The Cruel Sea by Nicholas Monsarrat

The novel known as “The Cruel Sea”, written by Nicholas Monsarrat, and published in 1951; is the story of “one ocean, two ships, and about 150 men” (Monsarrat pg. ). To be more specific, it is about anti-submarine warfare in the Atlantic during World War II. All in all it is an excalent story that not only illustraits the horrors of war, but the bonds of brotherhood that develop during war.
Despite the fact that this novel is supposed to be about anti-submarine warfare in the Atlantic, only three submarines are sunk by the crews of the two featured ships. For the most part anti-submarine warfare seems to have been nothing more than trying to stay alive while rescuing the survivors of ships that got torpedoed. Considering Monsarrat was actually involved in the war, it is probably a safe assumption that this is an accurate depiction of the events.
Monsarrat does an admirable job of portraying multiple characters and their varying opinions and attitudes on the war...