The story behind the major motion picture from Disney--starring Chris Pine, Eric Bana, and Casey Affleck--written by a recognized master of the genre--"a blockbuster account of tragedy at sea" ( The Providence Journal ). It's the winter of 1952 and a ferocious Nor'easter is pounding New England with howling winds and seventy-foot seas. Two oil tankers get caught in the violent storm off Cape Cod, its fury splitting the massive ships in two. Back on shore are four young Coast Guardsmen who are given a suicide mission. They ...
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The story behind the major motion picture from Disney--starring Chris Pine, Eric Bana, and Casey Affleck--written by a recognized master of the genre--"a blockbuster account of tragedy at sea" ( The Providence Journal ). It's the winter of 1952 and a ferocious Nor'easter is pounding New England with howling winds and seventy-foot seas. Two oil tankers get caught in the violent storm off Cape Cod, its fury splitting the massive ships in two. Back on shore are four young Coast Guardsmen who are given a suicide mission. They must save the lives of the seamen left stranded in the killer storm, and they have to do it in a tiny lifeboat. The crew is led by Bernie Webber, who has to rely on prayer and the courage of his three crewmembers to pull off the impossible. As Webber and his crew sail into the teeth of the storm, each man comes to the realization that he may not come back alive. They've lost all navigation and have no idea where the stranded seaman are, and have no idea how to get back home. Whether by sheer luck or divine intervention, the crew stumbles upon the wounded ship in the darkness. More than thirty men appear at the railings of the SS Pendleton, all hoping to be saved. Once again, Webber and his crew face a daunting challenge. How can they rescue all these men with their tiny lifeboat? Dripping with suspense and high-stakes human drama, The Finest Hours has incredible and astonishing true-to-life heroism and action-packed rescue scenes. This "marvelous and terrifying yarn" ( Los Angeles Times ) "deserves a place as a classic of survival at sea" ( The Boston Globe ).
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Add this copy of The Finest Hours: the True Story of the U.S. Coast to cart. $9.46, very good condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Atlanta rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Austell, GA, UNITED STATES, published 2015 by Pocket Books.
Add this copy of The Finest Hours: the True Story of the U.S. Coast to cart. $9.48, fair condition, Sold by Goodwill of the Olympics rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from TACOMA, WA, UNITED STATES, published 2015 by Pocket Books.
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Add this copy of The Finest Hours: the True Story of the U.S. Coast to cart. $9.73, good condition, Sold by Goodwill Books rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Hillsboro, OR, UNITED STATES, published 2015 by Pocket Books.
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Add this copy of The Finest Hours: the True Story of the U.S. Coast to cart. $11.99, very good condition, Sold by HPB-Ruby rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Dallas, TX, UNITED STATES, published 2015 by Pocket Books.
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Add this copy of The Finest Hours: the True Story of the U.S. Coast to cart. $10.24, very good condition, Sold by HPB-Emerald rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Dallas, TX, UNITED STATES, published 2015 by Pocket Books.
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This is a true story written without the hyperbole that accompanies so many heroic adventures. An incredible February storm attacks the Eastern Seaboard, dumping snow, sleet, ice and hurricane-force winds -- almost without warning. It is 1952, before the days of high-tech body coverings like neoprene. Sailors only had old-style rain-slick wear and perhaps wool gloves.
This is truly an adventure of man-against-Mother-Nature. With horrific seas hurling 70 foot waves, two relics of the second World War (built with 'dirty-steel'), break at stress points. During WW II, ships were built with all speed, because the Germans were sinking them so fast. Short-cuts were taken in their construction. After the war, the ships were retrofitted to be oil tankers. After the ships' break up, their cargo was oozing out of their holds in the freezing rain and huge waves. The ships broke so that the officers were in the forward hulk and the crew was in the aft section of the dead ships.
Into this melee, the Coast Guard sends 36 ft. boats to rescue anyone still alive on the ships. The impossible was done just to get to the ailing ship hulks. And then the real work began. The two writers tell the story, often in the sailors' own words. This is truly a unique story.
One engaging aspect of this book is that the authors finished the story. They tell what happened to the Coast Guard men after the rescue and give sketches of their remaining lives. The tribunal conducted after such a large loss of live was also covered.
The rescuers were stunned by the accolades and awards sent their way, 'just for doing our jobs.' The work these young men did was all the more admirable because of their humility.
The book is lean at 224 pages. However the authors' research was obviously extensive. I happened to have 'read' this book via a library 'talking book.' I was disappointed with the narrator; his reading was bland. Without a doubt, this is one story that stays with the reader.
Brian H
Sep 3, 2016
Most Amazing Ocean Rescue in History
As a former Coast Guard officer, I read this account with utter disbelief. The chance that these men would ever return to shore, let alone save men from a ship going down, approaches zero. Disney has made a movie, which I plan to view, but nothing can surpass the drama of this account. PS The boat has been restored and is now, I believe, at the Chatham Lifeboat Station on Cape Cod.
