F.P.1 Fails to Reply

F.P.1 Fails to Reply, Kurt Siodmak, Collins, 1933

F.P.1 (Floating Platform 1) is a floating airport to be anchored in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. Measuring several hundred yards wide by a quarter-mile long, it is to be a mid-journey refueling stop for airplanes flying between America and Europe. It has all the latest conveniences, including a luxury hotel. But the operation to get it to its anchor spot is full of problems.

Several senior members of the crew are on dry land, sick with dysentery. The ship which was doing the towing suddenly lets go, in the middle of the night, leaving F.P.1 drifting. Three tugboats conveniently show up and continue with the towing. Droste, one of F.P.1's creators, takes over command, to keep things on schedule. The schedule is vital because Lennartz, the owner of the German shipyard where F.P.1 was built, has staked his company's future on the platform. If it is not in its proper position, and open for business, by a certain date, just a few days away, a large loan from the German government, on which the shipyard is depending, will disappear. Bankruptcy, and the sale of the company to Hansly, Lennartz's rival, will result.

Someone really wants F.P.1 to be late. The three tugboats unhook from the platform and take off, leaving it drifting. The radio is destroyed, having come in contact with several thousand volts of electricity. Doors are opened in the pylons to suck in water for ballast, but the valves to close the doors mysteriously vanish. Panic and near-mutiny sets in among the hotel waiters, convinced that F.P.1 will sink, and they will drown, while the crew is able to leave. Unless those valves are found, drowning awaits everyone. From land, a private search is made for F.P.1 by air, that includes Lennartz's daughter, Gisela, who happens to be in love with Droste. Any publicity that F.P.1 is "missing" would be a disaster for Lennartz. Will F.P.1's "maiden voyage" turn into a trip to Davy Jones' locker?

I really enjoyed this story, which will certainly keep the reader's interest. This would make a very good adventure film, the kind that are seen on TV on weekends.