Why do people serve? What motivates someone to
join the U.S. Coast Guard and its Auxiliary? These
are simple questions with any number of complex
answers that often defy explanation.
Your Fine
Bringing The L
Story by H W. Smith
Occasionally there are concrete examples of what
happens when the abstract desire to serve becomes
heroically real. It is in those stories that the bedrock
Coast Guard values of, “Honor, Respect and Devotion
to Duty,” shine brightest. It is in the legendary actions
of Coast Guard heroes that answers to the question
of service before self can be found, particularly when
times get tough.
One legendary example of that rock-solid foundation
can be found in what is regarded as the greatest small
boat rescue in Coast Guard history. The rescue of
crewmembers of the twin World War II era Type T2-
SE-A1 tankers, the SS Fort Mercer and SS Pendleton
has been detailed in the book The Finest Hours by
Michael J. Tougias and Casey Sherman. That book
created the framework of last year’s Disney Studios
film by the same name.
This series of articles will examine those values
through the lens of this particular event in Coast
Guard history using the premise that its example, like
much of the Coast Guard’s history, can offer a guide
to the motivations of Coast Guard active duty and
Auxiliary members alike.
27
A Legendary Story Made Real
What transpired that frigid night off the Cape Cod
coast was at the core of the film and faithfully retold
on the screen in vivid detail. The focus of the film was
placed on the actions of the four crewmembers of
the motor lifeboat CG36500 and the 32 sailors they
saved.
For those connected with the Coast Guard and its
Auxiliary there are larger questions to be considered.
The question of why Coxswain Bernard C. Webber,
Engineman Second Class Andrew Fitzgerald, Seaman
Richard Levesey and Seaman Ervin Maske were
willing to face nearly insurmountable odds is one that
connects with the Coast Guard’s core values in real
and tangible ways.
2
USCG Photo
On February 18, 1952 during a full-scale ‘Nor’easter’ gale with snow an
surviving crew members were rescued, with only one being lost at sea
In 1952 the unofficial motto of the Coast Guard still
was “You have to go out but you don’t have to
come back”.
The Regulations of the Life-Saving Service of 1899,
Article VI “Action at Wrecks,” section 252, page
58, stated: “In attempting a rescue the keeper will
NAVIGATO