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The destroyer
of the title is the HMS Sword, a new-pin ship with a new
commander. Captain Jordan Knight (nothing to do with New Kids on
the Block) is young and keen, and wants to run a tight and tidy
ship, although the text of the story incorrectly says "tiddley".
His crew are full of apprehension, considering him to lack
experience, but Knight soon proves himself, downing a lone JU-88
as soon as he steps aboard, then berating his crew for their
lack of attention in allowing it to approach. Knight shows
he has what it takes to command when at sea, sinking a German cruiser only a few
moments into his first convoy escort. Despite receiving heavy damage to the
Sword, Knight manages to return to port with the German
survivors as his prisoners. Ordering his men to clean up the
Sword as soon as they return to Westport, Knight earns the
nickname 'Shiny' and the respect of his men.
Like many naval
tails, Destroyer struggled to find an audience who appreciated
the story. Ron Carpenter's scripts were some of his average
fair, a little similar to his writing on The Coffin Sub in
Action, which was running at around the time Destroyer was
finishing. Despite many attempts, Battle never really managed to
sell the war at sea to its readers. The naval section of
Charley's War is cited as a lull in the series. One possible
exception is HMS Nightshade, which was popular enough to be
reprinted. Jim Watson's art is grim and gritty, and something of
a departure from his normal style. The work looks darker than
usual because of a decision to add deep shaded areas using
half-tone. This adds an almost photo-realistic element to many
of the pages. |
