Hull Down for Action

Rating:
Summary: Hull-Down for Action, Armstrong Sperry
Review: This is a #1 book for boys (and girls and parents too!) along the lines of the Hardy Boys or Rick Brant, only the things in this book could really have happened, and the previously mentioned series books were so popular because they WERE unrealistic.
So anyway: you've got the Ship's Captain, Judd Anders, a remarkably responsible 19 year old, captaining his friends Conk (18) and Ken (21. Completing the crew is Judd's best friend, a Samoan named Terii who is way more with it than the other 2 guys.

2 crew members, a Japanese and a German working for enemy forces take over the Island Queen and set the 4 boys adrift on a raft, hoping to kill them slowly.
Somehow they make it to an island, but the strain proves too much for Conk: he gets caught in a crossfire with Japanese forces on the island and dies.

The 3 boys continue battling their way across the island, dealing with Pygmies and meeting up with an old friend from the previous book (Lost Lagoon) which BTW can't be had anywhere.
They cross the island, and find their beloved ship! still in the power of the German guy. They swiftly recapture that, blow up the sub with the Japanese guy in it, and take off to join the Marines, because after all, this is WWII.

So this was definitely a violent book. That said, it could have happened. There were no mush in the book and I can't recall any language. The boys weren't out of control, they dealt with the horrible situations calmly and carefully.
Would recommend for ages 15 +.