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.
What happened to the SS Pendleton?
At 5 a.m. on Feb. 18, 1952, the Pendleton was headed south in blinding snow and violent seas 10 miles off the coast of Chatham, Mass. Suddenly the crewmen heard explosive cracking noises. The vessel lurched heavily and then broke in two.
What was the Pendleton carrying?
The captain and seven men in the bow of the ship at the time were left without power, and wouldn’t make it out alive. The stern of the Pendleton, carrying 33 men, had a bit more hope.
What is the true story behind the finest hours?
The new film, which stars Chris Pine and Casey Affleck, is based on the true story of one of the most dangerous and daring rescue attempts in Coast Guard history: Boatswain’s Mate First Class Bernie Webber (Pine) sets out with a small team to rescue the crew of the Pendleton T2 oil tanker, which split in half off the
Can you still see the SS Pendleton?
The final survivor of the Pendleton passed away in 2013. Following the rescue, the stern of the Pendleton was left adrift in the Atlantic, eventually coming to rest on Pollock Rip Shoal near Monomoy Island.
Who was the captain of the USS Pendleton?
Not long after The Finest Hours was released in theaters, we received an inquiry that nearly knocked our clocks off (hehe). A young man by the name of Matt Fitzgerald told us he was the grandson of John J. Fitzgerald, the captain of the famed SS Pendleton tanker that went down off the coast of Chatham, on Cape Cod.
What two ships broke in half in the same day?
They were known for breaking in half. The Fort Mercer split apart at midday on February 18, while trying to ride out a gale. The captain and eight crew members were trapped on the bow of the ship, and 34 were on the stern.
What ship did Bernie Webber save?
Webber and his crew of three rescued the crew of the stricken T2 tanker SS Pendleton, which had broken in half during a storm on February 18, 1952 off Cape Cod.
Is Andy Fitzgerald still alive?
Andrew Fitzgerald, the last surviving member of a Coast Guard crew that took a lifeboat out into the Atlantic in a raging blizzard in 1952 and rescued 32 of 33 merchant seamen clinging to the remains of a tanker that had split in two off Cape Cod, died on Thursday in Aurora, Colo. He was 87.
When and where was the Pendleton split?
February 18, 1952 saw the Coast Guard rescue a total of 70 men from two T2 tank vessels, the Fort Mercer and the Pendleton. Both tankers split in half off Cape Cod. The T/V Mercer about 20 miles offshore, the T/V Pendleton about 10 miles.
What is the Chatham bar?
Chatham Bar is a bar in Massachusetts. Chatham Bar is situated east of North Monomoy Island, and northeast of Broad Creek.
Where is the Pendleton wreck?
The stern of the Pendleton, about a mile east of Monomoy Island, has long been a popular dive spot. The ship is famous not so much for its sinking as for the four Coast Guardsmen who braved 60-foot seas and fierce winds in a 36-foot motor lifeboat to rescue 32 of the ship’s crew stranded on the stern.
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.
