
In the waning days of the post‑war boom, a charismatic ex‑naval lieutenant and his cautious partner stumble upon a forgotten shipyard hidden along a narrow creek near Falmouth. With the market for scrap metal plummeting, the duo sees an opportunity to turn the rusting hulks of decommissioned vessels into a modest fortune. Their contrasting personalities—one bold and imaginative, the other methodical and skeptical—fuel lively debates as they sketch out plans for a new enterprise, the Polkyll Creek Shipbreaking Company.
As they clear the overgrown slipways and assess the decaying docks, the pair uncovers more than just rusted steel. Among the wreckage lies a mysterious, half‑sunken submarine that hints at a daring, unconventional use beyond ordinary scrapping. Their curiosity ignites a scheme that could transform their modest venture into something far more adventurous, setting the stage for a high‑seas caper beneath the waves.
Language
en
Duration
~6 hours (401K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Credits
Produced by R.G.P.M. van Giesen
Release date
2020-04-23
Rights
Public domain in the USA.

1876–1959
Packed his adventure stories with ships, submarines, aviation, and the kind of cliffhanger action that kept generations of young readers turning pages. He was astonishingly prolific, producing well over a hundred books and becoming one of the best-known British writers of boys' fiction in the first half of the twentieth century.
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