the end acknowledgements i would like to offer the greatest of thanks to the following people , whose kindness has brought this book to life : jacqui barrow for her support and wonderful proof reading , not to mention her tolerance and tempering of my excessive use of commas i would never have finished this book without your support ; mia kan and trudi wigg for guiding and correcting my japanese details and language ; jim east for his time , details and encouragement ; michael wynd and all those who allowed me to research at the royal new zealand navy museum in devonport ; peter bonney , historian of the hms indefatigable association , for his blessing your words made me realize that i ought to make this book a reality ; the staff of la vasquita in mercedes , argentina , for your tranquillity , inspirational setting and divine cuisine ; patricia terremere and silvia corvalan for correcting my spelling and pronunciation in spanish .