1942: A convoy of merchantmen with its naval escort ploughs through the Arctic seas towards northern Russia.
In the grey seas beneath them lurk the deadly U-boat packs and in the skies above, cloud hides the squadrons of dive-bombing Stukas.
Aboard V&W class destroyer Virtue, Ordinary Seaman 'Lobby' Ludd is making his first trip in the service of His Majesty ...
Cockney Lobby Ludd, eighteen, fighting against U-boat ""tinfish"" (torpedoes), arctic gales, and bone-weariness, hears the ribald tales and learns the tricks and techniques of survival from his salty older shipmates.
But as the enemy mounts its attack, and the atmosphere intensifies, will the men's camaraderie be enough to see them through?
Or will The Tinfish Run turn out to be their final voyage?
Bassett not only captures vividly the fear and boredom of life on a vessel at war--he makes complex tactical questions comprehensible and as taut and engrossing as the more personal aspects of combat at sea.