A Flock of Ships

by Brian Callison

Early 1941. Her Morse-keyed scream for help was loud, clear - and indisputable.

MV CYCLOPS TO ALL SHIPS: URGENT RELAY TO ADMIRALTY - TORPEDOED AND SINKING ... MASTER AND OFFICERS DEAD: NO HOPE OF SAVING SHIP ... WE ARE ABANDONING ...

Far to the south of any South Atlantic navigational route lies the barren and deserted island of Quintanilha de Almeida. According to all records it has remained unvisited for decades yet, when a Royal Navy survey ship finally ventures into its land-enshrouded inner lake, her incredulous crew are confronted by a seemingly impossible sight ... the incinerated hulk of a once-mighty cargo liner, the monstrously compacted bones of a less identifiable vessel and - their most bizarre discovery of all - the virtually undamaged corpse of a second British freighter riding docilely at anchor.

Even her name and port of registry under the forlorn, rusting counter can still be clearly distinguished ... she's the 'Cyclops', out of Liverpool.

Yet such a situation cannot exist outwith a seaman's worst nightmare. Because 'Cyclops' was known to have been lost with all hands as a result of a Second World War U-boat action well over a quarter of a century previously. And, even more inexplicably - to have sunk in deep water several hundred miles distant from where she has now, apparently, been found without a single living soul aboard …

Genres: Historical Fiction, Adventure, Novels, Fiction, War, Thriller, World War II

192 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1970

About the author

Brian Callison was a British novelist known for his best-selling thrillers and sea stories. Born in Manchester, England in 1934, he was educated at the High School of Dundee, and went to sea at the age of 16 as an apprentice with the Blue Funnel Line, sailing aboard cargo ships between ports in Europe and East Asia. Callison subsequently studied at Dundee College of Art in Scotland, and went into business. His first published novel, A Flock of Ships, appeared in 1970. In 2008 he completed a three-year appointment as a Fellow of The Royal Literary Fund at the University of Dundee, mentoring staff and students in all aspects of practical writing.
Callison died in Dundee on 5 February 2024, at the age of 89.

Reviews

[Bede Millner · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another slow-burner - Not until probably the last fifth of this book did the pace and action really pick up. However there were enough mini events and plot twists leading up to this to keep me going.

The main thing I'd call out though is how jargon-filled this book is. Shipping/Navy jargon that is. Much of the first fifth, when everything and everyone was being introduced, I didn't actually understand - the crew's ranks and positions, different areas of the ship and equipment on it etc. I'd say "boaties" and afficianados would enjoy this much more than I did for this reason. On top of this it's an older book (1970s) covering even older events (WWII) so I questioned whether some of the terminology and technology was even still in use (eg. I had to google what an 'Aldis' is/was).

I gave this a crack though as found it in a local op/thrift shop for $1 and it had good reviews, so I'm happy enough with it and definitely got my money's worth!

Finally, my biggest compliment, and what I've found is a rarity in books for me these days - this one actually had a satisfying ending!

[Jim · Rating 5 out of 5]

Recently I found a book at a used book sale that was published originally in 1970. It is entitled A FLOCK OF SHIPS (ISBN 978-1906288358, trade paperback, $17.95, re-issued 2010). To my great surprise, it had been recently re-issued as a trade paperback and as a “Kindle” edition. Thank goodness for astute editors. Brian Callison is the author of this terrific story of the British Merchant Marine during WWII. He served in the Merchant Marine beginning in 1950. The story of the officers and men of the Allied Merchant Marine Services is too often overlooked by WWII fiction writers.

The story opens in the present day (circa 1970) when a British Navy Survey Ship pulls into the harbor of an isolated island in the South Atlantic Ocean. In the harbor, much to their surprise, lies the rusting hulks of two British Merchant Marine ships and two German U-Boats. Why are they there and what is the story behind this scenario are two questions answered by the log kept by the First Mate of the merchant ship Cyclops. The Captain of the survey ship discovers the log on one of the hulks. The story is told through the eyes of the Merchant Marine officer and his log. The story is reminiscent of Alastair MacLean’s novels – twists of plot, people not being who they seem to be, surprise endings. See if you can guess the plot twists before they are revealed. I missed most of them.

GO! BUY! READ!

[Michael Koch · Rating 2 out of 5]

Some interesting details about running a merchant ship of that era (Second World War). However, I am not certain of their accuracy given the inaccuracy of speeds and ranges of corvettes and uboats. Early war corvettes are not going to get from the Clyde to South Africa without at least one, more likely two stops for refuel. Nor are they going to cruise at 17 knots, let alone 18 or 20. These inaccuracies however, allowed the story to reach its conclusion around a remote but interesting geographic location.

