Very Able Seaman


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The Ordinary Seaman


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America seen through the eyes of the huddled masses. The hero is Estaban, one of a group of Central Americans brought to New York to crew a tramp ship, only to be abandoned by the ship's owners. When their food runs out Estaban, a former Nicaraguan guerrilla, goes ashore to steal for them. His forays lead him to a Latino neighborhood where he finds work and love. By the author of The Long Night of the White Chickens.




Very Ordinary Seaman


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Able Seamen


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"The second volume of ... social history of the Royal Navy's 'lower deck', exploring the world of the seamen (as opposed to the officers of the quarterdeck) ... the author addresses a range of issues central to the evolution of the seaman through 89 years of change, including 'Jacky' Fisher's sweeping reforms and the concept of the 'new seaman'; the rise of stokers, artificers and engineers and the traditional seaman's 'crisis of identity' as the navy moved from sail to steam, and from broadside batteries to sophisticated turrets and fire-control systems; the modernization and standardization of signals and telegraphy; the rise of 'small ships' as a destroyer fleet was created to fulfil new strategic requirements; the creation of the submarine service; the repercussions of the First World War and the grand fleet engagement at Jutland; expressions of discontent such as the infamous Invergordon mutiny; and the lead-up to the Second World War. Readable, engaging and authoritative, it chronicles an important stage in the history of the Royal Navy and illuminates the inherent adaptability of the lower deck, as new technologies demanded increased professionalism, specialization and training. The book also examines the changing social structure of the Navy, and the great demands made on the Service throughout the British Empire."--Publisher description.







The Ordinary Seaman


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In this acclaimed novel, the Pulitzer Prize–finalist explores the perils, passions, and adventures of a young Nicaraguan immigrant trapped in Brooklyn. Named a Best Book of the Year by Newsday, the Los Angeles Times Book Review, the Chicago Tribune, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, and Publishers Weekly In the late 1980s, teenage Sandinista soldier and avowed communist Esteban Gaitán leaves Nicaragua to begin a new life in America. He soon arrives on a desolate Brooklyn pier with fourteen other men to form the crew of the ship Urus. Elias and Mark, the owners of the Urus, hold the men captive, forcing them to work in a vain attempt to make the rotting vessel seaworthy. Without the means to return home, Esteban remains a virtual prisoner, haunted by the loss of the woman he loved during the war. Eventually learning how to sneak off the ship, he makes nocturnal forays into Brooklyn, where he meets a Mexican immigrant named Joaquina, and begins to plot his permanent escape. Centering his novel around Esteban, but also telling the stories of his fellow landlocked sailors, Francisco Goldman proves once again that he is “a major talent of great style and soul” (The Miami Herald). “Often very funny . . . Here, a corner of Brooklyn becomes the exotic and foreign experience, and through Esteban’s eyes it is as mysterious and alluring as Tangiers.” —The Dallas Morning News




Able Seaman Just Nuisance


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The Royal Navy is going to the dogs..... based on a true story, Just Nuisance is a hilarious, happily-ever-after misadventure of the only dog ever enlisted in the British Royal Navy. A gigantic Great Dane, appropriately named Just Nuisance, bumbled his way into the hearts of countless sailors and civilians as he championed his beloved mates, saved lives, and kept his little corner of the Empire safe from the Axis of Evil. It was 1939 and the world was on the brink of war. The Royal Navy decided victory lay in the hidden recesses of the British Empire. Recesses like Simon's Town South Africa, where an unexpected secret would put an end to Hitler and his dreams of world domination. A dog...but not just any dog...a gigantic Great Dane who amassed a fortune in fame on two continents and went on to become a legend. This is his story. And, the story of the sailors who befriended him, ultimately saved him, and the madcap mayhem they created together. Just Nuisance befriended every sailor in Simon's Town and everyone loved him, except the stuffed shirts at the South Africa Railways. Free to run amok up and down the Cape, Just Nuisance created good-natured chaos, ruffled feathers and made history as the only canine ever enlisted in the Royal Navy...all the while running from the arrogant South African Railways, who put a bounty on his free spirited head. With a supporting cast of equally lovable, zany, and distinctive characters...from Just Nuisance's sidekick, Ajax, the loyal Bulldog to the crazy but dedicated sailors you have an irresistible combination of fun and adventure. Just Nuisance was a fun loving pup...but he was much more than that to the hundreds of lives he touched during his service to King and Country. To this day Just Nuisance is a legend in many parts of the world.




American State Papers


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Pacific Ports


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Report


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