Synopses & Reviews
In the winter of 1952, New England was battered by the most brutal noreaster in years. As the weather wreaked havoc on land, the freezing Atlantic became a wind-whipped zone of peril, setting the stage for one of the most heroic rescue stories ever lived.
In the early hours of Monday, February 18, while the storm raged, two oil tankers, the Pendleton and the Fort Mercer, found themselves in the same horrifying predicament. Built with "dirty steel," and not prepared to withstand such ferocious seas, both tankers split in two, leaving the dozens of men on board utterly at the Atlantics mercy. The Finest Hours is the gripping, true story of the valiant attempt to rescue the souls huddling inside the broken halves of the two ships.
The spellbinding tale is overflowing with breathtaking scenes, as boats capsize, bows and sterns crash into one another, and men hurl themselves into the raging sea in their terrifying battle for survival.
Not all of the eighty-four men caught at sea in the midst of that brutal storm survived, but considering the odds, its a miracle—and a testament to their bravery—that any came home to tell their tales at all.
Review
"The Finest Hours is a touching account, a sensitive rendering of what might be called four indescribably chaotic conditions...Tougias and Sherman never sensationalize, never go beyond the facts, and yet capture all the pain, physical and emotional, of the survivors and their families." -- Providence Journal
Review
"Look no further for the real-life adventure of the year. The Finest Hours is a rousing page-turner, a fascinating history, and an inspiring ode to the courage and professionalism of men who face bitter winds and black mountainous seas...all to do a dangerous job. Put it on the shelf next to The Perfect Storm. That's where it belongs!" -- William Martin, New York Times Best Selling author of Cape Cod and The Lost Constitution
Review
"Tougias and Sherman reach their peak of tension in the sink-or-swim moments when mariners abandoned ship and chanced their lives on their rescuers' skill and bravery...excellent." -- Booklist
Review
"Nearly 57 years later, it's a breathtaking story that still defies the imagination." -- Cape Cod Chronicle
Review
"It's good to know that real heroes exist...incredible." -- Concord Monitor
Review
"A gripping tale of Coast Guard heroism...an action-packed account of rescue at sea." -- Kirkus Reviews
Review
"Tougias and Sherman have told a mesmerizing story about Coast Guardsmen under the stress of extreme conditions and the self-imposed pressure to perform. The events they describe so vividly occurred in 1952. As extraordinary as the collective performance by the boat crews, cutter crews and aircraft crews were that night, the real miracle is that such performances are timeless." -- James Loy, former Commandant of the United States Coast Guard
Review
"In February of 1952, eighty-four men were in danger of drowning off the coast of Cape Cod when a ferocious Nor'easter split their ships in two. The Finest Hours recounts the incredible heroism of the Coast Guard, who risked their lives to save others. A gripping read." -- James Bradley, author of Flags of Our Fathers and Flyboys
Review
“This book captures the wit, grit and sacrifice of Coasties and their boats.” --Minneapolis Star Tribune
Review
"Gripping...Tougias and Sherman ably narrate the desperate struggles of crew members on both the wrecks and the rescue boats...will make readers appreciate the bravery of the men who put their lives on the line...action-packed." -- Publishers Weekly
Review
and#8220;This book captures the wit, grit and sacrifice of Coasties and their boats.and#8221; --andlt;iandgt;Minneapolis Star Tribuneandlt;/iandgt;
Review
and#8220;A blockbuster account of tragedy at sea.and#8221; andlt;BRandgt; --andlt;iandgt;The Providence Journalandlt;/iandgt;
Review
“A blockbuster account of tragedy at sea.”
--The Providence Journal
Synopsis
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).
About the Author
Michael J. Tougias is the author of a number of books, including
Rescue of the Bounty
: Disaster and Survival in Superstorm Sandy;
Overboard!;
The Finest Hours (with Casey Sherman), soon to be a major motion picture from Disney;
Fatal Forecast; and
Ten Hours Until Dawn: The True Story of Heroism and Tragedy Aboard the Can Do. He is a sought-after lecturer who gives more than seventy presentations each year. He lives in Massachusetts.
Casey Sherman is the author of two novels, Black Irish and Black Dragon. Hes also the author of the acclaimed true crime thriller A Rose for Mary: The Hunt for the Real Boston Strangler. Sherman has been nominated for an Emmy Award, has appeared on dozens of national television programs and has been profiled by numerous magazines and newspapers. He lives in Massachusetts.