Radio Times: Review by:; Laura Pledger

You may find the first episode of this dramatisation of Nicholas Monsarrat’s 1951 novel, which follows the fortunes of a Royal Navy escort vessel during the Second World War, a little slow-going at first, but stick with it.

Just as the inexperienced crew must take time to learn the ropes and pull together as a team, so too the listener must get to know the characters and appreciate their fears and concerns. By the time their glorified trawler has set sail on its first convoy, you’ll feel as if you’re right there on board with them.

As the men weather attacks by aircraft and U-boats, they discover that the threat to their survival in the Battle of the Atlantic comes not only from enemy forces but also from the sea itself.

About this programme

Part one of two. By Nicholas Monsarrat, dramatised by John Fletcher. The lives of inexperienced seamen on board HMS Compass Rose, a warship escorting merchant convoys across the North Atlantic during the Second World War. As the vessel comes under attack from German U-boats, the men find themselves in situations that will change them for ever. Starring Gwilym Lee, Jonathan Coy and Carl Prekopp.