A Ship Must Die

by Douglas Reeman

January 1944. Out in the wastes of the Indian Ocean, British ships are sinking. The cause: a German armed raider, disguised to deceive unwary merchantmen. In Williamstown, Australia, HMS Andromeda awaits transfer to the Australian navy. After years together in bloody combat with the Nazis, the cruiser's crew will disperse to fight in other ships, in other seas. But a call to Andromeda's youthful captain, Richard Blake VC, changes everything. He puts to sea immediately. His mission: to seek out and destroy the raider. And in this conflict, one ship must die.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, War, Military Fiction, World War II, Thriller, Historical

288 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1979

About the author

AKA Alexander Kent.
Douglas Edward Reeman was a British author who has written many historical fiction books on the Royal Navy, mainly set during either World War II or the Napoleonic Wars.

Reeman joined the Royal Navy in 1940, at the age of 16, and served during World War II and the Korean War. He eventually rose to the rank of lieutenant. In addition to being an author, Reeman has also taught the art of navigation for yachting and served as a technical advisor for films. Douglas married author Kimberley Jordan Reeman in 1985.

Reeman's debut novel, A Prayer for the Ship was published in 1958. His pseudonym Alexander Kent was the name of a friend and naval officer who died during the Second World War. Reeman is most famous for his series of Napoleonic naval stories, whose central character is Richard Bolitho, and, later, his nephew, Adam. He also wrote a series of novels about several generations of the Blackwood family who served in the Royal Marines from the 1850s to the 1970s, and a non-fiction account of his World War II experiences, D-Day : A Personal Reminiscence (1984).

Series:
* Blackwood Family

Reviews

[Leigh · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was Douglas Reeman at his best!!

[Chrissie]

************************
*H.M.S. Saracen TBR
*A Prayer for the Ship TBR
*A Ship Must Die TBR
*Go In and Sink! TBR

[Philip Higgins · Rating 4 out of 5]

You know exactly what you're getting with Douglas Reeman: a veteran ship under a troubled captain fighting a merciless enemy (Nazi Germany/Red China). There's usually a ho-hum romance and a stonking big battle to finish. It's WW2 Australia here and there's a mysterious raider sinking Allied ships. Enter Capt. Blake VC and the HMS Andromeda. He's estranged from his heartless social-climbing wife and has to cope with the "top brass" as well as the sneaky bastard Hun, disguised here as merchant ships.

This sticks rigidly to the formula. The cat and mouse hunt for the German raider across the Indian Ocean is nicely done. The romance is er...well, we don't read Reeman for the lovey-dovey stuff. The portrayal of naval men at war is much more convincing and the ending highly satisfactory. I'll definitely be setting sail with this author again.

[Sreescanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you want to read real ocean warfare books, Reeman's the man!

[Ron Baumer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I listened to this as an audiobook and was thoroughly entertained. I can reread the books by Reeman, several times and still be caught up in the great characters and story. The book if full of action and holds your interest. A great read.

The narration for this book was well done. The narrator made could use of his voice control to brin g you into the action. I would definitely listen to this narrator again.

[Kenneth Flusche · Rating 4 out of 5]

a little dated, but still a good read

[Dee · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of his best!! This story would make a great movie

[Antwan · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don't think the book was one of his best. I think it was very boring compare to the others DON'T READ IT

[Anthony King · Rating 5 out of 5]

Raiders

Five stars given for Douglas Reeman at his descriptive best! Reeman always delivers the action, excitement & partly romance, no matter which theatre he is in.

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

Classic Reeman but in one or two parts he falls back to his classic, formulaic style. Still a very good story but one which seems a little rushed at the end.

[Ron Kastner · Rating 4 out of 5]

I agree with others, one of his best; and would make a great action movie.

[Paul Pryce · Rating 4 out of 5]

I know nothing of the Navy and haven’t read a war novel in years - but this is a great read. Maybe what’s blocking a higher score is some of it is quite Mills&Boon.

[C. G. Telcontar · Rating 3 out of 5]

Douglas Reeman is a one trick pony, but he performs his trick well, over and over and over. He gets at odd corners of the naval conflict during ww2 and crafts a nice thriller in that space. Here we have one of his darlings, a German merchant raider, running amok in the Indian Ocean. The Australians pit an overworked light cruiser against it and thus the drama begins. His main character, this time a young captain with the VC, is a bit of fresh air for Reeman, although he is unable to refrain from a love story to complicate matters, and this particular love story gets too much time devoted to it. There is a Nazi atrocity, which adds suitable grit and a satisfying climax. Really, this could be done as a film, it has that kind of clarity to the mind as you read it. If you like this one, you'll want more.

[Charles H Berlemann Jr · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting, but the build up was slow and the big battle didn't happen until the last few pages in the last chapter. Overall, good but I have read better from some other naval themed writers in the fiction category. This is a beach/airplane read and if you forget it behind and didnt finish it then you didnt miss much. There was a couple of whole chapters that could have been cut and still told a good story.

[Daysbetween · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fast paced action war thriller set aboard a Brittish cruiser during WW2 in Australian waters. Very stilted, old fashioned language gave the story a feel of authenticity but the romance felt out of place and unreal and did not add to the drama. Story kept me interested and turning the pages until the end.

[Jamie Campbell · Rating 3 out of 5]

You need to suspend more disbelief than usual for Reeman with this one. Two German raiders raising havoc in the Indian Ocean at the same time as the Eastern Fleet is working up to produce the BPF.

But a rewarding Reeman read none the less - recently re-read it.

[Geoff Woodland · Rating 4 out of 5]

The second time around for this book.
Picking up a Douglas Reeman book, even for the second time, assures me of a good read and a spot relaxation and escapism. A thoroughly enjoyable book.

[Lance · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the second time I have read this book. The first time was years ago, and forgot about it when I started to read this. It is an enjoyable naval book.

[Jack Carter · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rather "Boy's Ownish" but an entertaining read all the same.

[Jaanus Tramberg · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating sea adventure in wartime Australia.

[Margareth8537 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reeman's naval stories are always interesting to read

[Margareth8537 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reeman's war stories are well crafted and enjoyable

[David Timson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read

The book was great from beginning to the end. Look forward to reading more books from this author. More please

[Gerold Whittaker]

Enjoyed