T. Jenkins (Thornton Jenkins) Hains

Thornton Jenkins Hains was an American writer born in Washington, D.C., in 1866 and remembered mainly as a novelist of the sea. He came from a notable military family and was named for his grandfather, Admiral Thornton A. Jenkins. Before and alongside his writing career, he worked as a seaman and navigator, experience that gave his fiction an easy authority and a strong sense of life aboard oceangoing vessels.

He began publishing in the late nineteenth century and became known for sea stories and nautical adventures such as The Wind-Jammers, The Wreck of the Conemaugh, and Mr. Trunnell. Some sources also note that he later wrote under the pen name Mayn Clew Garnett. His books are often valued for their atmosphere, practical knowledge of ships and sailors, and brisk storytelling.

Hains died in 1953. Although he is sometimes remembered today for the sensational criminal case that touched his personal life, his writing still stands as part of the American tradition of maritime fiction, especially for readers who enjoy classic tales of peril, discipline, and life at sea.