The Submarine Boys' Lightning Cruise

Seventeen‑year‑old Jack Benson and his friend Hal Hastings live and breathe submarines at the bustling Farnum shipyard in Dunhaven. Clad in crisp navy‑style uniforms and padded ulsters, they spend most of their time inside the red‑painted shed that houses dozens of Whitehead torpedoes loaded with volatile guncotton. Their enthusiasm turns the ordinary danger of a shipyard into a thrilling adventure, as they imagine the power of a torpedo streaking beneath the waves. Yet even these seasoned youngsters know that handling two‑hundred‑pound explosives is no small feat.

Now the trio—Jack, Hal, and their fellow crew member Eph Somers—are about to conduct their first real drill, a “lightning cruise” that will test their skill and courage. An experienced Navy officer and the brilliant inventor David Pollard have arrived to supervise, turning the workshop into a makeshift training ground for future underwater warriors. As they check the racks of torpedoes and ready the engines, the boys feel the surge of both pride and apprehension, aware that the sea’s hidden perils are about to meet their youthful resolve.