For those who fought at sea in the Second World War, the battle never ceased. The threat from the skies, from the ocean and from other warships was present twenty-four hours a day. In the words of the author, 'The Second World War demanded more of its sailors than any other war in history, in endurance and the unremitting need to face danger - danger from increasingly lethal weapons and an ever-increasing need for vigilance by night and day.' In this comprehensive history of the Second World War at sea, Richard Hough uses all his powers as a storyteller to bring the reader the danger, the elation and the miseries of battle. His own masterly account of the war is interspersed with personal accounts from those who took part - exclusive stories collected by the author over almost thirty years of interviewing combatants from all sides. The result is the very human story of the six years that constituted the longest battle of the war.