East of Farewell, first published in 1942, is a realistic novel of life aboard a U.S. Navy destroyer in the North Atlantic during World War II. The book centers on the officers and crew, their interactions, their routine tasks, the tensions between "regular navy" men and those serving for just the duration of the war, encounters with German U-boats, and the harsh weather and sea. Author Howard Hunt (1918-2007) served as an ensign aboard a destroyer in the North Atlantic during the early days of the Second World War.