Biggles, Algie, Bertie and Ginger are visited by Grimes, an old pal from the war, whose father, a Merchant Navy captain known as Jumbo, is in a spot of bother. He was recently tricked into skippering a crew of seal poachers to an islet off Antarctica. While there, they spotted an old ship – still rigged for sail – trapped in the pack ice. After an investigation of the ship, Jumbo overheard the words ‘starry’ and ‘crown’ from the jubilant crew.