 mister roberts is a 1946 novel written by thomas heggen. ==plot== the title character, a lieutenant junior grade naval officer, defends his crew against the petty tyranny of the ship's commanding officer during world war ii. nearly all action takes place on a backwater cargo ship,. the uss reluctant that sails, as written in the play, "from apathy to tedium with occasional side trips to monotony and ennui." ==background== heggen based his novel on his experiences aboard the  and the  in the south pacific during world war ii, and began the book as a collection of short stories.. it was subsequently adapted as a play circa 1948,. a feature film,. a television series, and a live television movie.. sadly, heggen did not live to enjoy the success and profits of his creation, as his life was ended, by accident or suicide, before the age of 30.. the character mister roberts was based on the rotanin executive officer, donald house. contrary to the story in the book, he was not killed in action, but continued as a career naval officer until retirement, and lived until early 1998.. initially, ensign ralph (changed to "frank" in the book) pulver threatened to sue heggen fo
1946_novels 20th-century_American_novels World_War_II_novels