HMS Ulysses cover art

HMS Ulysses

 Preview
Get this deal Try Premium Plus free
Offer ends 29 January 2026 at 11:59PM GMT.
Prime members: New to Audible? Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Just £0.99/mo for your first 3 months of Audible.
1 bestseller or new release per month—yours to keep.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, podcasts, and Originals.
Auto-renews at £8.99/mo after 3 months. Cancel monthly.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection - including bestsellers and new releases.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, celeb exclusives, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
£8.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically.

HMS Ulysses

By: Alistair MacLean
Narrated by: Jonathan Oliver
Get this deal Try Premium Plus free

£8.99/mo after 3 months. Cancel monthly. Offer ends 29 January 2026 at 11:59PM GMT.

£8.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Buy Now for £12.99

Buy Now for £12.99

LIMITED TIME OFFER | £0.99/mo for the first 3 months

Premium Plus auto-renews at £8.99/mo after 3 months. Terms apply.

About this listen

The novel that launched the astonishing career of one of the 20th century’s greatest writers of action and suspense – an acclaimed classic of heroism and the sea in World War II.

Constant patrols have pushed the crew of the HMS Ulysses beyond the limits of endurance. And now they must be put to sea again, to escort a vital supply convoy heading for Murmansk.

As they head deep into the frozen waters they are faced not only with the fierce arctic weather, but a swarm of airborne attacks, German ships, then the feared U-boats, all hellbent on destroying the convoy.

With each day threatening another sudden attack, and increasing hardships aboard the frozen ship, Ulysses suffers greater damage trying to protect the other vessels. And soon the journey becomes a tense and deadly game of cat and mouse between the crippled cruiser and her silent pursuers.

 Action & Adventure Classics Epic Epic Fantasy Fantasy Fiction Genre Fiction Sea Adventures War & Military Adventure Suspense Heartfelt Tear-jerking War Military

Listeners also enjoyed...

 Guns of Navarone cover art
Fear Is the Key cover art
Where Eagles Dare cover art
Ice Station Zebra cover art
The Golden Rendezvous cover art
Night Without End cover art
When Eight Bells Toll cover art
Force Ten from Navarone cover art
The Dark Crusader cover art
Puppet on a Chain cover art
The Golden Gate cover art
Circus cover art
Killing Ground cover art
Rendezvous - South Atlantic cover art
The Iron Pirate cover art
A Dawn Like Thunder cover art

Critic reviews

‘A brilliant, overwhelming piece of descriptive writing.’
Observer

‘A story of exceptional courage which grips the imagination.’
Daily Telegraph

‘It deserves an honourable place among 20th-century war books.’
Daily Mail

‘HMS Ulysses is in the same class as The Cruel Sea.’
Evening Standard
All stars
Most relevant
He dragged it out in a couple of story lines but the descriptive narrative and way he got into the men's minds and fellowship were. Brilliant and finally he doesn't see the need to introduce a token mindless liason with the opposite sex

Best naval book I have read

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Thus is a must read book, it grips from the start, the sheer horror but power and profound humanity is just beyond belief.

Devastating but complusive

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
loved every moment of this audio book. Genuinely felt for the crew during the horror of the Russian convoy and the hopelessness of the convoy.

Narrator did it justice will be looking to pick up the paperback.

very good listen

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
The authors first and by far the best work. A film would be fantastic but probably have to be USN rather than HMS ULYSSES and told from a US Navy perspective to raise the money.

One of the finest stories told through fiction.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
First Alistair MacLean book for me and now consider myself a fan. His style of writing is far more sophisticated and emotive than I expected. Already downloaded my next MacLean book before finishing this one in anticipation of more of the same! Narration also better than most.

Awesome

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
See more reviews