Free A Ship Must Die (1981) by Douglas Reeman

through a prescribed arc, boatswain’s mates and messengers at voice-pipes, one with a headset and earphones, like a man from Mars.
    Blake turned back to the sea. They were all out of earshot.
    He asked, ‘What is this thing you’ve got against the commodore?’
    Fairfax sounded surprised. ‘He didn’t tell you, sir?’
    ‘I’m asking.’
    Fairfax shrugged. ‘It was after Singapore. Like a bloody rout, a stampede. Nobody knew where or if the Japs could be held. As it is, they’re too close to Aussie for comfort. Anyway, I was a two and a half at the time. Straight from a command course and into the thick of it. I had a fleet minesweeper and two MLs.’ He smiled sadly.’ ‘Not exactly an armada. My orders were to probe along the escape routes from Singapore. Thousands of blokes had tried to escape before the sell-out. Sorry, sir, I mean, the surrender. Yachts, old tug boats, even aferry steamer. It was close on six hundred miles from Singapore Island to Java. Some of the poor devils made it, but most of them were spotted by Jap aircraft and chased by destroyers.’
    Blake listened, conscious of the ship noises, the hissing plunge of the stem through each trough. But even more aware of Fairfax’s quiet voice as he relived the memory, the scar of Singapore.
    ‘I was supposed to hide during daylight amongst the islands, camouflage nets and fronds from the trees, real boy scout stuff. Any people who had escaped, or got that far only to have their boats shot from under them, I was ordered to collect and carry to safety.’ He lifted his chin slightly. ‘We did it, too, soldiers, nurses, kids even. God, it was too painful to see their faces when we dropped anchor and found them.’
    Blake waited, knowing it was coming, knowing they should not be talking like this.
    ‘Stagg drove a destroyer in those days, sir. He was all blood-and-guts even then, a man’s man, a winner. Well, his ship ran into a German raider, I don’t suppose either of them expected it. The destroyer caught fire and the German took her company prisoner. It was either that or leave them to the sharks.’ He turned away. ‘Then something happened. The Jerry landed his prisoners to be handed over to the Japs. But we happened along at that moment and the German made off. I was already loaded to the scuppers with refugees, and then a Jap plane flew over and bombed one of my MLs. I had to pick up what was left of her people. I couldn’t cram another soul aboard, let alone Stagg’s ship’s company. I tried to explain, but it was useless. I even offered to return when I had off-loaded my passengers, but he wouldn’t listen.’
    ‘And he was taken prisoner again?’
    ‘Yes. It was all a bit vague, we had other things to think about at the time. But the Japs killed most of Stagg’s people, and they made him suffer, tortured him and his officers. But especially him. Somehow he escaped. Went native, and was eventually picked up in a drifting prahu with two of his men. They were dead. But he’s never forgotten. He blamed me for leaving him to the Japs, and the German, Rietz, for beatinghim in the first place. It’s an obsession with him, but his record and reputation were enough to put him where he is now.’
    Blake said, ‘Thank you for telling me. In your place I would have done the same.’
Probably in Stagg’s place, too
. ‘In this sort of game we’ve got to know each other. Not just the enemy.’
    Palliser stepped out of the gloom. ‘W/T office have decoded a signal, sir.
Fremantle
is in contact with a German ship. Pilot is in the chartroom now working out the details.’
    Blake slid from the chair. ‘Right.’ To Fairfax he added, ‘This might be an end to it.’
    Later, as they grouped round the vibrating chart table watching Villar’s strong fingers working with parallel rulers and dividers, Blake said quietly, ‘Must be a different ship.
    Unless. . . .’ He watched Villar make another rapid calculation and then draw a pencilled