The Finest Hours
Subtitle: The true story of the U.S. Coast Guard's most daring sea rescue
By: Michael Tougias and Casey Sherman.
Contributors: Sherman, Casey, 1969-
Publisher: Scribner
Published: May 19, 2009
Place of publication: New York
Language: eng
Number of pages: 204
ISBN-13: 9781416567219
Subjects: Pendleton (Tanker); CG36500 (Lifeboat); Shipwrecks -- Massachusetts -- Chatham -- History; Survival after airplane accidents, shipwrecks, etc. -- History
Description: 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

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 & Flyboys


The true story of an incredible disaster and heroic rescue at sea by two masterful storytellers. Michael Tougias proved his mettle with his breathtaking Fatal Forecast. Casey Sherman terrified readers with his true-crime account of the Boston Strangler, A Rose for Mary. Now these storytelling talents combine to bring forth a work brimming with excitement and suspense, and packed with gripping authentic descriptions of an actual Coast Guard rescue adventure.
In the winter of 1952, a ferocious Nor’easter pounded New England with howling winds and seventy-foot seas. Caught in the violent storm just off Cape Cod were two oil tankers, split in half by the ravaging winds and water. Thus began a life and death drama of heroism, survival, and tragedy. Eighty-four lives were at stake, not all would survive the storm.
Going to the rescue of the Pendleton were four young Coast Guard men in a thirty-six-foot life boat—a potential suicide mission in such a small vessel. Several cutters and small boats raced to the sinking sections of the Fort Mercer, and valiant rescue attempts were undertaken: some successful, some not.
However, that the brave crews lived to tell about this dramatic mission, and that they were able to rescue any survivors in their small boat, is perhaps the biggest miracle of all.
Praise for Michael J. Tougias:
“Tougias spins a marvelous and terrifying yarn…This is a
breathtaking book.”
—Los Angeles Times, on Fatal Forecast
Praise for Casey Sherman:
“Chillingly realistic and exhaustively researched…this is a
must read for true crime aficionados.”—Booklist, on A Rose
for Mary
Michael J. Tougias is author of Fatal Forecast, and a much sought after
lecturer. He lives in Franklin, Massachusetts.
Casey Sherman is the author of the acclaimed true crime thriller A Rose
for Mary. He’s been nominated for an Emmy Award and has been profiled by
the New York Times, People, Newsweek, and Entertainment Weekly. He lives Marshfield, Massachusetts.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references and index.