Ghost Boat by George E. Simpson and Neal R. Burger, is exactly the type of adventure I like. It was published in 1976, when I was beginning to collect books of my own. I often discover paperbacks I remember seeing from that time, and am excited to experience them... books like Sargasso, and The Deep. Ghost Boat certainly lived up to my expectations, a satisfying thriller with a science fiction twist.
December 11, 1944. The American submarine U.S.S. Candlefish on patrol in the Pacific disappears in a freak electrical storm, including all crew except for one man who was trapped on deck.
October 6, 1974. Six-hundred miles northwest of Pearl Harbour, the Candlefish surfaces in perfect working order, empty, in pristine condition. Naval Intelligence Officer Ed Frank seizes the opportunity to prove his unpopular theory that another 'Devil's Triangle' type geomagnetic anomaly exists where the sub and many other ships have gone down. The plan: retrace the course of the Candlefish with the same crew component, the top men in their fields, exactly as described in the Captain's log. Will they discover what actually happened? The wild card aboard is the original crew member, Jack Hardy, now a famous Oceanographer. As the sub follows course, odd things begin happening, small enough to be barely noticed. The Captain's log book alters itself, crew members behave more like the original crew than themselves, and a dense fog cuts communication - plunging them back in time to be attacked by the Japanese in 1945! Could this be really happening, are they under a spell? The resolution when we find out why they were lured out in the Candlefish is exciting and very satisfying!
Full of great characters, this is a solid balance of technical Navy jargon and the hierarchy of a submarine crew, while not getting bogged down by it. The plot is taken seriously while remaining at its core a time travel fantasy with supernatural overtones. It's a guy's book (there are no female characters), with an enjoyable level of 1970's technical sophistication - this is still nuts and bolts, no computers or satellites. It hits all the right notes.
Sometimes you want a submarine adventure, cruising into a freaky paranormal storm where things are not what they seem... into a time warp itself!
I recommend this novel. For me, it's a keeper.
This was made into a TV movie in 2006. Simpson and Burger also co-wrote The Disappearance of Flight 412 (disappearing plane, also made into a film) and Thin Air (disappearing aircraft carrier), which I'd love to find...
1976 / Paperback / 412 pages
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