Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    The Finest Hours (Young Readers Edition): The True Story of a Heroic Sea Rescue
    The Finest Hours (Young Readers Edition): The True Story of a Heroic Sea Rescue
    The Finest Hours (Young Readers Edition): The True Story of a Heroic Sea Rescue
    Ebook153 pages2 hours

    The Finest Hours (Young Readers Edition): The True Story of a Heroic Sea Rescue

    By Michael J. Tougias and Casey Sherman

    4.5/5

    ()

    Read preview

    About this ebook

    This adaptation for young readers of The Finest Hours: The True Story of the US Coast Guard's Most Daring Sea Rescue by Michael J. Tougias and Casey Sherman tells the story of the shipwreck of two oil tankers and the harrowing Coast Guard rescue when four men in a tiny lifeboat overcame insurmountable odds and saved more than 30 stranded sailors. Now a major motion picture from Disney, starring Chris Pine and Casey Affleck.

    On the night of February 18, 1952, during one of the worst winter storms that New England has ever seen, two oil tankers just off the shore of Cape Cod were torn in half. With the storm in full force and waves up to 70 feet high, four coast guardsmen headed out to sea in a tiny lifeboat to come to the rescue. They were the only hope for the stranded sailors. Despite incredible obstacles, these brave men risked their lives, remembering the unofficial Coast Guard motto: You have to go out, but you do not have to come back.

    This is a fast-paced, uplifting story that puts young readers in the middle of the action. It's a gripping true tale of heroism and survival in the face of the elements.

    New York Times bestselling author Michael J. Tougias adapts his histories of real life stories for young readers in his True Rescue Series, capturing the heroism and humanity of people on life-saving missions during maritime disasters.

    More Thrilling True Rescue Books:
    A Storm Too Soon (Young Readers Edition)
    Into the Blizzard (Young Readers Edition)
    Attacked at Sea (Young Readers Edition)
    In Harm's Way (Young Readers Edition)
    Rescue on the Bounty (Young Readers Edition)

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherMacmillan Publishers
    Release dateJan 14, 2014
    ISBN9780805097658
    The Finest Hours (Young Readers Edition): The True Story of a Heroic Sea Rescue
    Author

    Michael J. Tougias

    MICHAEL J. TOUGIAS is a New York Times bestselling author and coauthor of over thirty books for adults and middle readers. His books include Fatal Forecast, The Finest Hours, Overboard!, A Storm Too Soon, So Close to Home, The Waters Between Us, Extreme Survival, and The Power of Positive Fishing. He offers slide presentations and an inspiration program titled “Survival Lessons: Decision Making Under Pressure.” Visit www.michaeltougias.com

    Read more from Michael J. Tougias

    Related to The Finest Hours (Young Readers Edition)

    Related ebooks

    YA Science & Nature For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      Surfer Has Swell Time Riding Top Waves

      Dec 19, 2020

      KOMMETJIE local Matt Bromley recently returned from two weeks of record-smashing big wave surfing at two of the most legendary and dangerous surf spots in the world: Jaws and Mavericks. Bromley, 29, braved some of the biggest rides of his life alongs

      2 min read

    • Article

      A Christmas In Service

      Dec 9, 2021

      A Christmas In Service
      4 min read

    • Article

      Tangled Up in Pots

      Oct 16, 2018

      I learned to sail on the Maine coast as a boy, and one of the things my elders taught me was to respect fishing gear. If you got caught up with a lobster pot, you did everything you could to get clear without cutting the pot warp. It represented a fa

      3 min read

    • Article

      A Tragedy At Sea And A Rescue

      Feb 15, 2024

      Aith is the UK’s most northerly lifeboat station, and every spring there’s a simple reminder of the tragedy that brought the lifeboat to Aith: a wreath of holly on a grave in Sandness, at the western corner of Shetland, looking out towards the notori

      3 min read

    • Article

      ‘Dan Captained A Daring Sea Rescue’

