Convoy

Ned Yorke #5

by Pope Dudley

Convoy Pope, Dudley

Genres: Historical Fiction, Military Fiction, World War II

450 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1979

Reviews

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very good WWII naval story. My only complaint is that it took our hero way too long to figure out how the sub was getting into the convoy. I had it figured out 5 or 6 chapters earlier.

[Anne Patkau · Rating 4 out of 5]

Like Dudley Pope, the WW2 Ned Yorke is wounded. But Ned gets together with pretty nurse for romantic sub-plot. Then he is in a special unit, to find out how German U-boats slip into centre of merchantmen convoy, take them down, a few a night, run to deep cold sea layer, repeat until all of 14 torpedoes are used up, head back to France HQ triumphant. We were losing the Battle of the Atlantic. If losses continued, Britain would starve and freeze without imported food and fuel.

His daring plan is based on author Pope's real experience. No wonder everything sounds so authentic, terrifying. Ned the pirate was my hero. This man is more real, still so brave. Feels like real sailors who died for us, now gone and medals too. Pope's work is so memorable, I had to wait a long time [from last century?] before re-reading.

[Allyn Voorhees · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good wartime story that you could call a Nautical Mystery if so inclined. Very loosely related to previous works by this author, as the main character is a Yorke, recognizable from the Ramage series. The technique of delaying vital clues in a mystery is applied here, and while it became clear who the guilty party is well before the story ends, it did not detract from this WW2 yarn.

FYI: I happen to consider the Ramage series by this author my favorite nautical adventure stories.

[Pete · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a good solid naval adventure. The pacing is slow through the first half and the plot is one dimensional but the author's talent for describing characters and circumstances is so vivid that the reader is totally drawn into the events unfolding. If your looking for an entertaining sea tale in the best British tradition this novel will do nicely.

[John Milliner · Rating 5 out of 5]

What can you say, unputdownable, started yesterday finish today. I find all the wartime sea stories very readable, and keep them on my shelves to read again and again, I let a lot go in an earlier move and regret it now.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have read a lot of Pope's "Ramage" novels just because I like Napoleonic sea stories but with this series, you can tell he actually knows what he is talking about. It is WWII and the Germans are managing to get submarines up into the middle of a convoy of merchant ships and pick them off at night.
These convoys are escorted by Royal Navy boats and they can't figure out how the "U-boats" are evading their ASDIC (some sort of sonar). Lt. Ned Yorke (whose forebear appears in the Ramage stories) is set with the task of correcting this problem. I don't really know anything about the author but I can understand everything all the sailing and war strategy because HE understands it. The characters are interesting and believable in war time Britain.

[Sam Reaves · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dudley Pope is best known for his popular Lord Ramage series of naval adventures in the C.S. Forester vein; this is a World War Two novel about a British naval officer in the North Atlantic dueling with German U-boats threatening the merchant ships that were Britain's lifeline. A realistic account of a hard, deadly phase of the war and the unsung heroes who fought it.

[Juanita · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quite a fascinating read.

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant

[Fraser · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good WWII naval story, the method used to attack the convoys is very interesting. Possibly made a little too easy for the reader, or maybe I was just lucky.