First Command

Captain 'Dutchy' Holland

by J.E. Macdonnell

The year is 1941. Badly damaged fighting an Italian submarine, an Australian destroyer struggles to make her way back to Alexandria and safety. This story is pretty precisely date-able as the ship returns to Alexandria the day after the Italians crippled HMS Queen Elizabeth and HMS Valiant with a human torpedo attack on the 19th of December 1941.

128 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1971

About the author

During his fourteen years in the R.A.N., Queensland born James (Jim) Edmond MacDonnell (aka James McNell, James Dark, James Edmond Macdonnell, James Macdonnell, J.E.M., Jim Macdonnell, J. Macdonnell, Macnell, Kerry Mitchell, Michael Owen.) came up through all lowerdeck ranks to commissioned gunnery-officer. This experience is evident in his sea novels which have been published in many countries overseas, as well as in Australia and New Zealand.