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John Mason Kemp #1
Convoy of War
In the early stages of the Battle of the Atlantic, a vital convoy of ships leaves war-torn Britain.
They’re bound for Halifax, Nova Scotia, seeking much-needed supplies — armour, ammunition, foodstuffs — as well as Canadian troops to reinforce the battle-weary British army.
Leading the convoy is Commodore John Mason Kemp, mobilized from the liners for war service with the Royal Navy.
The commodore has weathered countless journeys at sea, but this is war.
Decisions often have to be made split-second and can mean lives saved or lost.
Amid sudden tempests and the constant threat of German U-boat attacks, Kemp also faces the challenges of an unlikely assortment of people aboard a war-time ship:
His young assistant, eager to prove himself but with a lot to learn.
The ship’s doctor, often too drunk to attend to the wounded.
The second steward, whose questionable morals harm more than just himself.
As the convoy picks its way through submarine-infested waters, this journey will prove to be the commodore’s most difficult yet.
Convoy of War is a page-turning naval thriller, and a rich depiction of war at sea.
Praise for Philip McCutchan:
“McCutchan is to be congratulated...” — Houston Post
"The military-series genre hasn't a finer craftsman than McCutchan." — Publishers Weekly
"His character conflicts are well organised." — Daily Telegraph
'A gripping page-turner.' - Tom Kasey, best-selling author of 'Trade-Off.'
Philip McCutchan grew up in the naval atmosphere of Portsmouth Dockyard and developed a lifetime's interest in the sea. Military history was an early interest of his, resulting in several fiction books about the British Army and its campaigns, especially in the last 150 years. He served throughout WW II in a variety of ships, including the cruiser Vindictive, the ocean boarding vessel Largs, and the escort carrier Ravager, ending the war as a lieutenant, RNVR.
Endeavour Press is the UK's leading independent publisher of digital books.
They’re bound for Halifax, Nova Scotia, seeking much-needed supplies — armour, ammunition, foodstuffs — as well as Canadian troops to reinforce the battle-weary British army.
Leading the convoy is Commodore John Mason Kemp, mobilized from the liners for war service with the Royal Navy.
The commodore has weathered countless journeys at sea, but this is war.
Decisions often have to be made split-second and can mean lives saved or lost.
Amid sudden tempests and the constant threat of German U-boat attacks, Kemp also faces the challenges of an unlikely assortment of people aboard a war-time ship:
His young assistant, eager to prove himself but with a lot to learn.
The ship’s doctor, often too drunk to attend to the wounded.
The second steward, whose questionable morals harm more than just himself.
As the convoy picks its way through submarine-infested waters, this journey will prove to be the commodore’s most difficult yet.
Convoy of War is a page-turning naval thriller, and a rich depiction of war at sea.
Praise for Philip McCutchan:
“McCutchan is to be congratulated...” — Houston Post
"The military-series genre hasn't a finer craftsman than McCutchan." — Publishers Weekly
"His character conflicts are well organised." — Daily Telegraph
'A gripping page-turner.' - Tom Kasey, best-selling author of 'Trade-Off.'
Philip McCutchan grew up in the naval atmosphere of Portsmouth Dockyard and developed a lifetime's interest in the sea. Military history was an early interest of his, resulting in several fiction books about the British Army and its campaigns, especially in the last 150 years. He served throughout WW II in a variety of ships, including the cruiser Vindictive, the ocean boarding vessel Largs, and the escort carrier Ravager, ending the war as a lieutenant, RNVR.
Endeavour Press is the UK's leading independent publisher of digital books.
162 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 1, 1987
388 people are currently reading
169 people want to read
About the author
Philip McCutchan
181 books36 followersaka Robert Conington Galway, Duncan MacNeil
Philip McCutchan (1920-1996) grew up in the naval atmosphere of Portsmouth Dockyard and developed a lifetime's interest in the sea. Military history was an early interest resulting in several fiction books, from amongst his large output, about the British Army and its campaigns, especially in the last 150 years.
