Captain Keith Drummond commands the old destroyer, Warlock. He and and several other old destroyers are assigned a no return raid on a German naval base in Norway led by Captain (D) Beaumont who was the only surviving officer of a downed cruiser. There are questions about his role in that disaster.

On the raid Beaumont against avoids the danger and appears to not support the other ships but receives all the positive press when they return to base. Meanwhile Drummond is having difficulties with his Number 1 who is upset at the waste of life for what he perceives as meaningless gain.

In the next raid into a French harbour, Drummond and Beaumont settle their conflict for good. This is another Reeman at his best with detailed information about how the ship works and the many men who serve her. ( )

The V and W Class destroyers were finished from 1918 to 20, and were the workhorses of the inter-war RN. In this Reeman novel, the old ships are ruthlessly used to clear the English Channel , preparing for the Overlord landings. An interesting mating of standard plot with the desire to write a novel about every major type of warship used in WWII. Entertaining. ( )

‘THE VOLUNTEERS’
They called them the Scrapyard Flotilla ...
In a quarter-century of continuous service the eight destroyers had seen every kind of action at sea. Now they were going to be used on hard - hitting raids that would open the way for an invasion of Occupied Europe.
Were the ships chosen for their battle-worthiness -or because they were expendable? As the operations got underway Keith Drummond, captain of the destroyer Warlock, realised that his men would be tested to the limit-and beyond ...