The Baltic Convoy: Mr Fitton 3

Lieutenant Michael Fitton Adventure #3

by Showell Styles

First published in 1979 The Baltic Convoy continues the adventures of Showell Styles's hero Michael Fitton.

Now past middle-age and still only a lieutenant the widowed Michael Fitton is in command of the gun-brig Cracker and has sailed to the Baltics to escort a convoy bringing timber back to Britain. This is an important mission for Fitton for without the timber Britain's chances of winning the war with France are greatly reduced as too many of its fleet need substantial repairs and wood is scarce. The task is made doubly dangerous as Britain is also at war with Denmark.

Having to navigate the eight vessels through enemy-occupied waters Fitton has an unexpected coup when he takes the vessel Amalie prisoner and discovers Baron La Haye - the most powerful Frenchman in Denmark - and his daughter Madame Brennier on board.

Double-crossed and with his ship in peril Fitton must fight to get the convoy back to safety, even if it means losing the woman he loves for ever.

189 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1979

About the author

Aka Glyn Carr

Frank Showell Styles was a Welsh writer and mountaineer.

Showell Styles was born in Four Oaks, Birmingham and was educated at Bishop Vesey's Grammar School, Sutton Coldfield. Known to his friends as 'Pip', Showell Styles' childhood was spent in the hills of North Wales where he became an avid mountaineer and explorer. During the Second World War, Styles joined the Royal Navy and was posted in the Mediterranean, but even there he walked and climbed as much as he could.

An aspiring writer, Styles already had articles published in Punch, before setting out to make his living as an author. His first novel, Traitor’s Mountain, was a murder mystery set on and around Tryfan in Wales. He became a prolific writer with over 160 books published for children as well as adults. In addition to historic naval adventure fiction such as the Midshipman Quinn and Lieutenant Michael Fitton series set during the Napoleonic Wars, and non-fiction works on mountains and such as The Mountaineer’s Weekend Book, he wrote detective fiction under the pseudonym of Glyn Carr, and humorous pieces as C.L. Inker.

For walkers visiting Snowdonia for the first time, Styles' The Mountains of North Wales is monumentally inspirational, written by a sure hand and with a firm conviction and love of these mountains.

Reviews

[Alex Helling · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Mr Fitton turned with a start to the dark shape that had materialised out of the darkness at his side. He could almost feel the wind of Mr Honeyburn’s salute.
“Eight bells,” continued the lieutenant, raising his reedy voice above the ceaseless plainsong of the wind, “the hour of your relief as officer of the watch, sir. I take over the deck.”
“I had no idea the morning was so far advanced,” Mr Fitton said repentantly. “I had intended to send a hand below to tell you not to stir, since I shall remain on deck until we’re past Kronenburg.”(p31)

Kronenburg is where the Cracker, the gub-brig commanded by Lieutenant Michael Fitton, is headed. She is to pick up and escort a small convoy back to England. The only problem is that it is 1812 and the Danes control the the only usable routes, and have a newly built battery making it hazardous to use the Sound, the main route from the Baltic to the North Sea. Fitton also finds he is alone, lacking any backup. Lacking choices he embarks on a rather dangerous course. In The Baltic Convoy Showell Styles has taken the log of the records in the log of the Cracker and turned it into a thrilling work of naval fiction.

Pros
Unusual and interesting setting for a naval historical novel
Carries the narrative very well on very little action
A reasonably plausible interpretation of history

Cons
Romance not a strong point

The Baltic Convoy is tense without action. There is a little action to set up the situation at the beginning, and a little at the climax, but most of the time is the tension provided by the situation of a small ship and crew with heavy responsibilities, charting a very dangerous course. Styles does well at keeping the tension there, sometimes it is in the background, and sometimes more prominent but it is always there.

I enjoyed the dialogue, it is good at providing a combination of the small talk triviality that normal conversation holds and important information to the reader about the context. There is exposition too as Fitton thinks things through, but again not more than the relatively minimal context needed to explain the situation Fitton finds himself in. We don't get reams of information on Napoleon’s campaign that some authors might have been tempted to add.

I really like the somewhat unusual context. Fitton is by Napoleonic standards rather old for a Lieutenant - in his 40s. He is not someone who is going to have a brilliant career, quite the opposite he is in a dead end position. And novels don't often tackle convoy duty - particularly by tiny brigs. No matter how necessary it might be it is unglamorous and lacking the swashbuckling action that is ideal for a naval adventure. But it is much more representative of the hum-drum life of many at sea even in the navy at war.

Historical fiction often plays with the history bit. And that is likely the case here - the capture and romantic element surely did not happen. But beyond that this is an excellent example of a novel that has taken a little that we know - the log of a navy brig taking an unusual route - and filling in the gaps with a plausible narrative. It might be embellished beyond the likely reality, but it is at least plausible.

I think there probably are some minor inaccuracies. I am fairly sure the fleet in the Baltic is set much lower than it was - though I think this is helpful from a narrative point of view to emphasise the Cracker being alone. Another would be that I have read that the Great Belt was in fact used by large convoys for bypassing the Sound (in Woodman, The Sea Warriors, p257) so clearly not as dangerous in shoals as portrayed here as an explanation for why Fitton wants to avoid that route.

Beyond those possible minor issues which can be discounted, the only thing I did not like was the romance. It really didn't work. It is too sudden. It is unclear why she liked him. And I didn't like the way it ends.

An excellent and interesting novel, though one only really likely to appeal to those who are quite keen on maritime or naval historical novels.