships on convoy duty. Very much occupied with day to day routine of a young officer, later captain of the ship and provides a vivid account of what it was like to serve in the conflict. I found it worked best not as an account of derring do but a snapshot of what serving in the conflict meant.
May 16, 2021
The War at Sea - An Introduction.
Of doubtless interest to the Landsman, but rather like the role of the convoy escort, rather dull and repetitive to the initiated seaman. Rather too much inconsequential detail to hold one's interest - at best a prelude to his "The Cruel Sea".
PS Please correct my previous review to 5 stars as intended'
Of doubtless interest to the Landsman, but rather like the role of the convoy escort, rather dull and repetitive to the initiated seaman. Rather too much inconsequential detail to hold one's interest - at best a prelude to his "The Cruel Sea".
PS Please correct my previous review to 5 stars as intended'
November 14, 2023
Good first hand accounts of service aboard British corvettes (small destroyer type vessels) during World War II's Battle for the Atlantic. Focuses on some more of the more mundane, day to day activities at both sea and in port. Based on notes the author kept during his service aboard each of these 3 ships.
August 27, 2025
An excellent overview of life on an escort vessel in WWII. His personal experiences are obviously the basis for many of his stories in his classic book, The Cruel Sea. I'd like to talk to someone in an equivalent position in the Navy today to see how things compare.
March 27, 2018
”Three corvettes” hasn’t aged well. I can’t escape the feeling that the author glosses things over a bit, and instead we end up we a couple of “It was a jolly good war, old chap”-stories.
October 30, 2018
Highly recommended for all those who go down to the sea in ships. Three Corvettes contains stories of Monsarrat’s days a RNVR Officer. Great lessons for O-1 to O-10.
January 19, 2024
Excellent book, and a fascinating insight into the brutal reality of convoy escort duty during WW2.
February 26, 2016
Nicholas Monsarrat is best known as the author of "The Cruel Sea", which I haven't read but which was made into a top quality 1953 British film. This collection also derives from the author's time as a naval officer in WWII, and contains both fiction and non-fiction pieces.
The memoir "Three Corvettes" forms the bulk of the collection, and relates the author's experiences on the eponymous vessels from 1940-43. On starting I was struck by its unusual style. Other characters are never mentioned by name, only ever by their job or some other distinguishing characteristic such as nationality (e.g. "an Australian", "a Newfoundland rating" etc.) Moreover only the vaguest details are given about the location of incidents. At one point the author describes being in port during a massive air raid on the port city, but we are not told which city (it was Liverpool). It was midway through Part 2 when we are told the reason for this approach - the book was actually published during WWII, and of course any such details would have been censored. Although that put things in context, the style is not especially easy to read, since what is left is a series of anecdotes and images with a disconnected feel. Some are vivid and others humorous, but I found much of it a slow read. It doesn't help that, as the author himself concedes, much of the text deals with convoy escort work with a lack of incident, or as he puts it, a lack of "explosions and screaming Stukas". He notes drily that he hopes that his next book will contain "the required level of violence."
Apart from the title work, this collection contains two other essays looking back on the War, and three works of short fiction. Two of these, "HMS Marlborough Will Enter Harbour", and "The Ship That Died of Shame" are well worth reading, and it is really because of these that I have pushed my overall rating up to 3 stars.
The memoir "Three Corvettes" forms the bulk of the collection, and relates the author's experiences on the eponymous vessels from 1940-43. On starting I was struck by its unusual style. Other characters are never mentioned by name, only ever by their job or some other distinguishing characteristic such as nationality (e.g. "an Australian", "a Newfoundland rating" etc.) Moreover only the vaguest details are given about the location of incidents. At one point the author describes being in port during a massive air raid on the port city, but we are not told which city (it was Liverpool). It was midway through Part 2 when we are told the reason for this approach - the book was actually published during WWII, and of course any such details would have been censored. Although that put things in context, the style is not especially easy to read, since what is left is a series of anecdotes and images with a disconnected feel. Some are vivid and others humorous, but I found much of it a slow read. It doesn't help that, as the author himself concedes, much of the text deals with convoy escort work with a lack of incident, or as he puts it, a lack of "explosions and screaming Stukas". He notes drily that he hopes that his next book will contain "the required level of violence."
Apart from the title work, this collection contains two other essays looking back on the War, and three works of short fiction. Two of these, "HMS Marlborough Will Enter Harbour", and "The Ship That Died of Shame" are well worth reading, and it is really because of these that I have pushed my overall rating up to 3 stars.
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August 11, 2011Nicholas Monsarrat is one of the best writers on sea warfare during World War II. Originally published as ‘Monsarrat at Sea’, this collection contains all his short stories about the sea: ‘HM Corvette’, ‘East Coast Corvette’, ‘Corvette Command’ (all publ. during the war), ‘It Was Cruel’, ’A Ship to Remember’ (about the sinking of the Lancastria in 1940 in which 3,000 men lost their lives), ‘I Was There’, ‘HMS Marlborough Will Enter Harbour’, and ‘The Ship That Died of Shame’. Some are fiction, others are not, but they’re all great stories, told in an eloquent but understated style that I just love. One of my favourite books.
November 28, 2017
The author creates a marvellous setting in World War 2 about the small corvettes that assisted convoys to cross the Atlantic. The detail, the tensions, the drama and the boredom provide a very satisfying insight into navy operations in very trying circumstances.
June 9, 2014
This book is partially autobiographical with a few fiction short stories added. The autobiographical chapters were interesting but not enthralling. However he comes into its own when writing fiction. Here he is excellent. Recommended.
January 14, 2025
A master in his element
Monserrat is an outstanding storyteller, one who knows both his craft — writing — and his trade — the sea. Understated, moving, and ringing with truth.
Monserrat is an outstanding storyteller, one who knows both his craft — writing — and his trade — the sea. Understated, moving, and ringing with truth.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews