Is the movie finest hours a true story

The screenplay, written by Eric Johnson, Scott Silver, and Paul Tamasy, is based on The Finest Hours: The True Story of the U.S. Coast Guard’s Most Daring Sea Rescue by Michael J. Tougias and Casey Sherman.

How many died on the SS Pendleton?

Nine of Pendleton’s 41 crew were lost: eight (including Captain John Fitzgerald) who were on the bow section (which hadn’t been part of the rescue), and the ship’s cook from the stern section, who had selflessly assisted the rest of the crew off the vessel before himself.

Is The Finest Hours fiction or nonfiction?

This middle-grade adaptation of an adult nonfiction book tells the story of a harrowing Coast Guard rescue when four young men in a tiny lifeboat overcame insurmountable odds and saved more than 30 stranded sailors. It’s a fast-paced, uplifting story that puts young readers in the middle of the action.

How many survived the SS Pendleton?

Bernard Webber and his three fellow Coast Guardsmen return to the Chatham Fish Pier after rescuing 32 survivors from the SS Pendleton. The wooden CG-36500 Motor Lifeboat was designed to hold only 12 people. Local citizens are ready to help as some of the survivors are visible through the windows in the back.

Why did the Pendleton break in half?

Suddenly the crewmen heard explosive cracking noises. The vessel lurched heavily and then broke in two. The Pendleton’s bow section lost power and drifted south with the captain and seven crewmen aboard. The power remained on the stern section, and the chief engineer took charge and assigned duties to the 32 crewmen.

Where did the Fort Mercer sink?

On February 18, 1952, Fort Mercer, full of kerosene and fuel oil, first cracked and then broke in two in a gale, 30 miles (48 km) east of Chatham, Massachusetts.

Did Bernie and Miriam Webber have children?

Bernard C. WebberAwardsLifesaving MedalSpouse(s)Miriam PenttinenChildrenBernard Challen Webber Jr. Patricia Webber

Where was the finest hours filmed?

The movie was filmed in Chatham, Cohasset, Duxbury, Marshfield, Norwell and Quincy in 2014. The film crew built an 800,000 gallon water tank, measuring 110 x 80 feet, at the Fore River Shipyard in Quincy, where much of the storm effects were replicated.

Do tankers split in half?

Just off Cape Cod, two 500-foot tankers were broken in half by the heavy seas. … The Fort Mercer, like the Pendleton, was a T2-SE-A1 tanker, built on the cheap during World War II. They were known for breaking in half.

What is the theme of the finest hours?

Throughout the movie, teamwork is a running theme; be in the Coast Guardsmen ashore, the sailors on the oil tanker, or the people of the community.

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What is the finest hour book about?

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.

What reading level is the finest hours?

• Reading age. 9 – 14 years.
• Print length. 174 pages.
• English.
• Grade level. 4 – 8.
• Lexile measure. 1140L.
• Henry Holt and Co. ( BYR)
• January 14, 2014.
• Page Flip. Enabled.

Can you still see the SS Pendleton?

The remains of the Pendleton lie in around 40 feet of water off Pollock Rip Shoal in cold water and tough currents. The remains are heavily decayed and in unrecognizable pieces due to being blown up by the Army in 1979.

Why did T2 tankers split?

As was found during the war, the United States Coast Guard Marine Board of Investigation in 1952 stated that in cold weather the ships were prone to metal fatigue cracking, so were “belted” with steel straps. This occurred after two T2s, Pendleton and Fort Mercer, split in two off Cape Cod within hours of each other.

How many died on the SS Fort Mercer?

One member of its crew of 35 died aboard a rescue vessel, and, in an eerily reminiscent replay of the 1952 disaster, crew members remained on board the stern section as it was towed to the Newport News (Va.)

What is the greatest small boat rescue in Coast Guard history?

The CG36500 and its brave crew had found the SS Pendleton. Now they had to save it . . . Survivors of the SS Pendleton leave the CG36500 for the Chatham Lifeboat Station. Image sourced from The Pendleton Disaster off Cape Cod: The Greatest Small Boat Rescue in Coast Guard History.

Did the Pendleton run aground?

The ships did not run aground, but broke apart from the stress of the heavy seas. The bow section of The Pendleton sank, taking with it the Captain and seven other crewmen. Thirty-three men were trapped on the drifting stern section, unable to send an SOS.

What happened to the Fort Mercer?

Caught in a nor’easter off the Massachusetts coast in February 1952, the T2 tanker Fort Mercer suffered a hull fracture that split the ship in two and created a harrowing situation both for her crew and for their Coast Guard rescuers.

How many people were saved on the Fort Mercer?

All eight men in the bow of the Pendleton were lost. Cutters rescued 38 seamen from the Fort Mercer’s stern, but five, including the captain, were lost in the bow section, which sank offshore. Books about the rescue included “Chatham, ‘The Lifeboatmen’ ” (1985), by the pilot of CG-36500, Bernard C.

What was the Fort Mercer?

Fort Mercer was a earthen fort on the Delaware River on its New Jersey shore constructed by the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. … The fort was named in honor of Brigadier General Hugh Mercer who had died earlier that year at the Battle of Princeton.

Why did the Marine Electric sink?

Investigation. During the course of the investigation into the ship’s sinking, representatives of MTL theorized that the ship ran aground during her maneuvering to help the Theodora, fatally damaging the hull. They contended that it was this grounding that caused the Marine Electric to sink five hours later.

What happens at the end of the finest hours?

The end of the film shows photographs from the event that briefly document the aftermath of the rescue. Two months later, Bernie and Miriam marry; they stay together for 58 years until Bernie’s death in 2009. Bernie Webber and his crew receive the Gold Lifesaving Medal.

What does an oil tanker do?

An oil tanker, also known as a petroleum tanker, is a ship designed for the bulk transport of oil or its products. There are two basic types of oil tankers: crude tankers and product tankers. Crude tankers move large quantities of unrefined crude oil from its point of extraction to refineries.

What year did the finest hours take place?

On a stormy night in the winter of 1952, off the coast of Massachusetts in Cape Cod, a violent tempest splits in half two oil tankers: the SS Fort Mercer and the SS Pendleton where its 32-member crew struggle to keep afloat the fragmented hull in the middle of the raging sea.

How many pages are in the finest hours?

ISBN-13:9781250044235Publication date:12/08/2015Series:True Storm Rescues SeriesEdition description:Media Tie-InPages:208

Where is the SS Pendleton located?

Location of the wreck of the SS “Pendleton” – east of Monomoy Island, Chatham, MA (Cape Cod).

What is a Coxon?

In a rowing crew, the coxswain (/ˈkɒksən/ KOK-sən; or simply the ‘cox’ or ‘coxie’) is the member who does not row but steers the boat and faces forward, towards the bow. … In most racing, coxswains may be of any gender regardless of the gender of the rowers.