Williwaw first published in 1946, is the notable first novel of a young Gore Vidal, who during World War II was a first mate of a supply ship stationed in the Aleutian Islands. The story revolves around the small ship and her crew as they battle both the elements in the Bering Sea and the mounting tensions between some of the crew members. An intense wind—williwaw—strikes the ship, damaging the craft as she struggles to make her way back to port.