      Dec 14, 2021

      MARTIN COLDICOTT is a Citizens Advice volunteer and retired civil servant who lives in Somerset On Christmas night 1951 the cargo ship Flying Enterprise was en route from Hamburg to the USA, and heading for a storm. There were 10 passengers on board

      2 min read

    • Article

      Mailboat

      Apr 9, 2019

      Mailboat
      2 min read

    • Article

      A Long Run

      Oct 20, 2020

      A Long Run
      9 min read

    • Article

      Uncommon Courag

      Jun 17, 2022

      Uncommon Courag
      7 min read

    • Article

      #CaribbeanComeback

      Nov 13, 2018

      The sound of a table saw tearing through a sheet of plywood pierced the silence of Jost Van Dyke’s Great Harbour. From our mooring in the middle of the bay it was the first sign that something was amiss in the postcard-pretty cruising destination tha

      2 min read

    • Article

      Fresh Start

      Dec 8, 2020

      Fresh Start
      9 min read

    • Article

      Harrowing History

      Aug 17, 2023

      Harrowing History
      4 min read

    • Article

      What Drives Us To The Sea

      Oct 12, 2023

      What Drives Us To The Sea
      2 min read

    • Article

      Homeward Bound

      Aug 11, 2020

      Homeward Bound
      11 min read

    • Article

      Grandma Ocean

      Jul 25, 2023

      AT THE HELM This column is usually about seamanship, a technical look at things to make us better sailors. But how does history play a part in that? I was recently in Fort Lauderdale for a medical renewal of my captain’s license, and I stayed with Pa

      4 min read

    • Article

      Black in Navy Blue

      Aug 18, 2020

      Black in Navy Blue
      6 min read

    • Article

      ‘My Ancestor Survived A Terrible Flood’

      Aug 23, 2022

      For many years, Barry Maguire drove a bus on the beautiful route between Keswick and Lancaster. “One day in 1976, I was driving a heavily loaded coach out of Kendal,” Barry explains. “As we struggled up to Windermere, I noticed an elderly lady pushin

      2 min read

    • Article

      WHEN FISH FLY: The Revolt on the Slave Ship Creole

      Mar 1, 2022

      On October 25, 1841, twelve-year-old Pleasant Brown boards the Creole, a merchant slave ship sailing from Richmond to New Orleans with a “cargo” of 140 enslaved men, women, and children. Pleasant’s grandmother, who had been born in Africa, was the da

      10 min read

    • Article

      Passing It On

      Oct 4, 2022

      Passing It On
      8 min read

    • Article

      Time Out

      May 1, 2020

      Hemingway: a real man’s man; red wine, bulls and wrestling with fish were all central themes of a life of unremitting machismo. Having read a bit of Ernest in my time, I generally find that he spends a good deal of time droning on about death, impote

      6 min read

    • Article

      Time Out

      May 1, 2020

      Time Out
      6 min read

    • Article

      Merlin’s Return

      Nov 13, 2018

      Merlin’s Return
      7 min read

    • Article

      Explosion Of The Monster Torpedo

      Oct 6, 2020

      Thomas Morris Chester was born in 1834 in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, where his parents operated a restaurant that became known as a gathering place for abolitionists. (His mother was born into slavery but had escaped at age 19.) They were successful e

      12 min read

    • Article

      Pier To Peers

      Dec 14, 2021

      Pier To Peers
      8 min read

    Related categories

    Reviews for The Finest Hours (Young Readers Edition)

    4.5/5

    13 ratings9 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 4/5
      In February 1952, New England was being battered by one of the worst nor'easters in years, and two oil tankers, the Pendleton and the Fort Mercer, both broke in two.

      The two tankers were both built of "dirty steel," and were welded, not riveted. Both things made them more brittle and more at risk of precisely the disaster that befell them both. The dozens of men on each ship were at risk, especially given that both halves of each ship were at risk of capsizing. Rescuing them was not a job for amateurs, and the Coast Guard sent out two 36-foot lifeboats, each crewed by just four men.

