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Dirk Pitt is a
fictional character In fiction, a character (or speaker, in poetry) is a person or other being in a narrative (such as a novel, play, radio or television series, music, film, or video game). The character may be entirely fictional or based on a real-life person, ...
created by American novelist
Clive Cussler Clive Eric Cussler (July 15, 1931 – February 24, 2020) was an American adventure novelist and underwater explorer. His thriller novels, many featuring the character Dirk Pitt, have reached ''The New York Times'' fiction best-seller list ...
and featured in a series of novels published from 1976 to 2021. Pitt is a larger-than-life hero reminiscent of pulp magazine icon
Doc Savage Doc Savage is a fictional character of the competent man hero type, who first appeared in American pulp magazines during the 1930s and 1940s. Real name Clark Savage Jr., he is a doctor, scientist, adventurer, detective, and polymath who "rights w ...
. Pitt is a citizen of the United States, on loan from the United States Air Force with the rank of Major, after serving in Vietnam as a pilot. He manages to find adventure with his childhood best friend, Al Giordino, despite ending up with an ostensibly desk-bound role as the head of the
National Underwater and Marine Agency The National Underwater and Marine Agency (NUMA) is a private non-profit organization in the United States founded in 1979. Originally it was a fictional US government organization in the novels of author Clive Cussler. Cussler later created and, ...
. Pitt has a commanding presence, a quick wit, and a considerable collection of
classic car A classic car is an older car, typically 25 years or older, though definitions vary.While other languages, such as German and Dutch, may refer to classic cars as "oldtimers", this usage is unknown in English, where "old-timer" refers to an elder ...
s.


