The Ship is a morale-booster propaganda novel[1] written by British author C. S. Forester set in the Mediterranean during World War II, and first published in May 1943.

It follows the life of a Royal Navy light cruiser for a single action, including a detailed analysis of many of the men on board and the contribution they made.

The crew, from the command level officers on the bridge down to the ordinary seamen in the lower decks, prepares for the coming confrontation, while part of them is also occupied with their own, very colorful lives.

A single shell, whose history from the mining of the ores to the firing of the gun is described in detail, hits the Italian flagship and strikes the final blow to the morale of the enemy commanders.

The author dedicated the book "with the deepest respect to the officers and crew of HMS Penelope", and the action described is based on the Second Battle of Sirte.