Philip McCutchan (1920-1996) grew up in the naval atmosphere of Portsmouth Dockyard and developed a lifetime's interest in the sea. Military history was an early interest resulting in several fiction books, from amongst his large output, about the British Army and its campaigns, especially in the last 150 years.
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Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews
May 11, 2021
An interesting tale of world war two at sea in the British navy. As a non-Brit some of the British slang and jargon was lost in me. The writing was a little jerky jerky, going from character to character often without any warning or lead in. That proved to be distracting. Overall a good plot and satisfying ending.
March 30, 2021
3.5 stars rounded up to 4 Exciting story of a convoy, actually 2, one empty and on the return loaded with men and materiel for Britain's war effort. It's hard not to read a book like this, and realize that Britain was fighting for its life from 1939-1945. The Battle of the Atlantic cost so many lives, but kept them from going under.
The main character is Commodore John Mason Kemp, who is a product of a peacetime ship named the 'Ardara.'. The former liner is now his to lead in a large convoy in wartime. On the voyage to the States, his convoy encounters the 'Prince of Wales' with Winston Churchill aboard on his way to meet FDR. Other characters are memorable too, but several are lost due to encounters with U-boats. I enjoyed this first book in the series, and am thinking of reading the next.
The main character is Commodore John Mason Kemp, who is a product of a peacetime ship named the 'Ardara.'. The former liner is now his to lead in a large convoy in wartime. On the voyage to the States, his convoy encounters the 'Prince of Wales' with Winston Churchill aboard on his way to meet FDR. Other characters are memorable too, but several are lost due to encounters with U-boats. I enjoyed this first book in the series, and am thinking of reading the next.
April 5, 2021
It’s been 50 years since I read The Cruel Sea, Nicholas Monsarrat’s famous novel about British warships defending merchant marine convoys against German U-boats in the North Atlantic during the Second World War. In my Penguin paperback edition of his 1951 novel, Monsarrat covers the entire war from 1939 to 1945 in 445 pages of very fine print.
I was curious how Philip McCutchan’s 1986 novel, Convoy of War, compared to Monsarrat’s, long considered the gold standard for realism and brilliant storytelling where naval warfare in the North Atlantic is concerned. You have only to read the chapter in The Cruel Sea where HMS Compass Rose was torpedoed in 1943 and how individual crewmen fought to survive to understand why.
At first glance, Convoy of War at 214 pages is less than half the length of The Cruel Sea, though it appears that McCutchan wrote a series of six books to tell his story. In fairness to him, I have only read this one. Both books revolve around the relationships between a commander and his lieutenant: Ericson and Lockhart in The Cruel Sea, and Kemp and Williams in McCutchan’s book.
Both books also vividly show that the Germans weren’t the convoys’ only enemy, but also the sea itself, the elements, and even the boredom from keeping constant lookout.
The Cruel Sea was centered aboard two warships (a corvette and a frigate), whereas Convoy of War was centered aboard an ocean liner converted to a troop transport. So while the warships featured in The Cruel Sea were focused on hunting and destroying German U-boats, the troopship featured in McCutchan’s book was reduced to the role of unarmed spectator, or to use Kemp’s words, a sitting duck. But in both books neither the corvette nor the troopship could escape the enemy’s torpedoes.
I also don’t know if it’s because The Cruel Sea was the longer book, is simply better written, or both, but the relationship between the main characters of Ericson and Lockhart was more memorable and satisfying than Convoy of War’s Kemp and Williams. In fact, except for page 166, there was barely a single verbal exchange between them where Kemp was not dismissive of Williams or contradicting him.
A far better example of a commander rebuking his lieutenant is found in The Cruel Sea. In 1940, following the Germans sinking three British convoy ships in three hours, Lockhart bitterly says to Ericson, “A very promising start. After the war, we must ask them how they do it.”
“After the war,” said Ericson levelly, “I hope they’ll be asking us.”
