Seaweed is the gripping account of a fictional sea voyage by the British merchant vessel M.V. Auroras during the late 1960s. This story takes place at a time when the world was in a state of great turmoil. The protracted Cold War between the Soviet Union and the Western powers was reaching its height. Confrontation between the Arab states and Israel had forced the closure of the Suez Canal to shipping. In the Far East, a violent political war was raging in Vietnam, and across Northern Africa a deadly famine was beginning to take its grip on the population. This compelling view of sea-faring life during turbulent times is told from the perspective of Alex Bevan, the ship's young radio officer.Melvin Douglas Smart was born in Exeter in Southwest England. Now retired from a career as a defense engineer, he currently lives in a small mountain village in northern Spain. When he is not writing, he enjoys oil painting, hiking, and walking in the mountains. He also enjoys being close to the sea. Seaweed is the author's first novel and was inspired by the ten years he spent as a radio officer on various ships in the British Merchant Navy during the Sixties and Seventies.Publisher's website: http://sbpra.com/MelvinDouglasSmart