Wikipedia

Dirk Pitt

Dirk Pittis a fictional character created by American novelistClive Cusslerand featured in a series of novels published from 1976 to 2021. Pitt is a larger-than-life hero reminiscent ofpulp magazineiconDoc Savage.Pitt is a citizen of the United States, on loan from theUnited States Air Forcewith the rank of Major, after serving in theVietnam Waras 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 theNational Underwater and Marine Agency.Pitt has a commanding presence, a quick wit, and a considerable collection ofclassic cars.

Dirk Pitt
Dirk Pitt adventure novels character
First appearanceThe Mediterranean Caper
Last appearanceClive Cussler's The Devil's Sea
Created byClive Cussler
Portrayed byRichard Jordan,Matthew McConaughey
Voiced byScott Brick
In-universe information
Full nameDirk Eric Pitt
GenderMale
OccupationIn early novels: Director, Special Projects, National Underwater and Marine Agency.
Later: Director, National Underwater and Marine Agency
WeaponColt.45-caliberM1911
SpouseCongresswoman Loren Smith
SignificantothersSummer Moran, Maeve Fletcher
ChildrenDirk Pitt Jr.
Summer Pitt
RelativesSenator George Pitt (father)
Barbara Susan Pitt (née Nash) (mother)
Percival Nash (maternal uncle)
unnamed paternal uncle
unnamed grandfather
NationalityUnited States

Biography and career

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Dirk Eric Pitt, renowned adventurer, is the son of Senator George Pitt ofCalifornia.Dirk graduates from theUnited States Air Force Academyand serves as a pilot in the United States Air Force during theVietnam War.Dirk is an accomplished pilot who is qualified to fly both fixed-wing and rotary aircraft. He goes on to attain the rank ofmajor.Over the course of his service, Pitt is awarded theDistinguished Flying Crosswith two clusters, aSilver Star,aPurple Heartand many other commendations.[1]

Dirk Pitt receives 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 ofDa Nang.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.[2]Cussler derived this story as well as some of Pitt's awards from the real lifeWorld War IIveteranLouis Edward Curdes.

Dirk's service record is amended in the film versions ofRaise the TitanicandSahara,where he is said to have graduated from theU.S. Naval Academy.In both versions, Dirk graduates with his childhood best friend, Al Giordino.

After leaving the service, Dirk works as amarineengineerfor theNational Underwater and Marine Agency(NUMA), anoceanographicresearch organization headed by Admiral James Sandecker. In his career at NUMA, Dirk makes numerous shipwreck discoveries and thwarts countless plans byvillainsintent onglobal catastropheorworld domination.

In recent novels, Dirk becomes the head of NUMA, succeeding Admiral Sandecker when the latter is appointedVice President of the United Statesafter 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

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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-caliberM1911semi-automatic pistol that he received from his father. His drink of choice isblue agaveTequila.Dirk believes that quality tequila should be drunk straight with salt and lime, preferring to use cheaper tequila inmargaritas.He wears an orange-facedDoxaSub 300T Professional dive watch.

Classic car collection

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When Dirk Pitt is not traveling, he lives in a remodeled and refurbished hangar on the grounds ofWashington National Airport,nearWashington, D.C.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 ofclassicandantiquecars, as well as aMesserschmitt Me 262aircraft, aFord trimotoraircraft, aPullmanrailroad dining car, and atotem pole.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-artsecurity system.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 afterDirk Cussler,Clive's son and sometime co-writer of the Dirk Pitt adventure stories.

Love interests and family

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Throughout his life, there are three women of significance:

Summer Moran

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Summer Moran
First appearancePacific Vortex!
Last appearanceValhalla Rising
Created byClive Cussler
In-universe information
SignificantothersDirk Pitt
ChildrenDirk Pitt Jr.
Summer Pitt
RelativesFather: Delphi Moran.
Grandfather: Dr. Frederick Moran.
NationalityUnited States

Dirk first meets Summer at Royal Hawaiian Hotel, when she is trying to seduce him where Dirk feels an instant attraction to her, and later tries to assassinate him.