Biography and career

Dirk Eric Pitt, renowned adventurer, is the son of Senator George Pitt of
California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...
. Dirk graduated from the
United States Air Force Academy The United States Air Force Academy (USAFA) is a United States service academy in El Paso County, Colorado, immediately north of Colorado Springs. It educates cadets for service in the officer corps of the United States Air Force and Uni ...
and served as a pilot in the United States Air Force during the
Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...
. Dirk is an accomplished pilot who is qualified to fly both fixed-wing and rotary aircraft. He would go on to attain the rank of
major Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...
. Over the course of his service, Pitt has been awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross with two clusters, a
Silver Star The Silver Star Medal (SSM) is the United States Armed Forces' third-highest military decoration for valor in combat. The Silver Star Medal is awarded primarily to members of the United States Armed Forces for gallantry in action against an e ...
, a
Purple Heart The Purple Heart (PH) is a United States military decoration awarded in the name of the President to those wounded or killed while serving, on or after 5 April 1917, with the U.S. military. With its forerunner, the Badge of Military Merit, w ...
and many other commendations. Dirk Pitt received one such commendation for shooting down the plane of Admiral James Sandecker. The plane was carrying the Admiral and his staff to a remote base north of
Da Nang Nang or DanangSee also Danang Dragons ( ; vi, Đà Nẵng, ) is a class-1 municipality and the fifth-largest city in Vietnam by municipal population. It lies on the coast of the East Sea of Vietnam at the mouth of the Hàn River, and is one ...
. Unknown to them, the base was overrun by the North Vietnamese and their radio was malfunctioning, so they were unable to receive a warning. Pitt was flying nearby returning to his base from a bombing mission and was ordered to intercept and alert the admiral by whatever means available. When efforts to communicate with the Admiral's plane were unsuccessful, Pitt expertly shot out both engines on the transport, forcing them to ditch in the sea instead of landing at the captured base. Dirk then flew cover, strafing any boats that left the shore, until everyone was taken aboard a navy patrol vessel. Dirk's service record was amended in the film versions of ''
Raise the Titanic! ''Raise the Titanic!'' is a 1976 adventure novel by Clive Cussler, published in the United States by the Viking Press. It tells the story of efforts to bring the remains of the ill-fated ocean liner RMS ''Titanic'' to the surface of the Atlantic ...
'' and ''
Sahara , photo = Sahara real color.jpg , photo_caption = The Sahara taken by Apollo 17 astronauts, 1972 , map = , map_image = , location = , country = , country1 = , ...
'', where he is said to have graduated from the
U.S. Naval Academy The United States Naval Academy (US Naval Academy, USNA, or Navy) is a United States Service academies, federal service academy in Annapolis, Maryland. It was established on 10 October 1845 during the tenure of George Bancroft as Secretary of ...
. In both versions, Dirk graduated with his childhood best friend, Al Giordino. After leaving the service, Dirk worked as a
marine Marine is an adjective meaning of or pertaining to the sea or ocean. Marine or marines may refer to: Ocean * Maritime (disambiguation) * Marine art * Marine biology * Marine debris * Marine habitats * Marine life * Marine pollution Military * ...
engineer Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who invent, design, analyze, build and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while considering the l ...
for the
National Underwater and Marine Agency The National Underwater and Marine Agency (NUMA) is a private non-profit organization in the United States founded in 1979. Originally it was a fictional US government organization in the novels of author Clive Cussler. Cussler later created and, ...
(NUMA), an
oceanographic Oceanography (), also known as oceanology and ocean science, is the scientific study of the oceans. It is an Earth science, which covers a wide range of topics, including ecosystem dynamics; ocean currents, waves, and geophysical fluid dynamics ...
research organization headed by Admiral James Sandecker. In his career at NUMA, Dirk made numerous shipwreck discoveries and thwarted countless plans by
villain A villain (also known as a "black hat" or "bad guy"; the feminine form is villainess) is a stock character, whether based on a historical narrative or one of literary fiction. ''Random House Unabridged Dictionary'' defines such a character a ...
s intent on
global catastrophe A global catastrophic risk or a doomsday scenario is a hypothetical future event that could damage human well-being on a global scale, even endangering or destroying modern civilization. An event that could cause human extinction or permanen ...
or
world domination World domination (also called global domination or world conquest or cosmocracy) is a hypothetical power structure, either achieved or aspired to, in which a single political authority holds the power over all or virtually all the inhabitants ...
. In recent novels, Dirk has become the head of NUMA, succeeding Admiral Sandecker when the latter was appointed
Vice President of the United States The vice president of the United States (VPOTUS) is the second-highest officer in the executive branch of the U.S. federal government, after the president of the United States, and ranks first in the presidential line of succession. The vice ...
after the sudden death in office of his predecessor. Despite his promotion, Pitt is uncomfortable with a desk job, and still heads numerous projects in the field, becoming entangled in villainous plots just as easily as before his promotion.


Personal traits

Dirk is 6 ft 3 in (190.5 cm) tall with craggy looks, dark wavy hair, and a rangy build. Cussler refers often to Dirk's "opaline green eyes", which can be both alluring or intimidating, as need be. Pitt has a commanding presence which, combined with a quick, sly wit, often infuriates his adversaries and superiors. Comical banter with Al is especially common during stressful situations, leaving the reader with little doubt that both are confident in their abilities. His weapon of choice is a Colt .45-caliber
M1911 The M1911 (Colt 1911 or Colt Government) is a single-action, recoil-operated, semi-automatic pistol chambered for the .45 ACP cartridge. The pistol's formal U.S. military designation as of 1940 was ''Automatic Pistol, Caliber .45, M1911'' for th ...
semi-automatic pistol that he received from his father. His drink of choice is
blue agave ''Agave tequilana'', commonly called blue agave () or tequila agave, is an agave plant that is an important economic product of Jalisco, Mexico, due to its role as the base ingredient of tequila, a popular distilled beverage. The high productio ...
Tequila Tequila (; ) is a liquor, distilled beverage made from the Agave tequilana, blue agave plant, primarily in the area surrounding the city of Tequila, Jalisco, Tequila northwest of Guadalajara, Jalisco, Guadalajara, and in the Jaliscan Highlands ...
. Dirk believes that quality tequila should be drunk straight with salt and lime, preferring to use cheaper tequila in
margaritas A margarita is a cocktail consisting of Tequila, triple sec, and lime juice often served with salt on the rim of the glass. The drink is served shaken with ice (on the rocks), blended with ice (frozen margarita), or without ice (straight up). T ...
. He wears an orange-faced
Doxa Doxa (; from verb )Henry Liddell, Liddell, Henry George, and Robert Scott (philologist), Robert Scott. 1940.δοκέω" In ''A Greek–English Lexicon, A Greek-English Lexicon'', edited by Henry Stuart Jones, H. S. Jones and R. McKenzie. Oxford. ...
Sub 300T Professional dive watch.


