Two Tankers Down

[kahpho]

 by Robert Frump, 177 pages
Subtitled "The Greatest Small-Boat Rescue in U.S. Coast Guard History"

In the long and honerable history of the Coasties I'd be loath to point to only one rescue mission and proclaim it the greatest. This would easily be one among the greatest though. February 18, 1952, not one but two T-2 tankers broke apart in a raging storm off the coast of Cape Cod. This is the true story of the rescue efforts, especially of the Coast Guard crew of CG 36500. The crew of four on their 36 foot rescue boat braved crossing the Chathem Bar and seas that dwarfed their boat. These young men were truly hero's. They were well aware of what they were attempting and the old school Coasties motto " You have to go out. You don't have to come back." They went anyway.

This book moves along nicely and will keep even those with short attention spans engrossed. I wasted spent an entire Sunday reading it in one sitting, couldn't put it down until I finished it. Sorry, it's not a sailing story. It most definitely is a small boat story though. I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys a good sea story.

[kahpho]

Now made into the movie, The Finest Hours.