South Coast Shenanigans

When the somewhat disreputable Martin Beckwith builds a midget submarine that uses a novel form of propulsion, he has little idea that an unlikely gang of buccaneers plans to commandeer his vessel for their own nefarious purposes.


The daring heist is masterminded by a crafty naval officer called the ‘Admiral’ from his garden in a leafy Hampshire village and draws together a disparate band of crewmates which includes a feisty female naval officer, a young executive, an attractive pub landlady.


In this light-hearted tale, the Admiral and his unlikely buccaneers are pitched against the inventor, who will stop at nothing to get his submarine back in some South Coast Shenanigans.


Jeff Crook left school and became an engineering cadet in the merchant navy at a time when engine orders were transmitted from the bridge by a polished brass telegraph. After five round-the-world voyages, he was promoted to junior engineer on a passenger liner before going on to study as a naval architect and later becoming an engineer. He joined British Gas in 1981 as an assistant instrument engineer. After preparing designs for an extension to the Hornsea gas storage facility, he was transferred to the technical advisory team for the Rough Storage project where he remained until 1987. He has written over 200 articles and reports for trade magazines about offshore oil and gas technology, most recently for Petroleum Review. He is a Member of the Institute of Marine Engineering, Science and Technology and of the Society of Authors. He lives in Surrey.