Plot was implausible, protagonist as thick as two planks and the antagonists were given way, way too much skill and credit for their plot, until suddenly they were not.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a gripping World War 2 thriller written by a former merchant seaman. I last read it when I was 11 in 1976 and recently reread it. It stands up well; the story-line moves along briskly, the characters are believable (if somewhat interchangeable) and the ending is satisfying and slightly poignant. On rereading it with more knowledge of WW2 naval history the whole premise of the story is unconvincing but it is a good, slightly slim, naval warfare thriller.

[Cropredy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I follow some historians on Twitter and a recent thread was about WWII books that inspired people when they were younger to become avid readers of WWII fiction. A Flock of Ships showed up on the list and I had never heard of this book. I and certainly had read a fair amount of WW II popular fiction in my youth. A Flock of Ships was clearly about convoys and UBoats and, that genre has produced some pretty stellar reads such as HMS Ulysses and The Cruel Sea. So, a quick trip to the library and I had the book in hand (libraries are great!).

The author's previous life had been in the merchant marine and he clearly knew how to talk about cargo ships, how they maneuvered, the crew, various compartments and decks, and many technical terms to add to the verisimilitude. The plot starts off in the South Atlantic with a three ship convoy plus corvette escort heading towards Cape Town. Initially I thought this was going to make the book "different" from others due to the locale. Instead of the cold North Atlantic, it would be sunnier climes and different naval jurisdictions.

But, the book steered (so-to-speak) into preposterous territory. To keep the reader's attention, stuff happens in almost every chapter. And what happens seems more suited to a Hollywood screenplay than actual convoy versus submarines. The characters seemed one-dimensional and the dialog unrealistic. The story is told from the point of view of the Chief Officer of one of the cargo ships. There is a reason for this because of the plot line designed by the author before pen was put to page. This kind of narrative (the hero's journey) is OK but combined with the Perils of Pauline nature of the plot leads to an unsatisfying read. No doubt some readers will disagree.

The book reads quickly and I finished it in three days. The pace picks up in the last 1/3 off the novel.

Consider this as a disposable beach read but definitely not one of the great or even good novels of WWII.

[Ari · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've decided to soften my evaluations a bit and was about to give five stars for this one. This is definitely one of the best novels in the "WWII convoy genre". On the same level as McLean's HMS Ulysses - and more surprising when it comes to the plot.

I read this for the first time when I was just a boy (a well selected Christmas present) and this was really something. Thrilling, fluently narrated, partly humorous, heroic and as said, very surprising. Not just on whodunnit level but as a whole.
I must also say that this novel is at its best when you read it for the first time. Definitely. There are such (unforgettable) surprises on the way. Nevertheless this was the third or fourth time I read the story and I enjoyed it again.

I don't tell anything about the happenings as so much is based on surprises. Read yourselves, I promise it's worth the effort - and the novel is not very long, just a couple of hundred pages full of action.

Of course this never happened but the level of incredibility is on the "something like this could have happened" level. Almost :-)

Definitely one of the best.

Petetty saattue
TAMMI 1970

[Moomo · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this, but not quite as much as when I first read it forty years ago. Written in an era when WW2 was still fresh in peoples' memories, it was, by the standards of the time, a fast paced and distinctly unnerving thriller, dripping with menace and hinting at a very nasty ending. Yes, in some respects it's a bit contrived. Yes, some of the characters are a bit cliched. Yes, it's likely that such an incident could never happen. And yes, by the standards of contemporary thrillers, it's a little slow to get going; but it has a taught and relentless plot, a claustrophobic sense of inevitability, and a brutal finale that will stay with you long after most other thrillers have been forgotten. It may not be the best war story ever written, but it's definitely in the top ten percent.

[Eugene · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the author's debut novel ... and, in the end, a cracking WW2 war story involving hunted merchantmen, U-boats, spies and lots of compelling action. The writing almost tripped me up at first with its frenzy of adverbs, desperate desire to show off technical knowledge, etc., but I persevered and was glad that I did. Would I read more by this author? Definitely.

[D ALLEN · Rating 4 out of 5]

South Atlantic Mystery

A very good thriller that proves the author not only knows well his subject, the Merchant Marine, but is able to translate that onto the written page and keep the reader enthralled.
I was hooked from the first page and look forward to reading his other novels from that genre.

[DAVE BOWTELL · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant!

