A fictional account of life in the Navy aboard a cargo ship. The main character is Lieutenant Bob Cantley, a maverick Navy Supply Corps officer. The story takes place in the 1980’s when racial tensions were high and the Navy’s social norms were changing. It takes readers from Bob’s Cantley’s entry into the Navy through his first ship and then onward to his final ship. the USS SAN CLEMENTE where he meets up with a ruthless Navy Skipper, Captain Martin Manzack who is known as the “SPINE RIPPER.” The Skipper is an abusive drunk and hates everyone, including supply officers and all minorities. A murder takes place on board the SAN CLEMENTE. This novel sheds light on the way sailors behave during deployments, how they think, and the lives they lead while deployed. It also reflects on the many moral and ethical dilemmas that face sailors in the U.S. Navy. When Lt. Cantley meets Captain Manzack for the first time he realizes his career is doomed. There is intrigue, sex, mayhem, mischief, and too many crimes that will make your head spin. A courts-martial ensures at the end of the book and you will never be able to guess the outcome. Initial responses about the books content by a retired supply corps rear admiral said the book has a great ending, while the Chairman Chairman of Board for the Centre for Study of Intelligence Operations says this book…”Is just awesome!” An active duty female Captain said, “The book is spot on with the language and way people acted in the 80s, and the book also had a great ending!”