A final note. Although in their creations of fictional convoys Monsarrat may have written the superior novel, that is not meant to diminish the admiration for the courageous merchant mariners McCutchan depicted, who faced unimaginable dangers sailing the actual convoys during the Second World War to supply an embattled Britain with the lifeblood to survive the Nazi onslaught. No less than the fictionalized character of Winston Churchill in McCutchan’s novel paid them this tribute: “Armed with popguns ... and always at sea. Without them, Britain would starve.”
I was curious how Philip McCutchan’s 1986 novel, Convoy of War, compared to Monsarrat’s, long considered the gold standard for realism and brilliant storytelling where naval warfare in the North Atlantic is concerned. You have only to read the chapter in The Cruel Sea where HMS Compass Rose was torpedoed in 1943 and how individual crewmen fought to survive to understand why.
At first glance, Convoy of War at 214 pages is less than half the length of The Cruel Sea, though it appears that McCutchan wrote a series of six books to tell his story. In fairness to him, I have only read this one. Both books revolve around the relationships between a commander and his lieutenant: Ericson and Lockhart in The Cruel Sea, and Kemp and Williams in McCutchan’s book.
Both books also vividly show that the Germans weren’t the convoys’ only enemy, but also the sea itself, the elements, and even the boredom from keeping constant lookout.
The Cruel Sea was centered aboard two warships (a corvette and a frigate), whereas Convoy of War was centered aboard an ocean liner converted to a troop transport. So while the warships featured in The Cruel Sea were focused on hunting and destroying German U-boats, the troopship featured in McCutchan’s book was reduced to the role of unarmed spectator, or to use Kemp’s words, a sitting duck. But in both books neither the corvette nor the troopship could escape the enemy’s torpedoes.
I also don’t know if it’s because The Cruel Sea was the longer book, is simply better written, or both, but the relationship between the main characters of Ericson and Lockhart was more memorable and satisfying than Convoy of War’s Kemp and Williams. In fact, except for page 166, there was barely a single verbal exchange between them where Kemp was not dismissive of Williams or contradicting him.
A far better example of a commander rebuking his lieutenant is found in The Cruel Sea. In 1940, following the Germans sinking three British convoy ships in three hours, Lockhart bitterly says to Ericson, “A very promising start. After the war, we must ask them how they do it.”
“After the war,” said Ericson levelly, “I hope they’ll be asking us.”
A final note. Although in their creations of fictional convoys Monsarrat may have written the superior novel, that is not meant to diminish the admiration for the courageous merchant mariners McCutchan depicted, who faced unimaginable dangers sailing the actual convoys during the Second World War to supply an embattled Britain with the lifeblood to survive the Nazi onslaught. No less than the fictionalized character of Winston Churchill in McCutchan’s novel paid them this tribute: “Armed with popguns ... and always at sea. Without them, Britain would starve.”
September 3, 2021
Commodore John Kemp has been sailing in passenger ships to Australia for years, but now that Britain is at war with Germany he's in charge of a convoy to Canada and back (for troops, ammunition, etc.). But a convoy isn't quite as dull as it sounds. There's the weather and unreliable seas to contend with, and when the weather gets better there's Hitler's U-boats and his Luftwaffe to worry over. Plus, there's another British ship out there, and the cargo it's carrying is important enough that they might need to be a decoy of sorts.
This is an interesting story - not all the high action of sea battles (although there's some of that), but the more mundane worries of trying to keep Britain from starving and transporting Canadian soldiers to help fight its battles. And the book does a good job of making that feel real to the reader, especially from the Commodore's viewpoint. There are quite a few other characters to keep tabs on - many of which are most worried about their sex lives, which I presume was meant to provide other story lines and give "interest" to the other characters but just seemed kind of weird. In addition, few of the characters are actually very likable or multi-dimensional. Kemp is likable enough, but a bit stoic. His assistant, Williams, is initially an insufferable fool, but becomes more sympathetic as the pages pass. Others... well, lot's of people die and it's dealt with pretty matter-of-factly - yes, they're mourned, but this is war after all. Kind of an odd book to me - good enough for light reading and somewhat entertaining, but not something that has me looking to read any more of the series.
