The author, Captain H.G. Kendall, R.D., R.N.R. was born in 1874 and first went to sea at the age of 15 on the Inman liner, the City of Berlin. This book is a personal account of his career at sea. He served in the First World War on HMS Calgarian and became Commodore of Convoys. The book includes an account of the arrest of the murderer Dr Crippen in 1910. Kendall recognised him on board the Canadian Pacific ship the Montrose, which was en route for Canada, and used the ship's wireless telegraphy to alert the authorities. Crippen was arrested on board and taken into custody by British police. Following the Armistice, Kendall returned to the Canadian Pacific Line becoming Marine Superintendent for the company at Southampton until 1924. The book contains many black and white photographs of the ships on which the author served, including the SS Lusitania (not to be confused with the more famous RMS Lusitania), in which the author was wrecked on the coast of Newfoundland.