      Tougias gives us a thrilling and sometimes heartbreaking account of the rescue efforts, interleaved with the history of rescue lifeboats, and the individual histories of the men putting their lives at risk in these rescue efforts. At times this has the effect of slowing the narrative of thrilling events. On balance, though, it makes the whole story richer and more satisfying.

      They couldn't save all the men on those two ships. They saved many, though, indeed more than they should have been able to fit on their comparatively tiny boats. It's a wonderful example of just how important, and heroic, the outwardly mundane United States Coast Guard really is.

      It's an overall excellent book, and well worth some of your time.

      Recommended.

      I bought this audiobook.
    • 3/5
      My history dose for the month-- a fascinating look at the heroic efforts of Coast Guard rescuers in a deadly Nor'easter. Four separate Coast Guard lifeboats attack 2 oil tankers off Cape Cod--both broken in half. When ordinary men do what has to be done at great peril, their heroism can be spectacular. Of particular interest, what happened to the Coasties after the events that shaped these young men? However, as much as I DID like it, I had a hard time keeping the various names (both of people and of boats) straight in a listen...maybe it would be easier with a read?
    • 4/5
      On Febraury 18, 1952, a nor'easter swept through Cape Cod and the seas. Caught in the storm, two oil tankers - the Pendleton and the Mercer - split in half. Back on shore, the Coast Guard launched a daring rescue on 36 foot lifeboats attempting to save both crews' lives in dangerous waters, high winds, and at great risk to their own men.Using research and interviews with the men involved, Michael Tougias and Casey Sherman weave a taut, fast-paced adventure tale that will keep you on the edge of your seat and pages turning fast. The authors juggle the various people and pieces of the drama with aplomb. The aftermath of the rescue and catching up with both men and boats' lives was a little more muddled, but it was still an excellent read.
    • 3/5
      Reviewed for publication.
    • 5/5
      This was a fascinating look at the heroic efforts of Coast Guard rescuers in a deadly Nor'easter from the early 1950s off the coast of Cape Cod. I found myself drawn into the story as the narrator described the events as they unfolded and brought us up-to-date on how it affected the men who were part of the rescue and even some of those rescued. Bernie Webber received many accolades for his leadership that night, but he knew he could not have done it without his crew and fought for their recognition. The narrator of the audio book did an excellent job. The book brings an awareness to the important role the Coast Guard plays in protecting lives.
    • 3/5
      The topic of this book was fascinating, but I think the writing falls shorts as a young adult adaptation of the story. There is a wide cast of characters and ships that are difficult to follow and the writer assumes the reader is very familiar with nautical terminology, which may be the case for the adult reader, but the younger reader needs explanations in layman's terms.
    • 5/5
      The Finest Hours is a good book. I have spent some time flipping back and looking over what I have already read, most especially the passages where I'm on the edge of my seat. Bernard Webber, Richard Livesey, Andy Fitzgerald and Ervin Maska are heralded as heroes in the greatest rescue by a small boat in Coast Guard history. After reading this book I understand they didn't view themselves as heroes but just did the job they signed up for. There are many other Coast Guard sailors and officers mentioned, their stories being equally interesting, but the focus is on the Pendleton and Fort Mercer.Mother nature seems to thumb her nose as rescue attempts are met with giant sweeping waves and frigid walls of water dousing the Coast Guard crew as well as the trapped seaman. I am looking forward to the movie but I had to read the actual accounting of this tremendous and heroic rescue first. A life at sea certainly isn't for everyone. It's a fascinating thing for me ( that being very weird as I'm afraid of fish and drowning) but men and women who choose a life at sea still holds a fascination for me.When the seas are calm it must be quite beautiful to behold glassy calm waters, the endless horizon and the solitude. However, the ocean is quite unpredictable and a storm or squall can come up on you without very much warning. There's no room for mistakes out on the open waters. If you run out of supplies there are no stores. if you screw up you could land up in the water with no hope of rescue. Now add a mother of a winter storm with snow , sleet and low visibility. Those are the conditions the CG36500 went out in to rescue the crew of the Pendleton. The Finest Hours is more than a story about a single rescue. There is so much information in The Finest Hours, not only about the Pendleton and Fort Mercer ships, but references to other sea rescues and disasters. If you like reading about daring sea rescues or need a pointer to other stories, read this book. You will not be disappointed. The bibliography is fantastic and a great source for more books in this category.I'm a big supporter of the military and reading how the Coast Guard risks their lives in service of our country, I am so impressed. Also enjoyable was the back stories of Webber and his crew as well as updates about their lives after they retired from the Coast Guard. Well done, Mr. Tougias and Mr. Sherman.
    • 5/5
      The Finest Hours is an adapted version of the longer adult non-fiction book The Finest Hours: The True Story of the U.S. Coast Guard’s Most Daring Sea Rescue. Finest Hours recounts two near simultaneous ship wrecks involving the same model tanker off the coast of New England in 1952. Despite impossible odds, fierce winds and deadly swells, the coast guard saved the lives of numerous crew members on both the Fort Mercer, and the Pendleton. The narrative is riveting. Patrons and students grades 5th-12th will be chilled with horror as the description of the tiny rescue boats attempts to reach the foundering T2 boats. This book could be recommended to any reader who is interested in the Titanic or other disasters at sea.
    • 4/5
      This book is a testament to the bravery and courage of the men of the United States Coast Guard. In the winter of 1952, two, yes two, tankers split in half during a violent storm raging off of the coast of Massachusetts. Each of the four pieces had people on board. The men of the US Coast Guard risked their own lives, in seas so rough, that they even feared that their own ships would be destroyed. What happens next is a story that will be told for years to come. This is real life adventure with real life consequences. Who lives and who dies is decided by the slimmest of margins. In the biting cold, each man must face his own demise or worse, the death of the person next to them because of his action or in-action.

