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A ship is dying
In 17 minutes the dying Lycomedes will disappear beneath the North Sea forever. In 17 minutes a crew of men will be swiftly crushed of agonizingly cooked, helplessly drowned or miraculously delivered. In 17 minutes they will pack a lifetime of turbulence and tragedy, cowardice and courage-in an extraordinary tale of the sea's savagery and of man's endurance.
222 pages, Hardcover
First published March 18, 1976
About the author
Brian Callison
33 books20 followersBrian Callison was a British novelist known for his best-selling thrillers and sea stories. Born in Manchester, England in 1934, he was educated at the High School of Dundee, and went to sea at the age of 16 as an apprentice with the Blue Funnel Line, sailing aboard cargo ships between ports in Europe and East Asia. Callison subsequently studied at Dundee College of Art in Scotland, and went into business. His first published novel, A Flock of Ships, appeared in 1970. In 2008 he completed a three-year appointment as a Fellow of The Royal Literary Fund at the University of Dundee, mentoring staff and students in all aspects of practical writing.
Callison died in Dundee on 5 February 2024, at the age of 89.
Callison died in Dundee on 5 February 2024, at the age of 89.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
January 8, 2018
Thoroughly enjoyed - again!!
Read this as a youth many years ago, enjoyed it then and was delighted to find it in digital format. As an old sea dog myself I find the authors work to be accurate - ignoring the bits of artistic license of course.
Read this as a youth many years ago, enjoyed it then and was delighted to find it in digital format. As an old sea dog myself I find the authors work to be accurate - ignoring the bits of artistic license of course.
November 26, 2012
great nautical tale, good characters
December 27, 2016
A thriller fro cover to cover. Well researched and very specific about boat details and procedures. Don't read it if you gt sea-sick!
November 10, 2020
The title of this book is everything. A minute by minute detailed description of what each of 20 or so crewmembers (of 53) and the structure of ship are doing while the ship is sinking disastrously. The book begins three minutes before the ship catastrophically hits a 300 foot, loose, virtually submerged, barge during a force 10 gale in the middle of the North Sea. It ends 17 minutes later as the ship sinks 14 minutes after the collision. (Everything in the book is counted from the collision. Time starts at -3, collision is at 0, and she sinks at +14)
The book describes, minute by minute, what happens to the ship and crew as the ship meets the surprise collision, rips herself apart, floods and continues to be pushed and pulled by the 20 foot and plus seas. Crew members detailed actions and injuries are described from all major areas: watch keepers, deck hands, engineering, service staff and officers. Deaths begin almost immediately. SOS is sent out but the nearest ship is an hour away.
The MV Lycomedes is not a military vessel. She does not have the number of watertight compartments, redundant systems or damage control personnel that a destroyer would have. Nonetheless, her officers and NCOs gradually figure out what damage has occurred, whether she can be saved, and how much time they have to get off the ship. They begin to react properly to save themselves and the crew but the time is very short and the sea is very rough. The damage and rough seas have caused the ship to list and tilt in such a way that lifeboats are difficult. Crew has to be kept under tight control to prevent panic.
By minute 12 the Captain orders the life rafts to be deployed. Deaths are occurring almost every minute by this time. Crew members drop to the rafts until the ship sinks.
There is certainly drama in that the reader does not know who will live and who will not. However, I found little satisfaction in the story. It is not really story format. Maybe this format worked for Walter Lord (A Night to Remember) but in my opinion, it does not work here. As the author moved from group to group with the passing minutes, I found myself having to go back to the front to refresh my memory about what group the names went with and what exactly they were doing. Good cover art though.
Two stars
The book describes, minute by minute, what happens to the ship and crew as the ship meets the surprise collision, rips herself apart, floods and continues to be pushed and pulled by the 20 foot and plus seas. Crew members detailed actions and injuries are described from all major areas: watch keepers, deck hands, engineering, service staff and officers. Deaths begin almost immediately. SOS is sent out but the nearest ship is an hour away.
The MV Lycomedes is not a military vessel. She does not have the number of watertight compartments, redundant systems or damage control personnel that a destroyer would have. Nonetheless, her officers and NCOs gradually figure out what damage has occurred, whether she can be saved, and how much time they have to get off the ship. They begin to react properly to save themselves and the crew but the time is very short and the sea is very rough. The damage and rough seas have caused the ship to list and tilt in such a way that lifeboats are difficult. Crew has to be kept under tight control to prevent panic.
By minute 12 the Captain orders the life rafts to be deployed. Deaths are occurring almost every minute by this time. Crew members drop to the rafts until the ship sinks.
There is certainly drama in that the reader does not know who will live and who will not. However, I found little satisfaction in the story. It is not really story format. Maybe this format worked for Walter Lord (A Night to Remember) but in my opinion, it does not work here. As the author moved from group to group with the passing minutes, I found myself having to go back to the front to refresh my memory about what group the names went with and what exactly they were doing. Good cover art though.
Two stars
January 21, 2023
https://fromtheheartofeurope.eu/a-ship-is-dying-by-brian-callison/
I had read this when I was 19 and living in Germany, and was moved to search it out again a few years ago – but then did not get around to reading it; it was the non-genre fiction book that had lingered longest unread on my shelves. It’s a vivid and succinct account of the sinking of a cargo ship in a storm on the North Sea, as the result of a collision with an uncrewed barge. The writer takes us inside the heads of many of the crew as catastrophe hits them hard and swiftly. I remembered several of the most striking images very clearly from thirty-five years ago. No women, of course, and a rather dodgy portrayal of the one Chinese crewman (though that is somewhat subverted at the end). But the big picture is very memorably done.
I had read this when I was 19 and living in Germany, and was moved to search it out again a few years ago – but then did not get around to reading it; it was the non-genre fiction book that had lingered longest unread on my shelves. It’s a vivid and succinct account of the sinking of a cargo ship in a storm on the North Sea, as the result of a collision with an uncrewed barge. The writer takes us inside the heads of many of the crew as catastrophe hits them hard and swiftly. I remembered several of the most striking images very clearly from thirty-five years ago. No women, of course, and a rather dodgy portrayal of the one Chinese crewman (though that is somewhat subverted at the end). But the big picture is very memorably done.
July 12, 2022
Great story of 15 minutes
A great story about a self-proclaimed ordinary ship with an ordinary crew that is confronted with extraordinary circumstances. The book covers the lives of various members of the crew of a ship as it slowly meets its demise. The book talks about all the members of the crew and how some try their best but are just too inexperienced, and others want to try but their own fears stop them. One thing I really would’ve liked would have been a post script that accounts for all the members of the crew. There were some members it was implied were rescued but the book left that as something to be assumed.
A great story about a self-proclaimed ordinary ship with an ordinary crew that is confronted with extraordinary circumstances. The book covers the lives of various members of the crew of a ship as it slowly meets its demise. The book talks about all the members of the crew and how some try their best but are just too inexperienced, and others want to try but their own fears stop them. One thing I really would’ve liked would have been a post script that accounts for all the members of the crew. There were some members it was implied were rescued but the book left that as something to be assumed.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews