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HMS Leviathan
Book by Winton, John
- GenresFiction
416 pages, Hardcover
Published August 1, 1994
44 people are currently reading
30 people want to read
About the author
John Winton
57 books12 followersA former officer in the Royal Navy, John Pratt was the author of a variety of fiction and non-fiction works published under the pen name John Winton. Pratt also served for 14 years as an obituarist for The Daily Telegraph.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
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August 15, 2018
May 13, 2024
His rows of scales are his pride,
Shut up tightly as with a seal; One is so near another
That no air can come between them; They are joined one to another,
They stick together and cannot be parted.
Job 41:15-17
Well, the story begins when another inspired messenger, a naïve and modest newly appointed Drafting Commander approaches the Leviathan – not a sea serpent, but an outstanding HMS, an aircraft-carrier, a monstrous whale placed in dockyard hands and awaiting for another Jonah to be first swallowed and then, probably belched out, or probably not. The new Commander is brave and optimistic, quite sensible, and quite vulnerable as well. He thinks that he steps on the back of the monster, whereas he just enters right into its cavity, cauterized with an intangible hallmark of dishonesty. Yep, the book-author right away gives us a shot of excessive subjectivity and we cannot help it. “No stigma of a bad ship had been spared her” – the author gives us a jab right into the solar plexus to make us look at the HMS Leviathan through the Commander’s eyes. What we see is not enthralling at all. Being placed in dockyard hands for a ship means that she has some problems, Dockyard for a ship is like a sickbay for a sailor. So many affected parts of the ship to be refurbished, refitted and revamped that it might be likened to the cleaning of the Augean stables. But that is not the biggest problem. The real Gordian knot to be cut is the ship’s company interplay. The first comparison we may jump to is a Babylonian one – abundance of contradicting to each other human beings, locked in a steel kingdom of stanchions, bulkheads and coamings. Captains and commanders were intermixed with the hewers of wood and the drawers of water, so to speak. One in two is dogged, three out of ten are headstrong and the rest of the ship’s company are just opinionated. Of course, it was also exacerbated by the fact, that on an aircraft carrier, there are typically several officers who hold the rank of captain. If you want to be befuddled a bit more, be pleased to learn that the title "captain" on an aircraft carrier does not always refer to the commanding officer of the ship. It leads us to the inevitable battle for power. The book dwells on it quite well and really keeps its readers fidgeting.
Debunking the myths
For years I have been listening and reading numerous terrific commendations and praises to the glory of aircraft-carriers. While keeping in mind that nothing can be deemed entirely unsinkable, we are somehow enticed to believe that they really are unsinkable. Their mettle is proved and the combination of speed, maneuverability, unlimited range, advanced weaponry, and a robust defense network really strikes our imagination. But is it really so flawless and perfect? The answer is, unfortunately, no! The above-mentioned concoction of souls and characters can give birth to a hidden Frankenstein, a resentful envier, another jealous Cain ready to make a bloodcurdling hecatomb. It turns out, that one can disable the Leviathan only with telephone call! OK, not with a single one, but still. You just have to call anonymously to one of the captains and inform of a fire-case (fictional one, of course) in the machinery department. Or on the flight deck. Or in the galley. You do it twice or thrice a week. Or every two days. Or every bloody day. And that’s it. The ship immediately loses her operating mode, the aviators suspect the shipmen, the shipmen bear a grudge against the aviators. The captains and commanding officers are completely helpless. To make matters worse, from time to time the ship’s company is displeased with a false “man overboard” alert. Summing up – you really do not need a nuclear submarine to bring an aircraft carrier to a halt. One or two infiltrated agents are quite enough. The destructiveness of a human nature cannot be underestimated… One never can feel relaxed. Even in their unbuckled moments the men are plunged into a tacky atmosphere of guardedness and total mistrust. HMS Leviathan slowly starts mutating into a sort of the Jinx Ship. It’s impossible to forearm oneself for the situation like that! And the things begin to snowball from there on in. Bit of bad blood between the people derails the notion of the fraternity, even the artificial one. Any petty tiff can become the very fuse which sets it all off. The crew dances to the tune of a rascal until everybody is the blue in the face.
