Chronicling the training of more than a million people--923, 000 men and 86,000 women--who served in the Royal Navy during the Second World War, this comprehensive book draws upon official documents as well as lively personal accounts from such people as Evelyn Waugh, Nicholas Monsarrat, Tristan Jones, and J. P. W. Mallalieu. Through in-depth research, the book tells one of the major untold stories of the World War II, highlighting the personal, logistical, and technical problems and solutions facing the Navy during this period.