Down the Hatch

I think I first read this as a boy in the 1960s, and I'm still fond of it; although I'm fond of it partly because it's an old friend that's been around for most of my life.

It's a comic novel about the Royal Navy in general, and about submarines in particular. It's fluently written, and there are plenty of funny moments, although there are also moments when the story and the humour are getting old: 1961 was a long time ago, before anyone had heard of the Beatles.

It's not just a send-up: we also learn something about the Navy and more about submarines, and the information is served up quite palatably so that it doesn't drag.

The story relates how Winton's regular hero, nicknamed the Artful Bodger, is unexpectedly given command of a powerful brand-new submarine, and has a series of peacetime experiences with it: showing the flag in the town of Oozemouth, taking part in Exercise Lucky Alphonse, assisting in scientific research, and visiting South America, where the Bodger and his merry men are invited to take part in a motor race. Finally, they attend a reunion of serving and retired submariners in Portsmouth.

I like the motor race best and the fleet exercise second. I reckon the Oozemouth episode is the most dated part of the book, although it has some amusing moments. The reunion at the end is the dullest part, and could well have been cut, but apparently the author felt an inner compulsion to write about it.

To enjoy this book in the 21st century, I think you have to be aware that it was published in 1961, and make allowances. It's become a period piece by now.