Another problem for the Leviathan is that such a monster cannot be detached from the secular world. The crew is granted a leave, but the absence over leave cannot be avoided. You know that a trivial London rail-way strike may wreak damage into any ship’s life. Five
hundred and fifty-nine absent over leave can prevent the Leviathan from sailing. Again it brings us to a bald and daring conclusion that for commies is much more profitable and practical not to militarize their countries, but win the favor of trade unions. Thus and likely even the world's largest aircraft carrier might be easily blocked. It takes thousands of people to erect a temple and only one is enough to defile it. That’s the unquestionable truth, unfortunately.
Continuing the subject of biblical analogies I have to say, that the main character of the book was destined to be kicked out from the ship. The new Commander ended up in a roadhouse. He was committed to fight the jinx but proved to be a Jonah himself. The guy whom he considered to be his close friend easily sets him up. With no scruples. Like in Judas and Christ story.
Because the Leviathan is a God’s creature.
And his head cannot be easily broken into pieces and given as food to the people inhabiting the wilderness (Psalm 74;14).
Here is the explanation why:
“How great are your works, O Lord! You have made all things in wisdom. The earth has been filled with your possessions.
This sea is great and its hands are spacious.
There are creeping things without number: the small animals with the great.
There, the ships will pass by this sea-serpent that you have formed to mock them.” (Psalm 24-26)
And human beings like so much to be mocked. Especially by their God. Amen!
Shut up tightly as with a seal; One is so near another
That no air can come between them; They are joined one to another,
They stick together and cannot be parted.
Job 41:15-17
Well, the story begins when another inspired messenger, a naïve and modest newly appointed Drafting Commander approaches the Leviathan – not a sea serpent, but an outstanding HMS, an aircraft-carrier, a monstrous whale placed in dockyard hands and awaiting for another Jonah to be first swallowed and then, probably belched out, or probably not. The new Commander is brave and optimistic, quite sensible, and quite vulnerable as well. He thinks that he steps on the back of the monster, whereas he just enters right into its cavity, cauterized with an intangible hallmark of dishonesty. Yep, the book-author right away gives us a shot of excessive subjectivity and we cannot help it. “No stigma of a bad ship had been spared her” – the author gives us a jab right into the solar plexus to make us look at the HMS Leviathan through the Commander’s eyes. What we see is not enthralling at all. Being placed in dockyard hands for a ship means that she has some problems, Dockyard for a ship is like a sickbay for a sailor. So many affected parts of the ship to be refurbished, refitted and revamped that it might be likened to the cleaning of the Augean stables. But that is not the biggest problem. The real Gordian knot to be cut is the ship’s company interplay. The first comparison we may jump to is a Babylonian one – abundance of contradicting to each other human beings, locked in a steel kingdom of stanchions, bulkheads and coamings. Captains and commanders were intermixed with the hewers of wood and the drawers of water, so to speak. One in two is dogged, three out of ten are headstrong and the rest of the ship’s company are just opinionated. Of course, it was also exacerbated by the fact, that on an aircraft carrier, there are typically several officers who hold the rank of captain. If you want to be befuddled a bit more, be pleased to learn that the title "captain" on an aircraft carrier does not always refer to the commanding officer of the ship. It leads us to the inevitable battle for power. The book dwells on it quite well and really keeps its readers fidgeting.
Debunking the myths
For years I have been listening and reading numerous terrific commendations and praises to the glory of aircraft-carriers. While keeping in mind that nothing can be deemed entirely unsinkable, we are somehow enticed to believe that they really are unsinkable. Their mettle is proved and the combination of speed, maneuverability, unlimited range, advanced weaponry, and a robust defense network really strikes our imagination. But is it really so flawless and perfect? The answer is, unfortunately, no! The above-mentioned concoction of souls and characters can give birth to a hidden Frankenstein, a resentful envier, another jealous Cain ready to make a bloodcurdling hecatomb. It turns out, that one can disable the Leviathan only with telephone call! OK, not with a single one, but still. You just have to call anonymously to one of the captains and inform of a fire-case (fictional one, of course) in the machinery department. Or on the flight deck. Or in the galley. You do it twice or thrice a week. Or every two days. Or every bloody day. And that’s it. The ship immediately loses her operating mode, the aviators suspect the shipmen, the shipmen bear a grudge against the aviators. The captains and commanding officers are completely helpless. To make matters worse, from time to time the ship’s company is displeased with a false “man overboard” alert. Summing up – you really do not need a nuclear submarine to bring an aircraft carrier to a halt. One or two infiltrated agents are quite enough. The destructiveness of a human nature cannot be underestimated… One never can feel relaxed. Even in their unbuckled moments the men are plunged into a tacky atmosphere of guardedness and total mistrust. HMS Leviathan slowly starts mutating into a sort of the Jinx Ship. It’s impossible to forearm oneself for the situation like that! And the things begin to snowball from there on in. Bit of bad blood between the people derails the notion of the fraternity, even the artificial one. Any petty tiff can become the very fuse which sets it all off. The crew dances to the tune of a rascal until everybody is the blue in the face.