Classic car collection

When Dirk Pitt is not traveling, he lives in a remodeled and refurbished hangar on the grounds of
Washington National Airport Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport , sometimes referred to colloquially as National Airport, Washington National, Reagan National Airport, DCA, Reagan, or simply National, is an international airport in Arlington County, Virginia, across ...
, near
Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
A cast-iron stairway leads into a cluttered apartment with maps of the sea and models of ships scattered all about. The hangar houses his substantial collection of
classic A classic is an outstanding example of a particular style; something of lasting worth or with a timeless quality; of the first or highest quality, class, or rank – something that exemplifies its class. The word can be an adjective (a ''c ...
and
antique An antique ( la, antiquus; 'old', 'ancient') is an item perceived as having value because of its aesthetic or historical significance, and often defined as at least 100 years old (or some other limit), although the term is often used loosely ...
cars, as well as a
Messerschmitt Me 262 The Messerschmitt Me 262, nicknamed ''Schwalbe'' (German: "Swallow") in fighter versions, or ''Sturmvogel'' (German: "Storm Bird") in fighter-bomber versions, is a fighter aircraft and fighter-bomber that was designed and produced by the Germa ...
aircraft, a
Ford trimotor The Ford Trimotor (also called the "Tri-Motor", and nicknamed the "Tin Goose") is an American three-engined transport aircraft. Production started in 1925 by the companies of Henry Ford and ended on June 7, 1933, after 199 had been made. It w ...
aircraft, a Pullman railroad dining car, and a
totem pole Totem poles ( hai, gyáaʼaang) are monumental carvings found in western Canada and the northwestern United States. They are a type of Northwest Coast art, consisting of poles, posts or pillars, carved with symbols or figures. They are usually m ...
. The hangar also contains items collected from prior adventures, such as a cast-iron bathtub with an outboard motor fixed to one end, and is protected by a state-of-the-art
security system A security alarm is a system designed to detect intrusion, such as unauthorized entry, into a building or other areas such as a home or school. Security alarms used in residential, commercial, industrial, and military properties protect against ...
. Pitt occasionally adds classic cars to his collection, purloined from a variety of antagonists over the course of his adventures. The character shares his affinity for cars with his creator, the author Clive Cussler. Relatedly, Pitt is named after
Dirk Cussler Dirk Cussler (born 1961) is an American author. He is the son of best selling author Clive Cussler and a co-author of several Dirk Pitt adventure novels, as well as being the namesake of the Pitt character. Early life and education Cussler was bo ...
, Clive's son and sometime co-writer of the Dirk Pitt adventure stories.


