During a violent storm off the coast of Cape Cod, Massachusetts, two T2 oil tankers—the SS Pendleton and the SS Fort Mercer —both split in half due to extreme structural stress and 60-70 foot waves.
Coast Guard Coxswain Bernie Webber led a four-man crew on the 36-foot motorized lifeboat CG-36500 . The Finest Hours
The small wooden boat was designed to carry only 12 people ; Webber and his crew faced a broken compass and lost power in a storm with horizontal snow. During a violent storm off the coast of
The 1952 rescue of the SS Pendleton is widely considered the in U.S. Coast Guard history. The event has been immortalized in the non-fiction book The Finest Hours by Michael J. Tougias and Casey Sherman, as well as a 2016 Disney film starring Chris Pine. ⚓ The Historical Event: February 18, 1952 The 1952 rescue of the SS Pendleton is