Officer of the Deck is much more than a simple war memoir; it is very much a coming-of-age story, and even more an epic of the sea and the men who cast their fates to the vagaries of wind and waves. As Ensign Kriloff gains rank and advances up the USS William B. Preston's short chain of command, more responsibility is placed on his shoulders, and he does well with it because, though the sea in unforgiving, his seniors have been kind and patient teachers. By the end of 1943, Lieutenant Kriloff has gained enough experience, skill and ease to be deemed ready to take on a command of his own.