Having long been drawn to the water, Gordon Hooton decided to run away from home and volunteer for the Royal Navy at just sixteen years old. Both his time in the Home Guard and the skills inherited from a childhood of swimming and high diving put him in good stead for naval training at HMS Ganges, and Gordon soon found himself waiting for a draft at Chatham Dockyard.

Following some work aboard the submarine recently returned from the stratagems of Operation Mincemeat, Gordon assumed a position aboard the HMS Savage and embarked north to join a huge convoy headed for Russia. Gordon shares his experience aboard the HMS Savage; everything from his initial sea sickness to narrowly avoiding being torpedoed by a fleet of German U-Boats in Polyarny. Following the German surrender, Gordon disembarked the HMS Savage and boarded a great American liner bound for Sri Lanka from Southampton. Assigned as chief quartermaster of this ship, Gordon recounts his experience of escorting a Japanese ship up the Malacca Strait to be sunk. He also explains the processes involved in the dangerous task of mine sweeping at sea.

After the war Gordon was decommissioned on medical grounds, which unfortunately brought a premature end to his career in the Navy. Gordon’s story highlights the dangers inherent to a career in the Navy, and his ability to adapt to the ruthless naval warfare of the Second World War at such a young age is a testament to his fortitude.