The Tall Ship

Lieutenant Josh Randolph finds himself volunteered as one of twelve U.S. Naval officers assigned liaison duty aboard visiting foreign sailing vessels known as tall ships, which are arriving in New York  to participate in the bicentennial celebrations as part of Operation Sail 1976. This gala, scheduled to take place over the three-day period of July 2-4, includes a pass-in-review led by the U.S. Navy cruiser, USS Wainwright, President Gerald  Ford's flagship for the occasion. During this review, the ships are to sail out of New York harbor and then parade back up the Hudson, returning to their anchorages for the remainder of the celebrations.

The lieutenants' mission is to  assist their assigned ship as it navigates into New York harbor, and then to remain on board during the ship's three-day visit. During their time on board these magnificent sailing ships, the lieutenants are to ensure that all arrangements,  ranging from the captain's social schedule to the proper disposal of trash and garbage, are carried out in "an organized manner consistent with the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service."

Lieutenant Randolph has  drawn the Cuban tall ship Veracruz as his assignment. He has already heard sinister rumors about the ship, and feels quite inadequate for this assignment. He has never been to New York, he does not speak Spanish, and he has never been aboard a  sailing vessel any larger than a sunfish.

From the moment he reports aboard the strange vessel, the lieutenant begins to experience feelings of foreboding. As events rapidly unfold, he is caught up in a whirlwind of dangerous activities.  Within hours of reporting to the ship, he learns that the handsome, personable captain is hiding his wife and sister on board, and Lieutenant Randolph is expected to help them defect. In the midst of this, he becomes involved in a romantic  liaison with the captain's beautiful and passionate sister.

The lieutenant soon discovers clues leading him to suspect that the ship's antagonistic first mate, with whom Lieutenant Randolph has been assigned to berth, is up to something so  terrible as to be almost beyond the lieutenant's ability to imagine: a terrorist conspiracy against the President's flagship during the pass-in-review scheduled for the morning of July 4.

Several additional difficulties, both personal and  professional, plague the lieutenant as he struggles to deal with a sequence of potentially catastrophic situations. Through a series of complex and daring escapades, Lieutenant Randolph ends up in a boat laden with explosives as it speeds  toward the President's flagship. The suspense peaks as the lieutenant realizes he has only seconds to figure out some way to save the President, capture the culprits and save himself.