She rescues Dirk Pitt from peril by swiftly severing the rope tethering his hands, deftly slipping a knife into his grasp just in time to thwart her father's men from orchestrating his demise in his hotel room.

Summer 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 is believed dead by Pitt when she is lost during an attempt to rescue her father as his underwater lair collapses. As revealed by 23-year-old Dirk Pitt Jr. when the two meet at the end of the novelValhalla Rising,Summer in fact survives, badly maimed by the incident, and refuses to seek him out because she wants Pitt to remember her as he knew her. She gives birth to the twins shortly thereafter and raises them, naming them after their parents.

Maeve Fletcher

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Dirk meets Maeve Fletcher inShock Wave.Like Summer, she is 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 is the single mother of two children, who she raises on her salary as a tour guide aboard a cruise in the Antarctic when she and Pitt first meet. She holds a master's degree in zoology. Maeve and Dirk pledge their deepest love for each other, but unfortunately Maeve is already fatally wounded, and she dies in Pitt's arms.

Loren Smith

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Pitt has a long-term relationship with Congresswoman Loren Smith, whom he marries before the bookHavana Storm.


Cars of Dirk Pitt

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A 1936 Maybach Zeppelin was featured inThe Mediterranean Caper

List of novels and films

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Dirk Pitt adventure novels

  1. Pacific Vortex!(1983) - Written by Clive Cussler (though released at a later date, this is the first book that was written)
  2. The Mediterranean Caper(a.k.a.Mayday,1973)
  3. Iceberg(1975)
  4. Raise the Titanic!(1976)
  5. Vixen 03(1978)
  6. Night Probe!(1981)
  7. Deep Six(1984)
  8. Cyclops(1986)
  9. Treasure(1988)
  10. Dragon(1990)
  11. Sahara(1992)
  12. Inca Gold(1994)
  13. Shock Wave(1996)
  14. Flood Tide(1997)
  15. Atlantis Found(1999)
  16. Valhalla Rising(2001)
  17. Trojan Odyssey(2003)
  18. Black Wind(2004) - Written with sonDirk Cussler
  19. Treasure of Khan(2006) - Written with sonDirk Cussler
  20. Arctic Drift(2008) - Written with sonDirk Cussler
  21. Crescent Dawn(2010) - Written with sonDirk Cussler
  22. Poseidon's Arrow(2012) - Written with sonDirk Cussler
  23. Havana Storm(2014) - Written with sonDirk Cussler
  24. Odessa Sea(2016) - Written with sonDirk Cussler[3]
  25. Celtic Empire(2019) - Written with sonDirk Cussler[4][5]
  26. Clive Cussler's The Devil's Sea(2021) - Written by Dirk Cussler
  27. Clive Cussler The Corsican Shadow(2023) - Written by Dirk Cussler

Novel notes

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AlthoughPacific Vortex!was released in 1983, it is actually the first Dirk Pitt novel chronologically. The events ofPacific Vortex!happen before those ofThe Mediterranean Caper.In fact, several events inPacific Vortex!are referred to inThe 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 withCraig Dirgo,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

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Pitt has twice appeared on the big screen, in movie adaptations ofRaise the Titanicin 1980, andSaharain 2005. In the former he was portrayed byRichard Jordan,and in the latter byMatthew McConaughey.

Clive Cussler sued the production company for the filmSahara,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 billionairePhilip Anschutz,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 March 10, 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.[6]

Critical studies

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

References

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  1. ^SeePacific Vortex!page 77 (reprinted in hardcover by Cahill Press in 2000).
  2. ^Cussler, Clive (1985).Deep Six,New York: Simon & Schuster. 0-671-50373-1; pages 337 and 338.
  3. ^"Odessa Sea - An Official Web Site for Bestselling Adventure Novelist - Author Clive Cussler".clive-cussler-books.com.5 November 2016.
  4. ^"Havana Storm (Dirk Pitt, book 23) by Clive Cussler and Dirk Cussler".www.fantasticfiction.co.uk.
  5. ^results, search (28 October 2014).Havana Storm: A Dirk Pitt Adventure.G.P. Putnam's Sons.ISBN978-0399172922.
  6. ^"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
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