Fightin' Navy #108

A young sailor fresh out of sub school reports to the USS Yellowtail under Lt. Comdr. Buck Newton, a decorated but seemingly shell-shocked captain who begins mysteriously avoiding enemy contacts despite clear opportunities to engage. When the seaman witnesses the skipper deliberately ignore what he recognizes as a Japanese carrier, he must decide whether to follow orders or find a way to snap his commanding officer back into action—because the crew's survival may depend on it.

When a dictator named Basto captures naval courier codes that appear to order an American withdrawal from Cubano Bay, he believes he finally has the leverage to seize the strategic base—and the backing of Communist powers seems to guarantee success. But the message Basto intercepted may not be what it seems, and Admiral Ludden must find a way to outmaneuver a threat that grows more dangerous by the day. A tense Cold War standoff where American naval officers must navigate diplomatic restraint and military readiness in equal measure.