21 Facts About Dirk Pitt

Dirk Pitt is a fictional character created by American novelist Clive Cussler and featured in a series of novels published from 1976 to 2021.

Dirk Pitt is a citizen of the United States, on loan from the United States Air Force with the rank of Major, after serving in the Vietnam War as a pilot.

Dirk Pitt 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.

Dirk Pitt has a commanding presence, a quick wit, and a considerable collection of classic cars.

Dirk Pitt is an accomplished pilot who is qualified to fly both fixed-wing and rotary aircraft.

Dirk Pitt receives one such commendation for shooting down the plane of Admiral James Sandecker.

Dirk 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, Dirk Pitt expertly shot out both engines on the transport, forcing them to ditch in the sea instead of landing at the captured base.

Dirk Pitt then flew cover, strafing any boats that left the shore, until everyone was taken aboard a navy patrol vessel.

In recent novels, Dirk Pitt becomes the head of NUMA, succeeding Admiral Sandecker when the latter is appointed Vice President of the United States after the sudden death in office of his predecessor.

Dirk Pitt has a commanding presence which, combined with a quick, sly wit, often infuriates his adversaries and superiors.

Dirk Pitt believes that quality tequila should be drunk straight with salt and lime, preferring to use cheaper tequila in margaritas.

Dirk Pitt wears an orange-faced Doxa Sub 300T Professional dive watch.

When Dirk Pitt is not traveling, he lives in a remodeled and refurbished hangar on the grounds of Washington National Airport, near Washington, DC A cast-iron stairway leads into a cluttered apartment with maps of the sea and models of ships scattered all about.

Dirk Pitt occasionally adds classic cars to his collection, purloined from a variety of antagonists over the course of his adventures.

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

Dirk Pitt is often described as Pitt's first real love.

Dirk Pitt gives birth to the twins shortly thereafter and raises them, naming them after their parents.

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

Dirk Pitt has twice appeared on the big screen, in movie adaptations of Raise the Titanic in 1980, and Sahara in 2005.

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