    Book preview

    The Finest Hours (Young Readers Edition) - Michael J. Tougias

    PART I

    1

    CHATHAM LIFEBOAT STATION

    Chatham, Massachusetts: February 18, 1952

    Boatswain’s mate first class Bernie Webber held a mug of hot coffee in his large hands as he stared out the foggy window of the mess hall. He watched with growing curiosity and concern as the storm continued to strengthen outside. A midwinter nor’easter had stalled over New England for the last two days, and Bernie wondered if the worst was yet to come. Windswept snow danced over the shifting sands as large drifts piled up in the front yard of the Chatham Lifeboat Station.

    Taking a sip of his coffee, Bernie thought of his young wife, Miriam, in bed with a bad case of the flu at their cottage on Sea View Street. What if there was an emergency? What if she needed help? Would the doctor be able to reach her in this kind of weather? These questions were fraying his nerves, and Bernie fought to put them out of his mind. Instead he tried to picture the local fishermen all huddled around the old wood stove at the Chatham Fish Pier. They would be calling for his help soon as their vessels bobbed up and down on the waves in Old Harbor, straining their lines. If the storm is this bad now, what will it be like in a few hours when it really gets going? he thought.

    Bernie, however, wouldn’t complain about the tough day he was facing. The boatswain’s mate first class was only 24 years old, but he had been working at sea for nearly a decade, having first served with the U.S. Maritime Service during WWII. Bernie had followed his brother Bob into the Coast Guard; it was not the kind of life his parents had planned for him. From early childhood, Bernie’s father, the associate pastor at the Tremont Temple Baptist Church in Boston, had steered him toward a life in the ministry. The church deacon had even paid for Bernie to attend the Mount Hermon School for Boys, which was 105 miles away from their home in Milton.

    Bernie was an outcast in the prep school crowd. He arrived in Greenfield, Massachusetts, a small town hugging the Connecticut River, with serious doubts and wearing his brother’s hand-me-down clothes. He was not a strong student, and he privately questioned why he was there. Bernie knew in his heart that he did not want to follow in his father’s footsteps. He was thinking about running away from school when fate intervened; a childhood friend who had crashed his father’s car came looking for a place to hide out. Bernie snuck his friend into one of the dorm rooms and swiped food from the school cafeteria for the boy to eat. The two were caught after just a few days, but they did not stick around long enough to face the consequences. Instead they fled to the hills and cornfields surrounding the school before eventually making it back to Milton.