I first read this book about 50years sho and enjoyed it so much that I read it again 20years later. I found this version on my kindle and couldn't resist it. So I read it again, now in my mind 70s. It is the epitome of a seafaring war story, all gungo one minute, and extremely sad the next. A superb story!

[M. Walker · Rating 4 out of 5]

A convoy of British merchant ships carrying cash, munitions, and secrets finds itself harried by submarines and the apparent victim of saboteurs on board in this tense, grim narrative that's part war story, part mystery.

[Tim Duggan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent

Great nautical page turning adventure! The kind of book I have been looking for. After reading the reviews I thought I would like it, however it surpassed my expectations. Gripping throughout. Now to try more of Brian Callisons adventures.

[Trev · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another good read !

Read this many years ago as a young teenager . Enjoyed it then and after 45 years in the merchant Navy I enjoyed it again .

[Sonny · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brian Callison can tell a good story! Excellent WWII novel.

[gerald morson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good

A very good novel ,plenty of characters and twists and turns to keep you occupied,enjoyed it well done brian BZ

[Tony · Rating 3 out of 5]

I can't recall where I heard of this 50-year-old World War II thriller, nor why I needed to track it down, but when I did finally get a copy of it, the "best war story I have ever read"  blurb from Allistar MacLean was reassuring. The author was born in Manchester and went to sea with the merchant marine as a teenager in 1950. This was the first of some 20+ sea-based thrillers he wrote over a forty year career. On the whole, it does a lot of things effectively, but the core espionage plot is not very effective, and I imagine he got better with subsequent books.

The story opens in 1970, as a Royal Navy survey ship sails into the sheltered water of a fictional tiny South Atlantic island, only to discover the wrecks of two wartime merchant marine cargo ships. Aboard one of these is a journal left by its Chief Officer, telling the tale of these mysterious wrecks. Following these opening pages, almost the entire rest of the book takes place during World War II, as a three-ship convoy with Navy corvette escort sets out from LIverpool to Adelaide. As is usually the case in such books, there is a secret cargo that must not fall into German hands... What follows is the page-turning account of the convoy's attempts to make it to Cape Town to refuel, only to be pushed further and further south by submarines, strange explosions in the night, and even an act of apparently deliberate friendly fire. 

There's certainly plenty to like about the book -- it very capably captures the tension that must have been felt in such wartime convoys, sailing thousands of miles knowing that at any moment a U-Boat might have already launched a torpedo at you, and there's nothing you can do. It also does a really good job at portraying the hierarchies of power and how different personalities can play out in the shipboard chain of command. And while I know nothing about ships or seagoing, I'm sure all the nautical and technical details are spot on. (I will say that I would have appreciated a map/diagram of the island that's key to the final third of the book, as I struggled a bit to visualize the scale of the action.) It also doesn't shy away from the graphic violence of war, nor the chaos and confusion that reigns, and nor does it traffic in blowhard heroism, as the Chief Officer recounts his horror and terror throughout.

However... the espionage storyline isn't particularly cunning. Anyone who has read plenty of mysteries will spot the rather obvious clue that points to the enemy agent / villain very early on in the story. There are then two additional events which confirm things and make it very clear who the villain is. And once you've identified the villain and the cargo contents are revealed (which happens about 1/3 of the way in), the rest of the plot becomes rather obvious and it becomes somewhat frustrating that the Chief Officer and his captain don't work it out. There's also a glaring problem with the ending that I will discuss in the next paragraph, so stop reading now if you don't want any spoilers.

Spoiler Alert
The entire point of the elaborate German plot is to get the new naval codes that are carried by the narrator's ship. At the end of the main action, the fake message was sent to the British Navy, making it seem like the ships were lost at sea -- and thus the new naval codes were safe from German hands. Presumably, the two German U-Boats, prior to engaging, would have sent a message to their command, indicating that the trap worked as planned. So when the command doesn't hear from them, confirming they have the codes, surely they would have just sent another force to follow up within days (assuming, of course, that they wouldn't have just had a third U-Boat as backup on standby)?  And then they would have found the barely living Chief Officer, killed him, and taken the naval codes?

[Ruth · Rating 3 out of 5]

"""I wrenched the door open and slammed into the cabin fast. Almost fast enough to beat the gun that was snatched from the operator’s table by a very steady hand. ‘You shouldn’t be here, Mate. This boat’s just gone and sunk.’ ""
"

[Kevin · Rating 3 out of 5]

A World War II navel story. Pretty good, though it did take me a while to get a hang of the navel lingo.

[Jack Heath]

Synopsis: it's 1941. Her scream for help was clear; the Cyclops was sinking. Years later, people visit a remote, uninhabited island. Isn't that her?