This is an interesting story - not all the high action of sea battles (although there's some of that), but the more mundane worries of trying to keep Britain from starving and transporting Canadian soldiers to help fight its battles. And the book does a good job of making that feel real to the reader, especially from the Commodore's viewpoint. There are quite a few other characters to keep tabs on - many of which are most worried about their sex lives, which I presume was meant to provide other story lines and give "interest" to the other characters but just seemed kind of weird. In addition, few of the characters are actually very likable or multi-dimensional. Kemp is likable enough, but a bit stoic. His assistant, Williams, is initially an insufferable fool, but becomes more sympathetic as the pages pass. Others... well, lot's of people die and it's dealt with pretty matter-of-factly - yes, they're mourned, but this is war after all. Kind of an odd book to me - good enough for light reading and somewhat entertaining, but not something that has me looking to read any more of the series.
March 30, 2021
Very compelling story of groups of people who committed their lives to preserve freedom from tyranny.
Doubt if this generation would be able to muster this type of courage.
Flawed people doing the job.
Depressing book on most fronts.
Don’t think I have the depth to read the continuing books but admire the author for bringing it.
At times seemed hopeless and the loss of life as well as the unfortunate willingness to leave those behind to drown rather than risk the convoy was overwhelming sad.
Doubt if this generation would be able to muster this type of courage.
Flawed people doing the job.
Depressing book on most fronts.
Don’t think I have the depth to read the continuing books but admire the author for bringing it.
At times seemed hopeless and the loss of life as well as the unfortunate willingness to leave those behind to drown rather than risk the convoy was overwhelming sad.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 19, 2021
Thoughts from one who lived through that time.
Life is so different now that it would be difficult, of not impossible for anyone to understand what wartime was like then if you hadn’t,t lived through it. Mail was a line to home and family. For a Serviceman to call home it meant standing inline for your turn and then being hurried to finish by those behind you. God bless all those who served.
Life is so different now that it would be difficult, of not impossible for anyone to understand what wartime was like then if you hadn’t,t lived through it. Mail was a line to home and family. For a Serviceman to call home it meant standing inline for your turn and then being hurried to finish by those behind you. God bless all those who served.
December 21, 2021
Well done
Nicely written tale of a convoy commander during the early days of the Second World War. The plot is a bit predictable given the prevalence of German submarines during this phase of the war, but that is to be expected. There are also several sub-plots, which add to the story. The book moves right along and there isn’t any unnecessary fluff. A very good and entertaining read.
Nicely written tale of a convoy commander during the early days of the Second World War. The plot is a bit predictable given the prevalence of German submarines during this phase of the war, but that is to be expected. There are also several sub-plots, which add to the story. The book moves right along and there isn’t any unnecessary fluff. A very good and entertaining read.
June 12, 2020
A WW2 novel with a bit of a twist, the protagonist is the commodore of a convoy crossing from the UK to Canada and back, rather than the commander of a warship. The characters are well sketched and the story is captivating. I even paid full price for another book in the series, not something I often do.
April 10, 2021
Very good read
The intensity of the story lay just beneath the surface, just like the submarines chasing their prey. As the torpedoes began to hit, the severity of the story increased as well.
If I could change anything, it would be to somehow describe in more general terms, the use of “English social terms”, not commonly understood by anyone outside the U.K.
The intensity of the story lay just beneath the surface, just like the submarines chasing their prey. As the torpedoes began to hit, the severity of the story increased as well.
If I could change anything, it would be to somehow describe in more general terms, the use of “English social terms”, not commonly understood by anyone outside the U.K.
April 17, 2021
A navy procedural
C. S. Forester is probably best known for his Hornblower books but he also wrote some superb books describing wartime naval life in what might best be described as procedurals— step-by-step evolutions of a battle or a voyage. Convoy of War is of that genre and ranks in the upper echelon.
C. S. Forester is probably best known for his Hornblower books but he also wrote some superb books describing wartime naval life in what might best be described as procedurals— step-by-step evolutions of a battle or a voyage. Convoy of War is of that genre and ranks in the upper echelon.
