How Danny Rook de-fused a bomb, broke a promise, and helped to end the Vietnam War
Click thru to AmazonNext to Mao, Lin Biao is the most powerful man in China... and the Russians have turned him. Whilst Lin and President Richard Nixon might be on opposing sides, they sort of agree on one thing - they want to end the Vietnam War.
But where Nixon's plan is characteristically devious, Lin's is drastic, secret, and not only dangerous but likely to be apocalyptic.
In the middle of the Pacific Ocean there's a British ship, a bulk-carrier with two junior officers on board. They don't have the full picture, but it's they who stand the best chance of preventing disaster... if only they can outwit their own Captain and hoodwink a boat-load of Chinese pirates.
...Meanwile, Lin Biao's wife and son are plotting to overthrow Mao, and on board the m.v. Cullinan Cavalier, Danny Rook, the radio officer, is working on encrypting the most important message of his life.
This book contrasts the high politics and international diplomacy of Mao, Nixon, Biao, Zhou and Kissinger against the lonely, matey, gritty, dumped-on, and at times ridiculous world of a life at sea - before 'flagging-out' and the box-boats wrecked it all.
The view from the Cullinan Cavalier's bridge-wing
Friday 20 August, 1971Lat: 20° 01'S, Long: 163° 57'W
"On the main deck, the faraway hurricane scream of the engine-room intake fans had hushed to a dull drone. The loudest sound came from the fizz of bubbles bursting into the blue, creaming down the ship’s side as the bow wave spread out, flattened and dissolved. The occasional flying fish, alarmed at the threat posed by the sudden arrival of this 600-foot monster, burst from the ripples and glided to safety."
And below is a view of the Pedro Miguel locks that Danny might have enjoyed in daylight (after his adventure) looking towards Miraflores and the Pacific Ocean. (At the right of the picture, the rack-and-pinion railway locomotives are known as "mules".)
Pedro Miguel On Tour
Pedro Miguel at Bishop's Cleeve, Gloucestershire
The climax of Pedro Miguel depends on an off-duty code-breaker... Fortunately, he lives at Bishop's Cleeve, which isn't very far away from GCHQ Cheltenham:
"Sunday 12 September, 1971; 20:05 GMT
Bishop's Cleeve, Gloucestershire;
Leonard Willetts liked a good puzzle. Because he had not had enough time on Friday to crack the Met Office problem, he had taken the paperwork home over the weekend. First one thing got in the way and then another, so it took until the early evening for him to return to the Cavalier's weather reports and idle away at the cipher.
Once he had started, it didn't take very long for the message to fall into place. He put down his biro and uttered an expletive. He had been looking forward to enjoying the TV broadcast of a concert by the Leningrad Philharmonic. It was pretty clear from the ominous words in front of him that he would have to miss it. He picked up the telephone and spoke to the duty officer..."