Love interests and family

Throughout his life, there have been three women of significance: Summer Moran, Maeve Fletcher, and Loren Smith. Summer Moran is the mother of his twin children, Dirk Pitt Jr. and Summer Pitt. She is often described as Pitt's first real love. The daughter of deranged scientist Frederick Moran, she was believed dead by Pitt when she was lost during an attempt to rescue her father as his underwater lair collapsed. As revealed by 23-year-old Dirk Pitt Jr. when the two meet in the concluding chapters of the novel ''Valhalla Rising'', Summer in fact survived, badly maimed by the incident, and refused to seek him out because she wanted Pitt to remember her as he knew her. She gave birth to the twins shortly thereafter and raised them, naming them after their parents. Dirk meets Maeve Fletcher in ''
Shock Wave In physics, a shock wave (also spelled shockwave), or shock, is a type of propagating disturbance that moves faster than the local speed of sound in the medium. Like an ordinary wave, a shock wave carries energy and can propagate through a med ...
''. Like Summer, she was also the daughter of a deranged, ruthless villain. However, she refuses to have any part in her family's dealings or with her father, the villain Arthur Dorsett. Maeve was the single mother of two children, who she raised on her salary as a tour guide aboard a cruise in the Antarctic when she and Pitt first met. She held a master's degree in zoology. Maeve and Dirk pledged their deepest love for each other, but unfortunately Maeve was already fatally wounded, and she died in Pitt's arms. Pitt has a long-term relationship with Congresswoman Loren Smith, whom he married before the book ''
Havana Storm ''Havana Storm'' is a 2014 mystery novel written by international best-selling author Clive Cussler. Plot The novel was Cussler's 23rd novel in his Dirk Pitt Dirk Pitt is a fictional character created by American novelist Clive Cussler and fe ...
''.


Cars of Dirk Pitt

* ''The Mediterranean Caper'' - 1936 Maybach Zeppelin Town car * ''Iceberg'' - (no car, but Pitt acquires the
Ford Trimotor The Ford Trimotor (also called the "Tri-Motor", and nicknamed the "Tin Goose") is an American three-engined transport aircraft. Production started in 1925 by the companies of Henry Ford and ended on June 7, 1933, after 199 had been made. It w ...
aircraft) * ''Raise the Titanic!'' - (no car, but reference to a
Stutz Bearcat The Stutz Bearcat was an American sports car of the pre– and post–World War I period. Essentially, the Bearcat was a shorter ( wheelbase vs ), lighter version of the standard Stutz passenger car's chassis. It was originally powered by a , ...
Speedster, and a
Renault Groupe Renault ( , , , also known as the Renault Group in English; legally Renault S.A.) is a French multinational automobile manufacturer established in 1899. The company produces a range of cars and vans, and in the past has manufactured ...
town car recovered from the ''
Titanic RMS ''Titanic'' was a British passenger liner, operated by the White Star Line, which sank in the North Atlantic Ocean on 15 April 1912 after striking an iceberg during her maiden voyage from Southampton, England, to New York City, United ...
'' is mentioned in ''Vixen 03''. A
Rover Company The Rover Company Limited was a British car manufacturing company that operated from its base in Solihull in Warwickshire. Its lasting reputation for quality and performance was such that its first postwar model reviewed by '' Road & Track'' i ...
vehicle, the model of which is unknown, but due to the year mentioned, 1987, it is either a
Rover SD1 The Rover SD1 is both the code name and eventual production name given to a series of executive cars built by the Specialist Division (later the ''Jaguar-Rover-Triumph'' division) of British Leyland (BL), under the Rover marque. It was produced ...
or
Rover 800 The Rover 800 series is an executive car (E-segment in Europe) range manufactured by the Austin Rover Group subsidiary of British Leyland, and its successor the Rover Group from 1986 to 1999. It was also marketed as the Sterling in the United St ...
. The Ford Trimotor is also mentioned.) * ''Vixen 03'' - 1912 Renault open-drive landaulette * ''Night Probe!'' -
AC Cobra The AC Cobra, sold in the United States as the Shelby Cobra and AC Shelby Cobra, is a sports car manufactured by British company AC Cars, with a Ford V8 engine. It was produced intermittently in both the United Kingdom and later the United ...
and Jensen (also a Pullman railroad dining car) * ''Pacific Vortex!'' -
AC Cobra The AC Cobra, sold in the United States as the Shelby Cobra and AC Shelby Cobra, is a sports car manufactured by British company AC Cars, with a Ford V8 engine. It was produced intermittently in both the United Kingdom and later the United ...
* ''Deep Six'' -
Talbot-Lago Talbot-Lago was a French automobile manufacturer based in Suresnes, Hauts de Seine, outside Paris. The company was owned and managed by Antonio Lago, an Italian engineer that acquired rights to the Talbot brand name after the demise of Darracq L ...
* ''Cyclops'' - Daimler DE36, 1957 Chevrolet (also a cast iron bathtub with an outboard motor strapped to it) * ''Treasure'' -
Cord L-29 Cord was the brand name of an American luxury automobile company from Connersville, Indiana, manufactured by the Auburn Automobile Company from 1929 to 1932 and again in 1936 and 1937. The Cord Corporation was founded and run by E. L. Cor ...
* ''Dragon'' - 1932
Stutz The Stutz Motor Car Company, was an American producer of high-end sports and luxury cars based in Indianapolis, Indiana. Production began in 1911 and ended in 1935. Stutz was known as a producer of fast cars including America's first spo ...
(also acquires a
Messerschmitt Me 262 The Messerschmitt Me 262, nicknamed ''Schwalbe'' (German: "Swallow") in fighter versions, or ''Sturmvogel'' (German: "Storm Bird") in fighter-bomber versions, is a fighter aircraft and fighter-bomber that was designed and produced by the Germa ...
) * ''Sahara'' - 1936
Avions Voisin Avions Voisin was a French luxury automobile brand established by Gabriel Voisin in 1919 which traded until 1939. History Gabriel B. Voisin was an aviation pioneer and manufacturer who in 1919 started producing cars using Knight-type sl ...
* ''Inca Gold'' - 1936 Pierce-Arrow Travelodge Trailer * ''Shock Wave'' - Allard J2X (also a totem pole and Marvelous Maeve, a beatup boat) * ''Flood Tide'' - 1929 Model J
Duesenberg Duesenberg Automobile and Motors Company, Inc. was an American race car, racing and luxury car, luxury automobile manufacturer founded in Indianapolis, Indiana, by brothers Fred Duesenberg, Fred and August Duesenberg in 1920. The company is ...
* ''Atlantis Found'' - 1936 Ford Hot Rod * ''Valhalla Rising'' - 1938
Packard Packard or Packard Motor Car Company was an American luxury automobile company located in Detroit, Michigan. The first Packard automobiles were produced in 1899, and the last Packards were built in South Bend, Indiana in 1958. One of the "Thr ...
Towncar * ''Trojan Odyssey'' - Marmon V-16 * ''Black Wind'' - 1958 Chrysler 300-D Convertible * ''Treasure of Khan'' - 1921
Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost The Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost name refers both to a car model and one specific car from that series. Originally named the " 40/50 h.p." the chassis was first made at Royce's Manchester works, with production moving to Derby in July 1908, ...
* ''Arctic Drift'' - 1932
Auburn Auburn may refer to: Places Australia * Auburn, New South Wales * City of Auburn, the local government area *Electoral district of Auburn *Auburn, Queensland, a locality in the Western Downs Region *Auburn, South Australia *Auburn, Tasmania *Aub ...
V-12 * ''Crescent Dawn'' - 1948
Delahaye 135 The Delahaye 135 is a luxury car manufactured by French automaker Delahaye. Designed by engineer Jean François, it was produced from 1935 until 1954 in many different body styles. A sporting tourer, it was also popular for racing. History The D ...
* ''Poseidon's Arrow'' - 1930 Packard 734 Speedster Runabout


List of novels and films

Dirk Pitt adventure novels # ''
Pacific Vortex! ''Pacific Vortex!'' is an adventure novel by Clive Cussler. Though not the first book to be released featuring the author's primary protagonist, Dirk Pitt, Cussler states that this was the earliest story he wrote starring the popular action hero. ...
'' (1983) - Written by Clive Cussler (though released at a later date, this is the first book that was written) # ''
The Mediterranean Caper ''The Mediterranean Caper'' (also published as ''Mayday'') is an action-adventure novel by Clive Cussler published in the United States in 1973. This is the 1st published book featuring the author’s primary protagonist, Dirk Pitt. It was nom ...
'' (a.k.a. ''Mayday'', 1973) # ''
Iceberg An iceberg is a piece of freshwater ice more than 15 m long that has broken off a glacier or an ice shelf and is floating freely in open (salt) water. Smaller chunks of floating glacially-derived ice are called "growlers" or "bergy bits". The ...
'' (1975) # ''
Raise the Titanic! ''Raise the Titanic!'' is a 1976 adventure novel by Clive Cussler, published in the United States by the Viking Press. It tells the story of efforts to bring the remains of the ill-fated ocean liner RMS ''Titanic'' to the surface of the Atlantic ...
'' (1976) # ''
Vixen 03 ''Vixen 03'' is an adventure novel by Clive Cussler. This is the fourth book to feature the author's primary protagonist Dirk Pitt. Plot introduction In 1954 "Vixen 03", an aircraft carrying a top-secret cargo to the military's testing grounds ...
'' (1978) # ''
Night Probe! ''Night Probe!'' is an adventure novel Adventure fiction is a type of fiction that usually presents danger, or gives the reader a sense of excitement. Some adventure fiction also satisfies the literary definition of romance fiction. History ...
'' (1981) # '' Deep Six'' (1984) # ''
Cyclops In Greek mythology and later Roman mythology, the Cyclopes ( ; el, Κύκλωπες, ''Kýklōpes'', "Circle-eyes" or "Round-eyes"; singular Cyclops ; , ''Kýklōps'') are giant one-eyed creatures. Three groups of Cyclopes can be distinguish ...
'' (1986) # ''
Treasure Treasure (from la, thesaurus from Greek language ''thēsauros'', "treasure store") is a concentration of wealth — often originating from ancient history — that is considered lost and/or forgotten until rediscovered. Some jurisdictions leg ...
'' (1988) # ''
Dragon A dragon is a reptilian legendary creature that appears in the folklore of many cultures worldwide. Beliefs about dragons vary considerably through regions, but dragons in western cultures since the High Middle Ages have often been depicted as ...
'' (1990) # ''
Sahara , photo = Sahara real color.jpg , photo_caption = The Sahara taken by Apollo 17 astronauts, 1972 , map = , map_image = , location = , country = , country1 = , ...
'' (1992) # ''
Inca Gold ''Inca Gold'' is a novel written by Clive Cussler. First published in 1994, it is the twelfth book in Cussler's Dirk Pitt series. Plot summary In 1532 a fleet of ships sails in secret to an island in the middle of an inland sea. There they hid ...
'' (1994) # ''
Shock Wave In physics, a shock wave (also spelled shockwave), or shock, is a type of propagating disturbance that moves faster than the local speed of sound in the medium. Like an ordinary wave, a shock wave carries energy and can propagate through a med ...
'' (1996) # ''
Flood Tide Tides are the rise and fall of sea levels caused by the combined effects of the gravitational forces exerted by the Moon (and to a much lesser extent, the Sun) and are also caused by the Earth and Moon orbiting one another. Tide tables can ...
'' (1997) # ''
Atlantis Found ''Atlantis Found'' is a 1999 novel by Clive Cussler, the fifteenth book in the Dirk Pitt series. Plot summary In 7120 BC, a comet hit North America, abruptly ending several advanced civilizations. In AD 1858, a whaling vessel discovers a 1770s ...
'' (1999) # '' Valhalla Rising'' (2001) # ''
Trojan Odyssey ''Trojan Odyssey'' is a Dirk Pitt novel by Clive Cussler, published first in 2003. Plot summary The book opens with a fictional historical overview/flashback to events of Homer's ''Odyssey'', but alters the original plot. In the present day, Di ...
