The Tinfish Run

Tinfish Run #1

by Ronald Bassett

Book by Ronald Bassett

Genres: Historical Fiction, War

264 pages, Hardcover

First published May 1, 1977

About the author

Ronald Leslie Bassett is a British writer and novelist. He wrote numerous works of historical fiction, sometimes under the pseudonym of "William Clive". He received many awards for his medical and pharmaceutical writing.

Reviews

[Eric_W · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent nautical fiction. The Virtue is an old WW I destroyer assigned with several other small escorts to convoy four large tankers to Murmansk. The idea was to follow in the distant shadow of PQ 17, a convoy of more than thirty ships protected by battleships and newer destroyers. The idea was to trick the Germans into attacking the larger convoy and to ignore the more important one carrying the fuel.

Bassett follows several members of the crew focusing on seaman Ludd whom he follows in subsequent books. I was not familiar with Bassett but stumbled across him somewhere and then was offered a copy of Neptune Landing (which I had coincidentally already acquired, it being third in the Ludd series.) Endeavour Press is a digital publisher and has a number of interesting nautical books worth checking out for those of us of the nautical bent.

Read the introduction; it provides a lot of useful historical information.

Someone once said that the Navy’s wartime role consisted of ‘periods of intense monotony alleviated by moments of intense excitement’, but this is true only if the word ‘monotony’ is understood to mean week after week of heaving green sea, bitter cold and stinging rain, debilitating fatigue, poor food and cramped quarters. Soldiers and airmen, whilst their locations may have been remote and their duties arduous, usually had the consolation of a NAAFI canteen and similar off-duty distractions, and respite, even if brief, from a war environment. They were seldom long separated from civilian influences and those warming glimpses of domesticity without which values become blurred, language coarsens, and mental processes become locked into formalized channels.

Bassett served in the Royal Navy during WWII and the Korean War and knows whereof he writes. Perhaps not for those who prefer landlocked books, but for us nautical freaks, very nice. I liked it better than Alistair MacLean’s H.M.S. Ulysses, perhaps because it’s not quite as dark and the characters seemed a bit more realistic even if the setting is described less vividly.

[Nooilforpacifists · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a copy of this from Endeavor Press in exchange for an honest review.

This was a first-rate, scuppers-eye view of a WWII British Destroyer convoying ships to Russia in summer. The action supposedly takes place immediately after the fateful convoy that scattered in the face of German surface ships, and was blown to bits. This is a far smaller convoy, that the Admiralty hope to sneak in behind the disaster.

The narrative shifts between several sailors, but has two principal voices: a Commander, who might have expected bigger and better commands by now, save for a early career mistake, and a new seaman, who joins the ship from the Royal Navy's Boys School. The Captain is required to make some decisions--and not all of them clearly could be judged as correct. Meanwhile, not only is the kid sailor trying to adjust to life on the sea, we're treated to entertaining flashbacks of sneaking cigarettes into the boys school, and trying (unsuccessfully) to get laid by every young woman in the area.

Finally, as in many naval tales, fate and luck are at least as important as anything else--hence the name of the destroyer: H.M.S. Virtue. You'll have to read this short novel to find out whether the title is ironic, but it's well worth it. The author is less cynical than, say a Douglas Reeman, but no less knowledgable about life in the Royal Navy.

[Daniel Villines · Rating 4 out of 5]

Books about war can sometimes seek out a safe place from which they can tell their stories. These places are usually free of the complexities and dichotomies that are inherent in human nature.

Safety for these books is often found in the -isms: patriotism, heroism, stoicism. From these lofty perspectives, decisions pay tribute to self-justifying ideals and leave inherent questions by the wayside.

Stories of our recent wars originate from these places. Directives including "stay the course" and "support our troops" frame reasons for our involvement in these wars while also stifling legitimate questions. The success of these directives server to explain the success of books about war that live within the -isms.

The Tinfish Run is remarkable because it avoids the -isms. It tells the stories of human characters that are thrown together on a small obsolete destroyer under conditions forced upon them due to reasons that are made of human fabric. The ship leaks, characters die needless deaths, and the actions of the characters are a mix of selfish concerns that are compromised against the greater good. It's this selfish aspect of this story that allows it achieve a heightened sense of reality, and reality is a commendable quality when contemplating war.

As for weak points, the book is written as a first-in-series. As such, some of the characters are forcefully introduced and over-created. It's as if their potent presence in this book will serve as a reminder of their personalities in future books where they may not be so prominently featured. The ending as well conjures up a sequel. There are multiple loose ends anyone of which can be picked up in forthcoming books; books that I am tempted to give a chance.

[Chris Payne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't do book reviews


I don't do book reviews like you keep seeing, as I find that some give too much of the plot away and I personally hate that, as it makes the book not worth reading. I much prefer to take the authors back cover write up as a review as it can either intrigue you enough to read the book of provide you enough information to make you decide that the book is not for you.
My review rules are: The more stars, the more I liked it.
If there are too many typos or errors the less stars I give
If the storyline or plot is poor or contains too many errors, the characters are too weak, the ending lacking something, then the less stars I give.
Simple, uncomplicated and to the point without giving anything away.
Some of the books I read have been given to me by the author as a pre-release copy and this does not bias my reviews in any way.

