In late December 1943 HMS Zimba escorting a convoy is sent too Bari, a port in Italy. Here, the ship’s captain, Lieutenant Commander Jeremy Pendleton is reunited with Nadine, a navy nurse he met in Portsmouth.

Almost immediately Bari is attacked and they are caught up in one of the most devastating and unexpected air raids of World War Two. Merchant ships carrying ammunition, aviation fuel, oil and deadly mustard gas explode, setting the harbour alight. 

Bodies, bloated and yellow litter the water. Thousands of service personnel and civilians are killed. This meticulously researched novel, based on fact, contains drama at sea, danger and death plus a poignant love story of two people caught up in the uncertainty of war.