The Misplaced Battleship

The Misplaced Battleship is a science fiction story by Harry Harrison, first published in 1960. It is part of the Stainless Steel Rat series and follows the adventures of master criminal turned agent James Bolivar diGriz.

While examining official records, diGriz discovers evidence that a powerful Warlord-class battleship is being secretly constructed on the peaceful planet Cittanuvo. What initially appears to be an administrative mystery soon reveals a much more dangerous criminal plot.

When the completed battleship falls into the wrong hands, diGriz must rely on deception, improvisation, and his criminal ingenuity to track it down and prevent its enormous firepower from being used against innocent worlds.

Although first published as recently as 1960, The Misplaced Battleship is in the public domain in the United States. Project Gutenberg notes that extensive research found no evidence that the U.S. copyright on its original publication was renewed, as required under the copyright law then in force. Copyright status may differ in other countries.

"WHEN it comes to picking locks and cracking safes I admit to no master. The door to Inskipp's private quarters had an old-fashioned tumbler drum that was easier to pick than my teeth. I must have gone through that door without breaking step. Quiet as I was though, Inskipp still heard me. The light came on and there he was sitting up in bed pointing a .75 caliber recoilless at my sternum."