'' (2003) # '' Black Wind'' (2004) - Written with son
Dirk Cussler Dirk Cussler (born 1961) is an American author. He is the son of best selling author Clive Cussler and a co-author of several Dirk Pitt adventure novels, as well as being the namesake of the Pitt character. Early life and education Cussler was bo ...
# ''
Treasure of Khan ''Treasure of Khan'' is an adventure novel by Clive Cussler and Dirk Cussler, and is the nineteenth to feature Cussler's most famous protagonist, Dirk Pitt. Overview The book is about a Mongolian oil tycoon and his attempts to gain control o ...
'' (2006) - Written with son
Dirk Cussler Dirk Cussler (born 1961) is an American author. He is the son of best selling author Clive Cussler and a co-author of several Dirk Pitt adventure novels, as well as being the namesake of the Pitt character. Early life and education Cussler was bo ...
# ''
Arctic Drift ''Arctic Drift'' is a Dirk Pitt novel, the 20th of the series and was released on November 25, 2008.Series seq ...
'' (2008) - Written with son
Dirk Cussler Dirk Cussler (born 1961) is an American author. He is the son of best selling author Clive Cussler and a co-author of several Dirk Pitt adventure novels, as well as being the namesake of the Pitt character. Early life and education Cussler was bo ...
# ''
Crescent Dawn ''Crescent Dawn'' is a Dirk Pitt novel, the twenty-first of that series. The hardcover edition was released November 16, 2010. Other editions were released on earlier dates. Plot As are most Dirk Pitt novels, the story begins with one or more hi ...
'' (2010) - Written with son
Dirk Cussler Dirk Cussler (born 1961) is an American author. He is the son of best selling author Clive Cussler and a co-author of several Dirk Pitt adventure novels, as well as being the namesake of the Pitt character. Early life and education Cussler was bo ...
# ''
Poseidon's Arrow ''Poseidon's Arrow'' is a Dirk Pitt novel, the twenty-second of that series, co-written by Clive Cussler and his son Dirk Cussler. The hardcover edition was released November 6, 2012. Other editions were released on other dates. Plot This book i ...
'' (2012) - Written with son
Dirk Cussler Dirk Cussler (born 1961) is an American author. He is the son of best selling author Clive Cussler and a co-author of several Dirk Pitt adventure novels, as well as being the namesake of the Pitt character. Early life and education Cussler was bo ...
# ''
Havana Storm ''Havana Storm'' is a 2014 mystery novel written by international best-selling author Clive Cussler. Plot The novel was Cussler's 23rd novel in his Dirk Pitt Dirk Pitt is a fictional character created by American novelist Clive Cussler and fe ...
'' (2014) - Written with son
Dirk Cussler Dirk Cussler (born 1961) is an American author. He is the son of best selling author Clive Cussler and a co-author of several Dirk Pitt adventure novels, as well as being the namesake of the Pitt character. Early life and education Cussler was bo ...
# ''
Odessa Sea ''Odessa Sea'' is a novel by Clive Cussler and Dirk Cussler published November 15, 2016. Summary A Dutch entrepreneur, Martin Hendriks, hires the crew of the Crimea-based salvage ship ''Besso'' to steal a load of uranium from a black market dea ...
'' (2016) - Written with son
Dirk Cussler Dirk Cussler (born 1961) is an American author. He is the son of best selling author Clive Cussler and a co-author of several Dirk Pitt adventure novels, as well as being the namesake of the Pitt character. Early life and education Cussler was bo ...
# ''
Celtic Empire ''Celtic Empire'' is the twenty-fifth novel in the Dirk Pitt Adventures novel series by Clive Cussler, and the last written by the original author. Plot NUMA Director Dirk Pitt, as well as NUMA itself, becomes involved in finding who is behind a ...
'' (2019) - Written with son
Dirk Cussler Dirk Cussler (born 1961) is an American author. He is the son of best selling author Clive Cussler and a co-author of several Dirk Pitt adventure novels, as well as being the namesake of the Pitt character. Early life and education Cussler was bo ...
# ''Clive Cussler's The Devil's Sea'' (2021) - Written by Dirk Cussler


