Navy Commander Will Tanner takes command of the guided-missile destroyer USS Dauntless on the eve of a hurried deployment to the Red Sea following the Iraq invasion of Kuwait in August 1990. Facing a myriad of challenges, he leads his crew as they dodge storms, develop innovative tactics, and begin the dangerous business of boarding merchant ships while enforcing United Nations sanctions on Iraq. Tanner deals with the responsibility of ship command under the watchful eye of his squadron commander who questions his suitability for command. Facing his own demons from an incident in the past, he must earn the trust of his crew and the higher-ranking officers over him.

In Iraq, a plot is launched to deal the United States a devastating blow–the sinking of an aircraft carrier–in hopes that it will shake the Americans will to fight. As the attack plan unfolds, only Dauntless stands between certain death and destruction on the high seas. Thousands of lives are at stake.

Filled with the kind of detail only an experienced naval Surface Warfare Officer and ship commander can provide, Dauntless takes the reader inside a warship at sea under the most demanding of conditions. Will Tanner must simultaneously lead and inspire his crew, deal with the politics of the Navy command structure, and safely navigate and fight his ship.