Hank Searls

Henry Hunt “Hank” Searls Jr. was born in San Francisco on August 10, 1922. A 1944 graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, he served as an active-duty naval officer until 1954, including work as a gunnery officer and in air-photo reconnaissance squadrons. He began writing while flying reconnaissance missions over Newfoundland.

Searls drew heavily on his experience with aircraft, the sea, and military life. His novels included The Crowded Sky, The Pilgrim Project, The Penetrators, Firewind, Blood Song, Kataki, and Sounding. Several were adapted for film, including The Crowded Sky and The Pilgrim Project, which became Robert Altman’s Countdown.

He also worked extensively in television and film, creating the series New Breed and writing for shows such as The Fugitive and Felony Squad. Later in his career, he wrote the novelizations of Jaws 2 and Jaws: The Revenge. Searls died in Gig Harbor, Washington, on February 17, 2017, at age 94.