Don Winslow of the Navy #59

Don Winslow and Red Pennington are forcibly recruited aboard the Cactus, a ship under the tyrannical rule of Captain Blight, who uses brute force to maintain control. As they struggle to survive the harsh conditions and Captain Blight’s cruelty, they begin to uncover the ship’s dark secret—why so many crew members disappear.

When Editor Fishook sends Gloria to cover a beauty contest at the Podunk Paladium, she arrives without her press card and hatches a plan to sneak in by posing as a contestant. As she scrambles to obtain an eligibility card, chaos erupts when the contestants begin swapping cards, leading to a wild mix-up that threatens to cancel the event.

Don Winslow and Red Pennington investigate a séance where young Denny claims to communicate with the spirit of the drowned sailor Bucko, who supposedly knows the location of a sunken ship full of gold. As they uncover inconsistencies in the séance’s claims, they realize Bucko may still be alive and working with the Mystic to scam Denny out of his late father’s savings.

Don Winslow and his fiancée, Mercedes Colby, find themselves caught in a tense situation when she secretly boards a freighter, prompting Don to pursue her after learning she’s not at dinner. As the ship sails on, crew members grow increasingly superstitious about her presence, fearing her presence will bring bad luck—especially when a storm suddenly rolls in, though the weather report had promised clear skies.