The Oyster Navy

In 1868, Maryland's embryonic maritime law enforcement agency, the State Oyster Navy, set out on its mission to enforce the state's laws on the Chesapeake Bay. The force, quickly dubbed the Oyster Navy, met stubborn and often violent resistance.


Haynie McKenna, the agency's deputy commander, serves as captain of the Leila a screw-driven steamer. With a crew of untested officers, the Leila sails to the Honga River in search of a rogue waterman, Marrok Blanchard and his three sons.


For years, Blanchard's two oldest sons have squabbled over which will be the first to kill a tonger. Now, they quarrel about who should be awarded the honor of killing an officer of the Oyster Navy. Guy Blanchard, Marrok's youngest son, is sickened by the notion of killing and, though terrified of his father and brothers, is determined to thwart their scheme.