Another problem for the Leviathan is that such a monster cannot be detached from the secular world. The crew is granted a leave, but the absence over leave cannot be avoided. You know that a trivial London rail-way strike may wreak damage into any ship’s life. Five
hundred and fifty-nine absent over leave can prevent the Leviathan from sailing. Again it brings us to a bald and daring conclusion that for commies is much more profitable and practical not to militarize their countries, but win the favor of trade unions. Thus and likely even the world's largest aircraft carrier might be easily blocked. It takes thousands of people to erect a temple and only one is enough to defile it. That’s the unquestionable truth, unfortunately.
Continuing the subject of biblical analogies I have to say, that the main character of the book was destined to be kicked out from the ship. The new Commander ended up in a roadhouse. He was committed to fight the jinx but proved to be a Jonah himself. The guy whom he considered to be his close friend easily sets him up. With no scruples. Like in Judas and Christ story.
Because the Leviathan is a God’s creature.
And his head cannot be easily broken into pieces and given as food to the people inhabiting the wilderness (Psalm 74;14).
Here is the explanation why:
“How great are your works, O Lord! You have made all things in wisdom. The earth has been filled with your possessions.
This sea is great and its hands are spacious.
There are creeping things without number: the small animals with the great.
There, the ships will pass by this sea-serpent that you have formed to mock them.” (Psalm 24-26)
And human beings like so much to be mocked. Especially by their God. Amen!
May 9, 2023
A grand novel
This is the story of a man’s struggle to tame 2000 others on board an aircraft carrier. He succeeds, but like Julius Caesar he is brought down by lesser men.
If you’re interested in technical aspects of ships, these are dealt with exhaustively and for me, exhaustingly.
It is the human conflict and ultimately kindness which are what makes the book a cut above the usual naval yarns.
This is the story of a man’s struggle to tame 2000 others on board an aircraft carrier. He succeeds, but like Julius Caesar he is brought down by lesser men.
If you’re interested in technical aspects of ships, these are dealt with exhaustively and for me, exhaustingly.
It is the human conflict and ultimately kindness which are what makes the book a cut above the usual naval yarns.
January 10, 2024
This is an exceptional book. It is an informative and engrossing tale about life on a post-war British aircraft carrier while addressing the management issues and skills necessary to oversee the operation of two thousand sailors and airmen.
The author obviously knows of what he speaks technically, as well providing a great story that is supported by excellent character development.
The author obviously knows of what he speaks technically, as well providing a great story that is supported by excellent character development.
October 9, 2021
Two stories are intertwined around the central character of Robert Markready, the commander the Royal Navy's aircraft carrier 'Leviathan'. One is the deep division between the flying and the nautical officers on the crew; the other a 'Jane Austen romance story for men' between Robert and Annabel, a pilot's widow.
I read this because I was recommended it from a naval retiree and I was pleased that I did, but I nearly abandoned it at about fifty pages because little seemed to be happening. I don't think it is a spoiler to say that this is not an adventure story in style of Tom Clancy or Patrick O'Brian, or even some of John Winton's other books eg 'HMS Sarcen': Leviathan never sees action or gets more than 300 miles from the UK. It is a story about how men relate to other men and what duty is, and how that impacts other individuals.
I read this because I was recommended it from a naval retiree and I was pleased that I did, but I nearly abandoned it at about fifty pages because little seemed to be happening. I don't think it is a spoiler to say that this is not an adventure story in style of Tom Clancy or Patrick O'Brian, or even some of John Winton's other books eg 'HMS Sarcen': Leviathan never sees action or gets more than 300 miles from the UK. It is a story about how men relate to other men and what duty is, and how that impacts other individuals.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews