The Corvette

by Richard Woodman Book 5 in the Nathaniel Drinkwater series.

First published 1985

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4.4(113)

Nathaniel Drinkwater escorts a British whaling fleet towards Greenland, where the Arctic environment is as dangerous as any enemy warship. Ice, storms and the uncertainties of a nineteenth-century whale hunt place crews far from ordinary naval support, while signs of treachery suggest that the expedition carries risks beyond weather and navigation.

The mission tests Drinkwater’s judgement in waters where naval discipline must coexist with commercial priorities and experienced whalers who possess knowledge his officers lack. Disaster in the Arctic turns escort duty into a struggle for survival and command, forcing him to make decisions with little prospect of reinforcement or rescue.