January 1, 2022
A taut adventure tale of war in the North Atlantic in the summer of 1941. A refreshing change of view, centered on the merchant convoy commodore and the merchant mariners struggling to get their ships to Canada and back to the UK in the face of u-boats and the Luftwaffe, while bearing up under the drumbeat of war against their loved ones back home.
February 19, 2023
A fair amount of realism
I served aboard a ship during the Vietnam War. We had no submarines trying to sink us. What I will say is that this book does a decent job of conveying life aboard ship during war. Sometimes frightening the rest of the time mundane and boring. This book will be interesting to those who never put to sea on a warship.
I served aboard a ship during the Vietnam War. We had no submarines trying to sink us. What I will say is that this book does a decent job of conveying life aboard ship during war. Sometimes frightening the rest of the time mundane and boring. This book will be interesting to those who never put to sea on a warship.
October 12, 2024
Was a little dry for a being advertised as a thriller. Still a good read with good character develpment. I had to look up things regarding sailing terms though as all the abbreviations weren't listed out for me! I'm not a sailor so the terms were a bit confusing at first. I enjoyed the characters and that kept me reading.
May 6, 2020
I like 2nd world war naval books, but this is slightly different in so far as it is set on a merchant ship in a convoy to Canada and back. A great insight into the different problems and experiences they had to put up with. Held my attention and was read in three days.
March 21, 2021
Highly recommended
Extraordinary tale of ordinary heroism in convoy to wartime Britain. Memorable, with a well-conceived and artfully described panoply of highly varied characters. Well worth the read.
Extraordinary tale of ordinary heroism in convoy to wartime Britain. Memorable, with a well-conceived and artfully described panoply of highly varied characters. Well worth the read.
March 23, 2021
Great book!! Really well written book about an important time of history. This was a short book that delved into the lives of a number of characters and how a naval journey impacted their lives. I look forward to reading other works by the author.
May 9, 2021
Men at Sea
This was an interesting read. Being an American, the English english took some getting used to. Once I did it flowed freely and the individual stories were well worth reading. A good addition to the historical fiction of WWII.
This was an interesting read. Being an American, the English english took some getting used to. Once I did it flowed freely and the individual stories were well worth reading. A good addition to the historical fiction of WWII.
October 4, 2021
Convoy
I recommend this book to any and all war fiction enthusiasts. Phillip McCutchan has a writing style that pulls the reader into the story and characters. There is excitement and sorrow. Even though fiction, you feel it is a real adventure.
I recommend this book to any and all war fiction enthusiasts. Phillip McCutchan has a writing style that pulls the reader into the story and characters. There is excitement and sorrow. Even though fiction, you feel it is a real adventure.
March 20, 2021
Interesting view from a British Convoy
Very exciting story but too many British and British Navy terms to fully understand. Otherwise, I liked and recommend it.
Very exciting story but too many British and British Navy terms to fully understand. Otherwise, I liked and recommend it.
March 22, 2021
Real sea story
Brought home the reality of war at sea. The dangers were ever present and portrayed against personal experiences shown down and dirty.
Brought home the reality of war at sea. The dangers were ever present and portrayed against personal experiences shown down and dirty.
March 29, 2021
Something different, not a glory tail of a battle but rather the ride in a convoy ship crossing the ocean under constant pressure. A different look for certain. I thought it was well written.
April 2, 2021
Not really my type of book, but it was a good read.
April 9, 2021
Great read about the hazards of a convoy
Very interesting characters on a British convoy for war time supplies and troops with the hazards of the u boats.
Very interesting characters on a British convoy for war time supplies and troops with the hazards of the u boats.
April 11, 2021
Okay, but I probably won't read more.
June 23, 2021
Enjoyable story of the difficult North Atlantic convoys in WWI. A little swarmy here and there but it certainly informs you of what a tough ride it was.
June 4, 2025
Slow
November 29, 2013
A very interesting read .... style kept my attention for long runs. Very interesting account of convoy life during WW2. For those who enjoy WW2 reads, check this series out!
March 31, 2015
This was a good read.
August 18, 2020
Very good read as you would expect from this author. Highly recommend
Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews