Tom Clancy;
I saw a mention of the Tom Clancy and here is a good story from a yank. Clancy tried almost every publisher in New York for Hunt for Red October, no takers. Finally on the advice of friend (Larry Bond), he submitted the story to Naval Institute Press, the United States Naval Academy's publishing house. Which had not bought a work of fiction for over two decades.
They bought it, published it, in an elaborate leather bound edition that was premium priced and it did almost no sales (retail was something like $35 U.S.). Ronald Reagan's chief of staff his first term was Donald Regan (sp?), he was Naval Academy alumni and found it in the offerings from naval institute press and bought a copy. Ronnie had a voracious appetite for anything to read and apparently ran out of stuff and asked his chief of staff what he recommended, Regan gave him the book. Ronnie started to read, got about two chapters in and started yelling about who gave up their security clearance to this guy Clancy?!
He yells for someone to get the head of the CIA (William Casey) on the phone and get him down there (the White House). Now the only reason I know that any part of that is true is because a classmate of mine's father was a White House policeman, and saw Casey getting out of his chauffeured Caprice in the very early A.M. on that day. (maybe that is coincidence)
Anyway a Congressman got wind of this and called for hearing over where Mr. Clancy had gotten his information for the book, and called for hearings. I, fortunately, had the day off from school and could attend (we lived 21 miles from Capital Hill). Here comes Tom Clancy, not exactly and intimidating guy, with thick glasses. Following him is his late teenage son, carrying a huge pile of papers (almost to his head). The Congressman calls the hearing to order and glares at Clancy to intimidate him and asks that he state his name, place of residence and occupation.
Clancy gives a slight smile; and replies "My name is Thomas Clancy Jr. and I am and insurance salesman from Hartford Connecticut, hoping to become a best selling author....." This completely stunned the committee, and caused a ripple of laughter through the gallery watching this. It turned out that Clancy had just signed with Doubleday (I think I cannot remember who it was) for the paperback rights to Red October. Literally in the hallway that morning! Over the course of the next two days (I could only attend one), he went through all his sources (NY Times, Newsweek, Time, Daily Mail, etc.) and none it was classified, he just took small facts and wove them into a hell of a story. And invented a new genre, Technothriller.
It definitely falls in the strange but true category, as for the ship part how bout Red October?
Foo
P.S. The Naval Institute Press has only bought two works of fiction in the last five decades (Red October, and Red Phoenix), both have been in the #1 bestseller spot on the N.Y. Times list, not a bad record for them?