. . Rick Dillard, MCPO, USN Retired Rick is the guy that you want to talk with if you have any questions about Cruise books.  With a personal collection of over 1,970 books and images of covers from another 5,797 books we consider him the expert and when he tells us something, we listen. Having retired as a Master Chief Petty Officer, from the United Navy, after a total of 30 years military service, he is keenly aware how ships operate and what it takes to do a successful Cruise book project .