DON'T GO NEAR THE WATER

At once a rousing entertaining farce and gentle love story, this novel is set on a remote Pacific island during the waning days of the World War II. It follows the adventures of a group of young officers in the public relations sector of the Navy—described as commissioned without the corrupting influence of any intervening naval training—as they face wartime adversities with comic ingenuity. For these mariners, the Navy's immortal motto, "Don't Give Up the Ship" had become "Don't Go Near the Water." In combining a colorful cast of characters with absurd situations, the author has created a high-spirited tale of naval service that has appealed to generations of readers since it was first published in 1956.

The late William Brinkley, the author of several books, served in the Navy during World War II and later worked as a reporter for The Washington Post and editor and writer for Life magazine.