Gage Roads by V S Paterson

Fremantle is a bustling town these days, with its harbour filled with troop and battle ships and the largest submarine fleet of all the American, British and Dutch navies. Thirteen-year-old Tom is fascinated by the sailors and soldiers that he meets, the battle scars they show and war tales they tell. Apart from being the vice-captain of the school’s cricket and football teams, Tom wants more than anything to leave school if he can. Adventure beckons for Tom but trouble is never far away as he sets out to make his mark on the world.