The Convoy Commodore

Rating:
Summary: Good sea story, from a different perspective
Review: During World War II, the convoy commodore was the man who commanded all the merchant ships in a trans-Atlantic convoy. He did not command the naval ships that might (or might not) be guarding the convoy, but was responsible for keeping the tankers, troopships, cargo carriers, and other ships in line and on schedule. It was a heavy, and at times nerve-wracking, responsibility. And it's upon this man that Philip McCutchan focuses in what became the first of a series of convoy novels.

Not having looked at the Battle of the Atlantic from the merchantman's side very often before, I found this book a very interesting and entertaining change of pace. Though the commodore is not a navy man, his story has its share of battle scenes -- often reminiscent of Douglas Reeman's stories. Main and supporting characters are drawn well, and the narration on the audiocassettes was competently done. Tracking down and reading (or listening to) other McCutchan titles is definitely on my to-do list, and I encourage any fan of World War Two-at-sea stories to do the same.