On 18th March 1915, the most powerful armada ever assembled of British and French warships failed to silence the forts defending the Dardanelle straits.
Having lost four battleships, the fleet had turned and fled. The allied navies were supposed to have forced the channel, break into the Sea of Marmara and take the Ottoman Empire out of World War One.That plan was now in tatters, as was the reputation of a Royal Navy that could not tear itself away from its centuries-old, big-gun traditions. An army general would now lead a momentous amphibious assault onto the beaches of the Gallipoli peninsular, dominated by high ground. But the attack started in near-disaster with pleas for re-embarkation.A new breed of warrior – the submariners in their diminutive and rudimentary submersibles – had been spurned by higher authorities from the very beginning. Some considered they should be regarded as ‘pirates’ and hanged when captured. Within the Royal Navy itself, the disparaging moniker “The Trade” was conferred upon the nascent submarine service by those aloof gentlemen in their class-bound surface ships.Nonetheless, whilst the Grand Fleet remained holed up in Scapa Flow, these courageous mariners had taken the fight to the enemy, and had already been blooded in the North Sea and the Baltic.So, once again, a handful of daring submariners prepare for a desperate gamble in this new theatre of operations, diving into the enemy's lair to break the deadlock and ignite a flicker of hope in the heart of a failing campaign.HELLESPONT is a fictional dramatisation of historic events.
Praise for Hellespont
"I loved Hellespont. Gripping stuff - I couldn’t put it down when we got to the exploits of E57 in the straits, and then in the Sea of Marmara."
Brian Huggett
"The plot hangs together really well and the mission draws you in and feels completely authentic and believable; I was "there" and felt as if "I was living it" with the crew."
Richard Raggett
"I think you have the balance of historic fact, maritime nomenclature and character just right which makes it engaging, exciting and informative to read."
Paul Barrett
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1915.
Hellespont
The Dardanelles have been known as Hellespont from time immemorial and deemed a most treacherous waterway. In 480 BC, Xerxes tried to bring his Persian armies from Asia to invade Europe, only for his bridge to be washed away by the fast and unrelenting outward flow.Any chance of a WW1 submarine just to be able to battle against this current and make the 40-mile transit into the Sea of Marmara was considered as no more than a forlorn hope. Add to that, the whole passage was strewn with mines, protected by batteries of artillery, and patrolled by flotillas of warships.Even if they did manage the near-impossible passage to reach their objective, it was unimaginable how one of these tiny submersibles could continue to operate in enemy territory completely unsupported.Ever the ‘Silent Service’ with its extraordinary strategic successes being obscured by secrecy, it is time for those early pioneers in submarines to receive their deserved recognition. So, rather than in a non-fiction volume collecting dust on a bookshelf, their exploits are now told as the exciting and courageous adventures they truly were. This fictional account mirrors the historic events.
It is intended that Hellespont should be only the first in a 'Tradesmen' series. Future projects will cover WW2 and the Cold War.Links to the submariner charities the author supports can be found here.
"The Trade"
By Rudyard Kipling
1914-18
They bear, in place of classic names,
Letters and numbers on their skin.
They play their grisly blindfold games
In little boxes made of tin.
Sometimes they stalk the Zeppelin,
Sometimes they learn where mines are laid,
Or where the Baltic ice is thin.
That is the custom of "The Trade."Few prize-courts sit upon their claims.
They seldom tow their targets in.
They follow certain secret aims
Down under, far from strife or din.
When they are ready to begin
No flag is flown, no fuss is made
More than the shearing of a pin.
That is the custom of "The Trade."The Scout's quadruple funnel flames
A mark from Sweden to the Swin,
The Cruiser's thund'rous screw proclaims
Her comings out and goings in:
But only whiffs of paraffin
Or creamy rings that fizz and fade
Show where the one-eyed Death has been.
