1916. The Baltic Sea was supposed to be Germany’s private lake.

But hidden among its icy waters, a handful of British submariners are determined to prove otherwise.

Lieutenant-Commander Mark Gough commands the ageing submarine C39, operating from Russia’s Baltic coast in one of the most isolated and dangerous theatres of the Great War. Outnumbered, far from home, and facing the might of the Imperial German Navy, Gough and his crew wage a relentless campaign beneath the waves, striking where the enemy feels safest.

Yet the greatest threat may not come from Germany.

As revolution tears Russia apart and old loyalties collapse, the British flotilla finds itself trapped behind enemy lines. With Germany tightening its grip on the Baltic and Russia descending into chaos, Gough faces an impossible choice: continue the fight, or risk everything in a desperate bid for freedom.

From daring submarine patrols and deadly encounters beneath the sea to intrigue, romance, and the turmoil of revolution, The Baltic Breakout is a gripping tale of courage and survival in one of the Royal Navy’s most remarkable - and least known - campaigns.

This work was previously published as Under the Baltic by Richard Nigel Stembridge.