The Secret Sharer
takes place at sea, near the Gulf of Siam, told from the perspective of a young nameless Captain. The captain is unfamiliar with both his ship and his crew, having only joined their company a fortnight earlier. The Captain is furthermore unsure of himself, questioning his ability to fulfil the role of such an authoritative figure.
While on look-out duty one night, the captain encounters a naked swimmer holding onto the side ladder of the ship. He helps the mysterious swimmer onto the boat and hides him in his cabin without the rest of the crew's knowledge. He then learns of the mysterious swimmer's past. His name is Leggatt, and he swam away from a nearby ship, called the Sephora, where, as chief mate, he killed another crew member for insolence during a storm.
The captain keeps Leggatt hidden in his quarters, away from the suspicious crew members and a visit from the skipper of the Sephora. Eventually the Captain allows Leggatt to escape by bringing the ship perilously close to land for Leggatt to swim away safely, though this risky sailing manoeuvre nearly sends the ship into the rocks, testing the Captain's seamanship. He succeeds and leads the ship away.
was published in 1910 based in part on a true story: In the 1880s, a mate aboard the Cutty Sark killed an insubordinate sailor during an altercation.
"The Secret Sharer" seems to be an old-fashioned tale of adventure on the sea. The story features a captain, his crew, a mysterious event, a murder, a near-disaster, and the saving of a ship. While "The Secret Sharer" is an adventure yarn, it also stands as a profound and often disquieting examination of every person's dual nature and how each person must resolve this duality in order to grow. Conrad's use of the doppelganger theme allows him to explore the dual nature of his protagonist, a young yet unsure captain assuming his first command.