Silkworm!: Four Days in April

by Chris Durbin

In the late twentieth century the world economy was fuelled by oil, most coming from the Arabian Gulf. Giant seaborne tankers brought their cargoes through the Straits of Hormuz and into the oceanic trade routes. All the Gulf nations had an interest in keeping the oil flowing until Iran attempted to close the Straits in the nineteen-eighties.
Iran laid mines and used frigates and armed speedboats to intercept the defenceless merchant ships. However, their most dangerous weapon was the Silkworm anti-ship missile, which they deployed to launch sites along their shore. Western nations responded by sending naval task groups to clear the mines and to escort the tankers through the Straits and out of the Gulf. A whole generation of Royal Navy sailors knew this as the Armilla Patrol.
This is the story of the fictional destroyer HMS Winchester during four intense days of escort duty in the Silkworm Envelope.
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Chris Durbin is the author of the Carlisle and Holbrooke naval adventures, set in the Seven Years War during the eighteenth century. He knows the Arabian Gulf well having served in destroyers on the Armilla Patrol.

333 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 6, 2025

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Chris Durbin - Historical Fiction, History

Reviews

[Steven Toby · Rating 4 out of 5]

Author Durbin serves up a decided change of pace from his Carlisle and Holbrook series set in the French & Indian War time period (18th century, known as the Seven Years' War in British sources). Here he takes us to the "Tanker War" of the 1980's in the Persian Gulf, following an escort flagship, a Type 42 destroyer, as it shepherds a small convoy of tankers to the oil supply ports and back out. The action takes place in just a few days and is deliberately modeled (says so in the Foreword) on two C S Forester novels about World War II, "The Ship" and "The Good Shepherd." I've read both of those. Mr. Durbin actually served in the RN during this period so the book is totally authentic, in fact, it's probably the most authentic naval warfare action in print for that period, and is likely to remain that way as men who have pertinent experience pass on or become less organized in their old age.
I recommend this book to all those interested in naval warfare in relatively modern times -- not necessarily the same audience as those who follow the Age of Sail. Modern naval warfare is inevitably high tech and awash in rather unfamiliar terms and acronyms. It's dominated by electronic devices whose function isn't plainly obvious like the great guns on HMS Victory. And, like naval officers and seamen of all periods, the ship crews have developed a slang that is dense and not always clear. The author does provide a glossary in the beginning, but reading this on a Kindle, paging back to it wasn't as easy as it would be in a print book. I was further handicapped by having some familiarity with US Navy terms and acronyms, only to find that the RN has a completely different set!
The author chooses to tell his story largely through dialogue. This gives it immediacy and contributes to its fast pace, but leaves little room for explanations. Most of the action takes place in the Combat Information Center (that's the US term; it's a different name in the book, and surprisingly, not "Transmitting Station" as Forester uses in "The Ship.") Therefore, the action is described by the men in various warfare specialties using their authentic shorthand. So, it takes your full attention as a reader to pick up what you need to know about the action. That's why I didn't give it 5 stars. However, it's a good read, highly recommended.

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book kept me engaged immediately with the characters' personalities and courage. The setting is current and so relevant today. It mirrored what we are experiencing in that region. I gained a new appreciation for the weapons and warfare strategies, and for those who serve. Well done!

[Stephen J · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a former U.S. Navy Aegis Cruiser commanding officer who has transited the Straights of Hormuz multiple times over many years, I found that Chris Durbin’s novel very realistically portrays the air and surface warfare tactics and procedures we used in the Persian Gulf. Many of the events he portrays did happen much the way he describes. His characters are believable and engaging and the reading is enjoyable.

But more importantly, Chris vividly and accurately explores the tension between the peacetime rules of engagement then in effect and the commanding officer’s responsibility to defend his or her ship. Not just against a hostile act, but rather against hostile intent.

Identifying hostile intent and deciding whether to shoot or not to shoot are the most important and the most stressful few moments of decision making a warship Captain will ever experience. The wrong decision will cost lives. Chris’ book gets this right.

[Alan Day · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good sea yarn

Great character development and insight into the conflicting duties of the commanding officer. Tense action sequences, well written dialogue. I look forward to the next story!

[John Rosenberger · Rating 5 out of 5]

A tale well told. Leadership and confidence based upon experience. Looking forward to future HMS Winchester tasking. This is a real page turner.