[Don · Rating 1 out of 5]

I really hate giving a book a 1 star rating but, based on the definitions goodreads attach to the star rating system, this is, in all conscience, all I can give it.
When the book actually told the story of "HMS VIRTUE" it was just about ok; but when it went on to try to tell the personal story of the sailors themselves, and in particular "ordinary Seaman Lobby Ludd" , It seemed to me as though the author was just trying to fill up pages . The story became "tacky" and at times even "sleazy" and for me was completely unnecessary and took away any enjoyment that there could have been in the story.

[Sam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Convoy duty in the frozen north, outwitting the German Wolfpack and dive bombers

A close up and page-turning account of the men and times as ancient destroyers were pushed into service to safeguard the delivery of critical war supplies under the harshest conditions. German forces under sea and in the air were stretched across the narrow and critical shipping lanes and hard hitting Capitol ships held great power by just threatening to become involved. A fascinating look at the early days of WWII and well worth the time.

[Spad53 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Finished this one quickly so as to clear the boards for something worthwhile. I was reading it at the same time as I read The Lord of the rings for the twentieth time, and it lost, I finished LOTR first!
I didn't like the characters very much, the story was good enough but maximised the sensational, the dialogue was supposed to be naval slang, I don't know enough about that to say, but it didn't convince me.
I'm the wrong reader for this book, I don't like made up history.

[Richard Meyer · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a Fun Read

The author captures at one and the same time the incredible difficulty of tryng to supply the Soviet Union in World War two and the life of the ordinary sailor on the convoys that had to traverse the Arctic area to get to Murmansk. It is an exciting and engrossing read. I very much recommend this book.

[David Haddon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bought a set of three books by accident on Amazon. But they were cheap.

This reminds me a little of HMS Ullyses, by Allistair McClean. Rougher writing style and less dramatic development, but in the same vein. It was okay, and I will read the other two, but likely will not look for more from this author.

[Ian McGrigor · Rating 5 out of 5]

A good read, different approach to the usual story line. The introduction of the lingo of the day was refreshing, though if the reader has no naval exposure in reading wartime stories I can see them reaching for the dictionary quite often.

[William · Rating 4 out of 5]

Convoy to Russia

Life aboard a old destroyer assigned to guard a small convoy to Russia. They endured all the hardships encountered making this run in winter. Well written. My first Bassett novel; won’t be my last.

[Mr Michael R Stevens · Rating 4 out of 5]

First Of Three

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, clearly written by someone who either served or has detailed knowledge.
Looking forward to the second in the series

[Frank Mullen · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Good read

Generally I liked it but I didn't really like the ending.
It was quite a shock. I'm still interested in reading the rest of the series.

[Mason Barge · Rating 4 out of 5]

Needs to be read

Anybody who has never served in combat under harsh conditions needs to read this, or something equivalent, at least once in their lives, and remember every word of it anytime they begin to consider supporting armed conflict.

Those who have seen it firsthand will almost never talk about it, and the only way to really get a sense of it is to read a factual account like this first-hand narrative-style account of a North Atlantic - or more accurately, Arctic or Russian - convoy in 1942.

The working-class and enlisted sailor-class slang is heavy sledding but not so dense that one cannot get the gist of any scene. Especially compelling is the huge gulf between civilians in England and men home on leave. The people at home are preoccupied with their privations - getting a little sugar or fat, running out of gas and coal in winter. They simply cannot grasp the magnitude of the gulf between the difficulties of their lives and that of the sailors on active duty, and the men on leave simply cannot explain to them how trivial it is to complain of a poorly heated house or meal of beans and toast, and so they listen in silence.

[Randy Grossman · Rating 2 out of 5]

First I'd like to thank Endeavour Press for allowing me to download this book for free, based on comments I made regarding a different Naval novel. Unfortunately, I didn't find this story as compelling as the aforementioned book. To me the "Cockney" language was difficult to read and therefore the flow of the book was similar. Also thought there was little interest regarding the occasional non battle sections of the story. In fairness, there is a glossary included at the end of the book that could help the reader, but mine was downloaded on Adobe and I never realized there was a glossary till I finished the book. AND, I WOULD certainly give another EP BOOK a try if I came across one.

[Betsy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fine read about an old destroyer caught up in the Murmansk convoys. Although HMS VIRTUE is not part of the infamous PQ 17 convoy, they encounter their own dangers. Signalman Lobby Ludd and Commander Hayes-Mailer are the two most memorable characters for quite different reasons. An exciting read about a tragic time.

[Carol · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was okay. It took quite a bit of time to read because I could put it down at any time. It's set in early WWII about the British Navy. If you're unfamiliar with British slang, it's very hard to understand. I got it, but ... I finished it to see where it was going to end.

[Chaplain Stanley Chapin · Rating 3 out of 5]

A English naval experience

As a U.S. navel veteran I enjoyed the accounts of a different service. Much of the same bitching, boredom and repetitive duties. Still think ours is more constructive.

[Glenn Wormald · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bassett’s characters leap off the page. Historical fiction of 1942 North Atlantic convoy escort told with emotional depth & imagery