An impressive novel, portraying the war at sea with emotion, drama, tenderness and terror. Powerful...the dominant quality of this sturdy novel is compassion. A whale of a story...Solidly conceived and well executed. A powerful novel of the North Atlantic in World War II, telling the story of two British ships and their desparate cat-and-mouse game with Nazi U-boats.A powerful novel of the North Atlantic in World Wat II, this is the story of the British ships Compass Rose and Saltash and of their desparate cat-and-mouse game with Nazi U-boats. First published to great accalim in 1951, The Cruel Sea remains a classic novel of endurance and daring.Nicholas Monsarrat served in the Royal Navy during World War II and later joined governemnt service. He died in 1979.