This book contains 2 separate stories. The first story begins with a factual account of a huge fundraising effort during World War 2. Residents of Arnold in Nottingham donated enough money to buy a warship for the Royal Navy. It follows the fortunes of the vessel on North Atlantic Convoy duties and tells many tales of bravery by the crew, some of whom were in their teens.

The second story describes the loving restoration of a small, ex-naval cutter into a floating holiday home. It goes on to relive the glory days of the boat when it took part in the evacuation of the Dunkirk beaches...