The Good Shepherd by C S Forester is a novel of the second world war at sea, published in 1955. It’s the story of a convoy making its way across the Atlantic from America to Britain in 1942. It is concentrated into a short period of time, about forty eight hours. There is really only one fully developed character, Commander Krause of the US navy, and we see everything through his eyes. He commands the escort force, but four ships are not really enough to protect a convoy of thirty seven merchantmen as they sail towards the u-boat wolf pack that Krause knows lies ahead to meet them.
His job has a diplomatic element to it, because the four ships are from four different allied nations, America, Canada, Great Britain and Poland. This is his first command, as he was passed over for promotion before the war. Now by a quirk of seniority, he finds himself in charge of men who have been at war for several years.
The novel brilliantly captures the physically draining effect of constant vigilance. Fate has put Krause in this position. He must rise to the occasion and bring all his ability and experience to bear. As we read on we come to realise the loneliness and responsibility of command.
Krause’s mind is constantly occupied with calculations: navigation, time, distance, fuel consumption. If a ship detaches itself from the convoy to hunt a submarine how long will it take to get back into position? When the sonar indicates a submarine ahead, which course should the escorts steer to try and intercept it? How can they know what course the sub will steer to try and evade them? We find out that Krause was a fencing champion before the war. Now his opponents are the German submarines.
Krause must constantly think of the effect of his actions, on the men of his ship as well as those on the other escorts. He must analyse whether men under his command will do the right thing under fire; it is the first time in action for all of them. He is under relentless pressure.
What makes this book a little different to other stories on a similar theme is that Krause is a devout Christian, the son of a Lutheran minister. His thoughts are full of biblical quotations. What God is to Krause, he must be to the ships of the convoy, as he attempts to get them across the Atlantic to safety.
There is an intriguing feeling at the end that even things in Kraus’s life that seemed negative were somehow part of a higher plan that put the right man in the right place at the right time.
There is a short introduction and a short coda, but the main body of the novel is not divided into chapters; the only breaks are the changes of each watch. The book brings the reality of a trans-Atlantic convoy starkly to life. The reader is there on the bridge of the USS Keeling living every minute of danger and drama along with Krause, the good shepherd.
The Good Reader 