author
William McFee
1881–1966
A former marine engineer who turned firsthand experience at sea into vivid fiction, William McFee wrote with unusual authority about ships, sailors, and life afloat. His adventurous novels and memoirs offer a richly observed glimpse into the maritime world of the early twentieth century.
6 Audiobooks
A Port Said miscellany
by William McFee
Command
by William McFee
Captain Macedoine's Daughter
by William McFee
An Ocean Tramp
by William McFee
Aliens
by William McFee
A six-hour shift
by William McFee
About the author
William Morley Punshon McFee (June 15, 1881–July 2, 1966) was an English-born writer of sea stories who later became an American citizen. Born aboard his father’s three-masted ship, he grew up in a maritime family and trained as an engineer before going to sea in 1906.
McFee rose to chief engineer in the merchant service and served as an engineer in the Royal Navy during World War I. His years aboard ships supplied the material for books such as Casuals of the Sea, Aliens, Harbours of Memory, and In the First Watch, his 1946 autobiography.
After returning to the United States, McFee continued working at sea until 1924, when he devoted himself fully to writing. He also reviewed books for The New York Sun and The New York Times, and Yale University awarded him an honorary Master of Arts degree in 1936.