Bernard Cornwell’s The Fort: A Novel of the Revolutionary War is not strictly speaking nautical fiction but does focus on an ill-fated expedition that ended as the worst American naval defeat prior to Pear Harbor.
At first glance, The Fort has all the elements of good historical fiction. The American revolutionary war remains a popular topic. The historical events in the book are not well known. The novel shows a well known historical figure, in this case, Paul Revere, in a wholly new light. Perhaps most importantly, the tale is told by a skilled writer. USA Today described Cornwell as the “reigning king of historical fiction” and I would be loathe to disagree. Nevertheless, The Fort is somewhat disappointing.
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The Canadian War Museum is marking the 100th anniversary of Canada’s navy with a fascinating new online exhibit – 
On this anniversary of the armistice on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day or the eleventh month that ended the “war to end all wars,” it seems worthwhile to remember the often overlooked role of merchant mariners in national defense. Though it was kept secret during the war and largely ignored afterward, 1 in 26 mariners serving aboard US merchant ships in World WW II died in the line of duty, suffering a greater percentage of war-related deaths than all other U.S. services.
Thirty five years ago today the ore carrier 
Update: 
William Hammond’s new novel, 
Sad news from over the weekend. A 
The CBC’s program “
In September, we posted that the 
The 150 windowless inside staterooms on the new 4,000 passenger cruise ship, 