Tanker Derbent, The

"S.O.S....S.O.S....S.O.S....Uzbekistan calling...Cargo heavy oil. Number ten tanks burst. Losing stability. Boats hard to launch because of fire on quarter-deck." This wireless message from the burning tanker Uzbekistan opens the tale of Derbent's heroic crew and their race to save the men of the Uzbekistan....The human interest of the theme and the warmth with which it is treated have earned recognition for the book in the Soviet Union and abroad."

The book was made into a major motion picture in the Soviet Union. The author died during World War II.