The Finest Hou rs: The True Story of the US Coast Guard's Most Daring Sea Rescue by Michael J. Tougias and Casey Sherman (Scribner, New York, (2009) illus, appen, biblio , ISBN 978-1-4165-6721-9; $25hc) Michael Tougias and Casey Sherman tell the story of the dramatic rescue of the crews from two oil tankers, the Pendleton and the Fort Mercer, that grounded off Cape Cod and split in two d uring a terrible storm in rhewinterof1952. No rail of the eighty-four men caught aboa rd the ships survived, but co nsiderin g the odds, it is a testament to the brave ry and skill of the Coast G uardsm en involved that seventy did. The Coas t G uard has long celebrated this daring, open-sea rescue by the crew of the 36-foot boat, CG365 00. Bernie Webber was the boar coxswain and he was assisted by a crew of three Coast G uardsmen . This rescue has been subj ect of several books, one written by Webber himself, and numerous articles . In fact, this is the third book in just the last three years o n this event. This is more than another telling of an heroic tale. Like Robert Frump's Two Tankers Down (The Lyons Press, 2008), Tougias and Sherman provide, not o nly descriptions of all the dramatic action, but also valuable insights about the people involved. They differ in that Frump's book tells the story of the men aboard the tankers and their rescuers, while Tougias and Sherman foc us more o n the heroic men making the incredibly dan gerous rescue at sea. The book opens with the story of C G36500 's rescue of survivo rs aboard the Pendleton and then follows with an account of the much less well-known-but no less daring- rescue of rhemen of the Fort Mercer by the USCG cutters Eastwind, Yakutat, Unimak and Acushnet. The second half of the book examines the investigation and the effect of the rescue on those who were hailed as heroes. It is here that Tougias and Sherman make their biggest co ntribution . The authors explicitly compare the crew ofCG36500 to heroes portrayed in aurhor James Bradley's bestselling book, Flags ofour Fathers. These Coast Guard heroes became the "poster boys" of the Coast G uard and also felt the same kind of grief as the Iwo Jima flag raisers. Bernie Webber died while this book was being written , and so it appropriately ends with his death.
SEA HISTORY 13 1, SUMMER2010
Tougias and Sherman share with us an unforgettable tale of hero ism, triumph, and tragedy, one that indeed tells of the Coast G uard's "fin est hours." Even if yo u have already read o ne of the previous books about this event, The Finest Ho urs provides new insight into the people that made the rescue. The authors are to be commended for broadening the focus beyond Bernie Webber and his three brave crewmembers to include the other Coast G uard vessels that were involved in these "finest ho urs." This book tells a story that needs to be better known, nor on ly by those who serve or have served in the United States Coast G uard, bur also by all those interested in maritime lifesaving o r maritime history and anyo ne looking for a gripping and insp iring read.
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By Kurt D. Voss A new pictorial history tells the amazing story of one of Americas finest maritime restorations.
DO UG LAS KROLL, PHD
College of the D esert Palm D esert, California Captains Contentious: The Dysfunctional Sons ofthe Brine by Louis A. Norton (Univ. of South Carolina Press, Columbia, 2009, 185 pp, ISB N 978-1-57003-807-5; $29.95 hc) Louis Arthur Norton's latest book is clearly a product of our times. In th e past, our quest to honor our nation's heroes has often left us with the impression that they weresuperhumans. In Captains Contentious, Dr. No rton examines the lives of fi ve important players in the AedglingAmerican Navy and portrays them in a more realisti c light: John Manley of the schooner Lee and the fri gate H ancock; Silas Talbot, commander of the Constitution; Joshua Barney, who served in the sloop Ho rnet and the schoonerW0sp during the American Revolution and then co mmanded the Chesapeake Bay Flotilla the War of 1812; and, of course, John Paul Jones of the Bonhomme Richard. With no disrespect to their achievements and co ntribution to America's ultimate victory in the war, Norton clearly shows th at these men were indeed human, or, as some wo uld say, flawed- just like the rest of us. Their rise in rank was achieved through their own conscious efforts co mbined with personal valor and triumph in battl e. As individuals, they were not always well -liked, but popularity did not then, and does not now, necessarily dictate victory. Their ambition and personal ities often had as much to do with their effectiveness as leaders aboard ship as it did
Published by Arcadia Publishing and Ga lveston Historical Foundation $2 1.99. 128 pages, 200 photographs Autographed cop ies avai lab le at (409) 763- 1877, or online at:
www.tsm-elissa.org
THE GLENCANNON PRESS
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