That is the custom of "The Trade."Their feats, their fortunes and their fames
Are hidden from their nearest kin;
No eager public backs or blames,
No journal prints the yarn they spin
(The Censor would not let it in! )
When they return from run or raid.
Unheard they work, unseen they win.
That is the custom of "The Trade."
About the author
Malcolm Avery
Although having retired from the Royal Navy in 2008, decorated veteran Malcolm Avery still describes himself as a submariner. He explains, “It’s an ethos, a way of life. A way you look at life.”Throughout most of his 36 years’ service, he was either aboard submarines or working in their direct support.Sponsored to complete an engineering degree at Southampton University, during his second summer he spent a month aboard the diesel-electric patrol submarine HMS ONYX; he was hooked. His final degree year focused on an individual project on submarine design and, following general naval training, he joined ‘boats’ at the first opportunity.
Appointments to HMS OBERON, OPOSSUM, RENOWN (Starboard) and OCELOT followed, specialising in navigation. He was selected for the ‘Perisher’ submarine command course in 1984 and thereafter held command appointments in HMS OLYMPUS, ODIN, SCEPTRE, REVENGE (Starboard) and RESOLUTION (Port).Sea appointments were interspersed with key operational roles on the Clyde, in Northwood as the Submarine Operations Officer, and in the Ministry of Defence. As a Captain, he was responsible for all submarine training ashore and afloat. He retired after three appointments as a Commodore in SHAPE (NATO), in the Ministry of Defence, and in Fleet HQ.
His lived experience and innate understanding of submarine function, warfare and strategy informs his writing.HELLESPONT is his first novel.
CO HMS Odin
HMS Odin
HMS Sceptre
CO HMS Revenge
HMS Resolution
Commodore Avery OBE
The author’s logo has been devised to include the skull – notably drawn in profile – from the jolly roger of the infamous pirate Captain ‘Long Ben’ Avery, together with the crossed bow and arrows from the Bowers’ crest of the author's maternal grandparents.All submariners have always been branded as pirates, even before the Royal Navy possessed its first boat, so this new ‘jolly roger’ seems appropriate. The Bowers’ motto “Ad Metam” - meaning “to the target” - is prescient too for a scion who became a submariner. Like him, the author’s grandfather’s middle name was also Byrne.The author has adopted the nom de plume of Byrne Avery because his wife opines that no one will buy a book written by a ‘Malcolm’! That sentiment is probably illegal in these days of political correctness, but who can argue with one’s ‘better half’?
Have Your Say
The author would indeed welcome any feedback on HELLESPONT, or other comments you may care to share with him, positive or negative, but hopefully always constructive (see the important disclaimer below).Messages will not routinely receive a response but - by way of acknowledgement and thanks - a FREE BONUS picture showing the general arrangement of the British WW1 E-Class submarine will be sent to every contributor.
Disclaimer: By submitting a review or comment, this indicates that you are content that these should be published on this website or used elsewhere for the sole purpose of marketing the novel or novels shown. Your name will be shown, but no email addresses or other personal information will be shared with another individual or business concern. The decision to publish, or not, any review received remains entirely at the discretion of the author.
Links
The Online Book of Remembrance - a place to remember all those who have given their lives in the Royal Navy Submarine Service. Here you can read about the boats that were lost and those who served in them.The Submarine Family – this charity brings together all parts of the submarine community: serving, veteran, family and supporter; it provides a framework for fundraising and coordinated support for benevolence, commemoration, heritage and projects which support our ‘family’ in any way. The Submarine Family is underpinned by three supporting arms, each of which leads on a separate aspect of the Family business – Friends on heritage, WRS on commemoration and the SA on camaraderie:
+ The Society of Friends of the RN Submarine Museum (Friends)
+ We Remember Submariners (WRS)
+ The Submariners Association (SA)The author is a member of the Submarine Family and separately supports all three arms. He pledges to donate a portion of any profits made from the sale of Hellespont to the Submarine Family.