Bernie Weber is a legend of the US Coast Guard

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

In 2016, the film "And the Storm Came" was released on world screens. The picture is based on real events that took place in February 1952, and is dedicated to the feat of the crew of the lifeboat CG-36500. Navigator Bernie Weber and his crew set off to help the crew of the sinking tanker Pendleton despite a terrible storm and a slim chance of success.

Thirty-two people were saved as a result of this brave act. What was the main character in life, and what was his fate?

Biography

Both on screen and in reality Bernard Challen Webber is a US Coast Guard officer. He was born on May 9, 1928 in the city of Milton (Massachusetts) in the family of a priest. Despite his young age, Bernie, like his three brothers, joined the US armed forces during World War II. After graduation, he transferred to the Coast Guard. At the time of the tragedy in 1952, Bernie Weber served as the first boatswain's mate.class at Chatham station. He ended his 20-year military career with the rank of chief midshipman in the US Navy.

Tanker Wreck

It happened on February 12, 1952. A hurricane that raged in the northeast of the United States gave rise to a severe storm that covered the entire coast. Near the Cape Cod peninsula, the elements overtook two tankers - Fort Mercer and Pendleton. Having discovered a leak, the crew of the Fort Mercer sent a distress signal. The next message said that the tanker was breaking apart. The Coast Guard sent five boats to help. In addition, a plane flew to the crash site to clarify the situation.

Returning back, pilot George Wagner spotted the tanker Pendleton, which was also splintered. Everything happened so quickly that his team did not even have time to send a signal for help. The crew members who were in the forward section of the ship died. And the people left in the stern of the ship had very little time and opportunity to survive. The pilot transmitted the coordinates of the ship to the shore, but the growing storm reduced the chances of salvation to zero. In addition, the main rescue force was involved in another operation and was located sixty kilometers from the Pendleton.

Incredible rescue

Bernie Weber is an experienced Coast Guard officer. Therefore, he was well aware that there was no time to wait for the return of service boats. He takes responsibility and forms a rescue team. No one believes in the success of the operation, since going out on a motorboat in such a storm is like death. Howeverthere are volunteers. Together with Bernie, Petty Officer Andrew Fitzgerald, sailor Richard Livesey and sailor Simon Erwin Maske are sent to help the crew of the tanker. Powerful waves at the dangerous Chatham bar almost destroyed the boat and the crew. But the rescuers did not give up and, despite some damage to the vessel, continued to search for the tanker.

When the Pendleton was discovered, the brave crew faced another problem. It turned out that 32 people managed to survive, and the lifeboat is designed for only 12 people. Overload can be fatal. Bernie Weber takes the risk and takes all the survivors. Very slowly and carefully, the boat CG-36500 returned to the shore. The heroes were met by locals who, despite the gloomy reports on the radio, did not lose hope.

Results of operational actions

Together, on that February day, 32 people from the Pendleton tanker and 38 crew members of the Fort Mercer were rescued. After a successful rescue operation that was hailed as one of the most outstanding in the history of the US Coast Guard, Bernie Weber and his crew members were awarded Life Saving Gold Medals. Compatriots called their act a feat. However, the participants in those events themselves always believed that they were simply doing their duty honestly.

Life after the feat

After the events described above, Weber was transferred from Chatham to the Woods Hole Coast Guard, where he served until 1954. In 1955, he and his family were again sent to Chatham. It is interesting that in the personal life of our heroThe Coast Guard played a significant role. Bernie Weber met his future wife Miriam Pentinen while serving in North Truro. They married on July 16, 1950 in Milton. The wedding ceremony was conducted by Bernie's father, Reverend Bernard Weber. The family finally left Chatham in 1963. Then there were the military operations in Vietnam, in which Weber, being a US Navy officer, took part. After several more transfers, he ended his service in 1966.

When Weber left the Coast Guard, he had a chance to serve in the Corps of Engineers and work for a dredging company. In his last years before retirement, he was an engineer at Nauset Auto and Marine. However, even in retirement, the old sea wolf did not sit idly by. Until the last days, Bernie Weber was active in public activities. Photos of a Coast Guard veteran are presented in this article. He taught basic maritime science at Maine's Hurricane Island Outward Bound School and wrote the book Chatham's Lighthouses and Lifeboats. Bernard Kjellen Weber died on May 9, 2009 and was buried with full military honors.

Hero's Legacy

Despite the fact that Weber is no longer alive, his namesake is still in service. A fast patrol boat named USCGC Bernard C. Webber was launched on April 14, 2012 in the Port of Miami, Florida.

The story of the incredible rescue of the crews of the Pendleton and Fort Mercer in 2009 was presented in the book Beautiful Watches:The True Story of the US Coast Guard. Weber's memoir The Lighthouses and Lifeboats of Chatham was published in 2015. And in 2016, based on the events that took place, a film was made. The project was directed by Craig Gillespie. The role of Bernie Weber in the film was played by the talented actor Chris Pine.