Novel notes

Although ''Pacific Vortex!'' was released in 1983, it is actually the first Dirk Pitt novel chronologically. The events of ''Pacific Vortex!'' happen before those of ''The Mediterranean Caper''. In fact, several events in ''Pacific Vortex!'' are referred to in ''The Mediterranean Caper''. The series does not have to be read in order, since each book stands by itself. There is also a Dirk Pitt reference book: * ''Dirk Pitt and Clive Cussler Revealed'' (1998) - Written with
Craig Dirgo Craig Dirgo is an American author of techno thrillers and adventure novels, as well as non-fiction. He started off co-authoring with Clive Cussler on his non-fiction work. He soon moved to his own novels starring his character, John Taft, an age ...
, which contains photos and a synopsis of the books, as well as a compendium of cars, characters, villains and women that have appeared in the novels throughout the years. Also, there is a biography and interview with Cussler, and a short story "The Reunion", written from the perspective of a character who crashes a party at Pitt's hangar, meeting all the characters who had been predominant in the novels up to that time. Hints dropped throughout the story indicate that this unnamed character is Cussler himself.


Film notes

Pitt has twice appeared on the big screen, in movie adaptations of ''
Raise the Titanic ''Raise the Titanic!'' is a 1976 adventure novel by Clive Cussler, published in the United States by the Viking Press. It tells the story of efforts to bring the remains of the ill-fated ocean liner RMS ''Titanic'' to the surface of the Atlanti ...
'' in 1980, and ''
Sahara , photo = Sahara real color.jpg , photo_caption = The Sahara taken by Apollo 17 astronauts, 1972 , map = , map_image = , location = , country = , country1 = , ...
'' in 2005. In the former he was portrayed by
Richard Jordan Robert Anson Jordan Jr. (July 19, 1937 – August 30, 1993) was an American actor. A long-time member of the New York Shakespeare Festival, he performed in many Off Broadway and Broadway plays. His films include ''Logan's Run'', ''Les Misérab ...
, and in the latter by
Matthew McConaughey Matthew David McConaughey ( ; born November 4, 1969) is an American actor. He had his breakout role with a supporting performance in the coming-of-age comedy '' Dazed and Confused'' (1993). After a number of supporting roles, his first succes ...
. Clive Cussler sued the production company for the film ''Sahara'', Crusader, in 2004, claiming the company reneged on a contract that gave him approval rights over the film's screenplay, when, in fact, he only had those rights until a director was hired. Crusader, which is owned by billionaire
Philip Anschutz Philip Frederick Anschutz ( ; born December 28, 1939) is an American billionaire businessman who owns or controls companies in a variety of industries, including energy, railroads, real estate, sports, newspapers, movies, theaters, arenas and m ...
, then countersued, accusing Cussler of duping it into adapting his book into a film based on an inflated number of novels sold. Jurors ruled in May 2007 in favor of the production company. On 10 March 2009, Judge John P. Shook ordered Clive Cussler to pay $13.9 million in legal fees to Crusader. In his ruling, Judge Shook agreed with lawyers for Crusader Entertainment that an original contract between the two parties called for an award of legal fees if either side breached. "The issue boils down to whether the fees requested are reasonable and necessary," Shook said. He concluded that they were. On July 27, 2009, Cussler issued a final check to Crusader, which totals the payback to $20 million to the wronged production company. A March 2010 decision by the California Court of Appeal has since overturned the earlier awardings of both the $5 million in damages and nearly $14 million in legal fees to Crusader."Judgement against author Cussler overturned in Anschutz/'Sahara' dispute." Denver Business Journal. 4 March 2010. http://www.bizjournals.com/denver/stories/2010/03/01/daily53.html


Critical studies

Cussler's Dirk Pitt adventures are the focus of "The Clive Cussler Adventures: A Critical Review" by Steven Philip Jones.


References


External links


The Official Website of Author Clive Cussler

The Real Life NUMA non-profit organization founded by Clive CusslerClive Cussler Collector's Society
- An organization devoted to Clive Cussler's works. {{DEFAULTSORT:Pitt, Dirk Dirk Pitt characters Clive Cussler characters Fictional archaeologists Fictional treasure hunters Literary characters introduced in 1973 Fictional Vietnam War veterans Fictional Silver Star recipients Fictional United States Air Force personnel Characters in American novels of the 20th century Characters in American novels of the 21st century Novel series by featured character Adventure film characters American adventure novels Action novels