All four Coast Guardsmen were awarded the Gold Lifesaving Medal for their extreme bravery. Fact Checking "The Finest Hours" - The Frump Report
Against all odds, they located the stern of the Pendleton and successfully rescued 32 survivors . The Finest Hours
The small wooden boat was designed to carry only 12 people ; Webber and his crew faced a broken compass and lost power in a storm with horizontal snow. All four Coast Guardsmen were awarded the Gold
Coast Guard Coxswain Bernie Webber led a four-man crew on the 36-foot motorized lifeboat CG-36500 . The Finest Hours
During a violent storm off the coast of Cape Cod, Massachusetts, two T2 oil tankers—the SS Pendleton and the SS Fort Mercer —both split in half due to extreme structural stress and 60-70 foot waves.