Sailor of the King

On five days' leave, Lieutenant Richard Saville and Miss Lucinda Bentley talk aboard the train bound for London. They miss their rail connection halfway and decide to spend a romantic holiday in the countryside of southern England. The encounter hints at a future together, far from the long separations of naval life.

Saville proposes marriage and Lucinda accepts, but on the day they are due to return to Portsmouth she changes her mind. She explains that neither of them could bear the long separations at sea. They part, seemingly forever.

Saville serves through the First World War and the inter-war years, building his naval career. By the early years of the Second World War he is in command of a squadron of three cruisers on convoy duty in the Pacific. His experience spans both wars, shaping his decisions on the convoy route.

Just before a British merchantman is sunk by the German raider Essen, Saville receives a last message warning of the threat. The flagship HMS Stratford is too low on fuel to pursue, forcing Saville to stay with the convoy to guard it. Meanwhile Amesbury and Cambridge pursue the raider.

Cambridge stops to pick up survivors from the merchantman, leaving Amesbury to continue independently. The decision shifts the burden of chasing the Essen to the other ships. The convoy is kept together as best as possible despite the split.

Amesbury closes in and launches a torpedo that strikes Essen's bow, scoring a major hit. The Essen reels but manages to escape, while the Amesbury is sunk with the loss of all but two hands, Petty Officer Wheatley and Signalman Andrew 'Canada' Brown. Brown's naval upbringing gives him tactical insight that will matter later.

The Essen picks up the two survivors, Wheatley and Brown, before continuing. Brown is described as the son of a navy-keen mother and uses his knowledge of tactics and gunnery from youth. The survivors' capture by the raider adds a personal thread to the chase.

News reaches Saville that the Amesbury has fallen, and he decides to take a risk by chasing Essen with Cambridge. He aims to catch the raider and defend the convoy at all costs. The decision rekindles the pursuit across the Pacific.

The Essen anchors in a rocky lagoon for 36 hours of repairs. Brown escapes to the surrounding heights with a rifle and begins picking off sailors working on the repairs. The Essen's captain uses AA and big guns in a futile attempt to dislodge him, while a Marine party is sent to hunt him but are recalled.

Brown's marksmanship delays the repairs by about 18 hours, giving Saville's force the chance to close in. He collapses from his wounds after his skirmish, but his actions have a lasting effect on the pursuit. The delay proves decisive in enabling the British to catch up.

When the Essen finally leaves the lagoon, she is caught and sunk by Saville's force. A survivor aboard the raider later informs the British of Brown's exploits, underscoring how the earlier delay affected the chase. The cannons of the British ships seal the raid's fate.

One of Essen's survivors informs the British of Brown's exploits, highlighting the delayed repairs and the courage of the sailors who held off the raider. This intelligence reinforces the importance of the pursuit and the convoy's survival. The report contributes to the narrative of sacrifice and tenacity on the high seas.

A landing party is dispatched ashore from Saville's force to find Brown, the wounded survivor who played a pivotal role in delaying repairs. The mission demonstrates the crew's resolve to honor every act of courage. The convoy's chase reaches a conclusion with the raider's defeat and the rescue of those involved.