    Reverend Bernard A. Webber struggled to understand the actions of his wayward son as young Bernie quit school and continued to drift. A year later, at the age of 16, when World War II was under way, Bernie got an idea that would change the course of his rudderless life. He heard that the U.S. Maritime Service was looking for young men to train. If Bernie could complete the arduous training camp, he could then serve the war effort on a merchant ship. He quickly joined up after his father reluctantly signed his enlistment papers, and he learned the fundamentals of seamanship at the Sheepshead Bay Maritime School in New York.

    When he was finished with maritime school, Bernie shipped out on a T2 oil tanker in the South Pacific. During this time, he realized that he would not spend his life in the ministry or at any other job on dry land. Bernie Webber had been born to the sea. He enlisted in the U.S. Coast Guard on February 26, 1946, and was sent to its training station in Maryland. In letters to recruits at the time, the commanding officer of the coast guard training station summed up the life of a coast guardsman this way:

    HARD JOBS ARE ROUTINE IN THIS SERVICE. IN A WAY, THE COAST GUARD IS ALWAYS AT WAR; IN WARTIME, AGAINST ARMED ENEMIES OF THE NATION; AND IN PEACETIME, AGAINST ALL ENEMIES OF MANKIND AT SEA; FIRE, COLLISION, LAWLESSNESS, GALES, ICE, DERELICTS, AND MANY MORE. THE COAST GUARD, THEREFORE, IS NO PLACE FOR A QUITTER, OR FOR A CRYBABY, OR ANYONE WHO CANNOT KEEP HIS EYE ON THE BALL. IT IS UP TO YOU, AS AN INDIVIDUAL TO PROVE YOUR WORTH.

    *   *   *

    Ten years had passed, and Bernie was now on duty in Chatham, a tiny outpost at the elbow of Cape Cod. His worth and his mettle had been tested many times in the unforgiving waters off the Cape. It was one of the most dangerous places on the sea, because of the shifting sandbars and enormous waves. In fact, seamen referred to the area as the graveyard of the Atlantic, and for good reason. The sunken skeletons of more than 3,000 shipwrecks were scattered across the ocean floor from Chatham to Provincetown.

    Bernie Webber’s first challenge had come during an evening in 1949, when he responded to a distress call at the Chatham Lifeboat Station. The USS Livermore had run aground on Bearse’s Shoal, off Monomoy Island. Bernie and a crew took a 38-foot boat over the treacherous shallow area known as Chatham Bar to where the Livermore lay with a navy crew stranded on board. The ship rested high up on the shoal and was leaning dangerously on its side. Bernie and the men stayed with the destroyer for the rest of the night as salvage tugs were called in. The next morning, the coast guardsmen assisted in several failed attempts to free the warship before finally achieving success and sending the Livermore safely on its way. Bernie smiled as the Livermore’s crew cheered him and his crew. The sailors had given him a different reception several hours earlier when they pelted him with apples and oranges because, in their eyes, the rescue mission was taking too long. It was all part of a friendly rivalry between the navy and the coasties.

    Yes, the life of a coast guardsman was oftentimes a thankless one, but Bernie would not have traded it for any other job in the world. And now, just after dawn, he gazed out the window of the mess hall, listened to the wind howl, and wondered what the day would bring.

    2

    THE PENDLETON

    Captain John J. Fitzgerald Jr. was new to the Pendleton, but he was not new to the unpredictability of the New England weather. Fitzgerald, the son of a sea captain, had taken over command of the 503-foot, 10,448-ton T2 tanker just one month prior. The square-jawed resident of Roslindale, Massachusetts, was familiar with these waters and had a healthy respect for the dangers of the North

    Enjoying the preview?
    Page 1 of 1