Member's memoir of an epic career
Deep Seas and Tall Ships, by Peter J. Hill
Peter
Hill's sea service began in 1963 at age 16, when he swapped a school uniform for his Merchant Navy cadet kit and began the first of many voyages.
He rose to chief mate, and trainees today might be amazed to read he stayed at sea until he was 70 – and is still a Nautilus member.
Hill's undulating narrative is interspersed with personal images and poetry penned over his six-decade seafaring career, in which the 'tall ships' of the title are a highlight.
Deep Seas and Tall Ships
By Peter J. Hill
Brewin Books, £12.95
ISBN: 978 18585 87578
Buy this book in the Nautilus Bookshop
While you're there, why not browse the rest of the titles in our unique maritime bookshop, which sells all the books reviewed on these pages.
Buy nowMore Books
Female MN war veterans brought to the fore
Supposed Killed or Drowned by Enemy Action at Sea, by Nina BakerThe people whose lives Baker explores in Supposed Killed or Drowned by Enemy Action at Sea are not relatives of hers, but they are part of the Merchant Navy family. They are the Scottish women who served and died in the crews of MN vessels in the First and Second World Wars.
How to 'make it' in the superyacht industry
Superyacht Success, by Brendan O'ShannassyBack in 2022, we reviewed Brendan O'Shannassy's memoir Superyacht Captain. Now Capt O'Shannassy has returned with a new book that focuses on how crew can navigate their careers.
Love for seafaring conquers all
No Quitting, by Andrea BarkerAndrea Barker's memoir of her 1990s Merchant Navy cadetship tells of her eagerness and determination to follow the career pursued by generations of her family. Unfortunately, there were choppy waters ahead...
Radio revelry
Barques, Sparks and Sharks, by Len WilsonSeafarers are known for their story-telling abilities, and Orkney-born Len Wilson does not disappoint in this memoir of his years as a radio officer