We had trained for emergencies. Every man knew how to launch a lifeboat. There were life jackets to save us, but no one said, Oh, and this is what an exploding torpedo does, and here's what happens when the ship sinks under you. And the lights will be out, so you'll be in the dark.It is 1940, and war rages. With nothing to keep him at home, fifteen-year-old Adam Chisholm joins Britain's Merchant Navy. His first ship takes him on a stormy Atlantic convoy where he faces seasickness, submarines and shipwreck.In his remarkable sea journeys, Adam meets enemies face to face, and makes friends - some for a lifetime.

 

This book was recognised in the Book of the Year category by the Children's Book Council of Australia Awards.

There are 240 pages in this book. This book was published 2014 by Allen & Unwin .

David McRobbie was at one time an apprentice marine-fitter, then a ship's engineer. Later he became a primary-school teacher, then a college lecturer, followed by a stint as parliamentary researcher in Papua New Guinea. Educational scriptwriting duties followed and finally he became a radio and television producer with the ABC. He is now a full-time writer.