The Mediterranean Caper (1973)

The novel that introduced Clive Cussler's Dirk Pitt. Major Dirk Pitt picks up a frantic distress call as he cruises his amphibious plane over the Aegean: an air force base under attack, its entire force of jets destroyed on the ground by one World War I biplane. (Goodreads)

Watches

Doxa SUB 300: Pitt wears his orange-dial Doxa across the whole series; Doxa later issued Dirk Pitt special editions in tribute.

Source text: Exact wording has not yet been verified from an accessible copy; an edition-level passage is still needed.