David Bone

Sir David William Bone MBE (22 June 1874–17 May 1959) was a Scottish Commodore and author of nautical fiction. His work includes The Brassbounder about a brassbounder, a young apprentice on a British Merchant ship. It was included as a recommendation in Literary Taste: How to Form It, a long essay with recommended readings written by Arnold Bennett. Brassbounder is "a classic of the squaresail era".

Bone received the Coronation Medal from King George in 1937 for his long association with the Merchant Navy. He also received CBE in 1943 from King George VI.

Bone was born in Abbotsford Place in Glasgow, Scotland. His father, David Drummond Bone (1841–1911) was a prominent newspaper publisher in Glasgow and his great-grandfather was a boyhood companion of Robert Burns. Elizabeth Millar Crawford (1847–1886) was his mother. His brothers included the journalist James Bone and artist Muirhead Bone who illustrated some of David's books. Bone studied at Partick Academy.

Bone's career at sea began when he apprenticed at 15 on the City of Florence, "an old-time square-rigger". He also served on windjammers in Australia, with Anchor Line, and on a troop ship during the Boer War. He corresponded and eventually became friends with Joseph Conrad who inspired him to stick with his career as a mariner and sailed across the Atlantic Ocean on a ship Bone captained.

Muirhead Bone, one of his brothers, illustrated his book Merchantmen-at-Arms.

Bone captained the SS Tuscania from New York on its first trip to Glasgow.