Bernard C. Webber
| Bernard C. Webber | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born |
May 9, 1928 Milton, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Died | January 24, 2009 (aged 80) |
| Allegiance |
 United States of America |
| Service/branch |
.png){kind=small} U.S. Coast Guard |
| Rank |
 Boatswain's Mate First Class |
| Battles/wars | Leading a remarkable maritime rescue, facing hurricane force winds |
Bernard Challen Webber (May 9, 1928 – January 24, 2009) was a United States Coast Guardsman.[1][2] He was a petty officer assigned to Station Chatham, Massachusetts and part of his duties were that of coxswain of Coast Guard Motor Lifeboat CG 36500. Webber and his crew of three rescued the crew of the stricken T2 tanker SS Pendleton, which had broken in half during a horrific storm on February 18, 1952 off Cape Cod. Webber maneuvered the 36-foot lifeboat under the Pendleton's stern with expert skill as the tanker's crew, trapped in the stern section, abandoned the wreck of their ship on a Jacobs ladder into the Coast Guard motor lifeboat.[1]
Career
Webber and his crew of three, Engineman Third Class Andrew Fitzgerald; Seaman Richard Livesey; and Seaman Ervin Maske, saved 32 of the 33 crewmen of the SS Pendleton who were on the stern section of the ship. All four Coast Guardsmen were awarded the Gold Lifesaving Medal for their heroic actions.[1] Their successful rescue operation has been noted as one of the greatest in the history of the U.S. Coast Guard.
Webber was a veteran of the Merchant Marine during World War II and joined the Coast Guard in 1946. At the time of the Pendleton rescue Webber was serving as a first class boatswain's mate at Station Chatham. He rose to the rank of chief warrant officer during a 20-year military career that included a tour during the Vietnam War as a part of Operation Market Time.[1]
Personal life
Webber was born in Milton, Massachusetts, the son of Anne (Knight) and Reverend A. Bernard Webber.[3] He was married to Miriam Penttinen. Webber died on January 24, 2009,[2] Miriam died on May 14, 2011.
Legacy
The first-in-class Sentinel class cutter, USCGC Bernard C. Webber was named in his honor.[4] She was commissioned on 14 April 2012 at her home-port of Miami, Florida.
A history of the rescue of the men of the Pendleton and Mercer, including Webber's role in the rescue of the men of the stern of the Pendleton, was presented in the 2009 book The Finest Hours: The True Story of the U.S. Coast Guard's Most Daring Sea Rescue, (Mike J. Tougias and Casey Sherman). This book was later reissued in a "young adult" edition and adapted into a 2016 feature film, The Finest Hours by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, depicting the Pendleton rescue with Chris Pine portraying Webber.[5]
Webber's memoir was published in 2015, titled Lightships, Lighthouses, and Lifeboat Stations: A Memoir and History (ISBN 978-1627340625).[6]
Notes
- Citations
- 1 2 3 4 "Bernard C. Webber, USCG, 1928-2009", Coast Guard Heroes, U.S. Coast Guard Historian's Office
- 1 2 Webster, W. Russell; "A Tribute: Bernie Webber, CWO (Ret.)", U.S. Coast Guard History Program, U.S. Coast Guard Historian's Office
- ↑ "The Pendleton Disaster off Cape Cod". Retrieved 4 January 2016.
- ↑ Lagan, Christopher, "First Sentinel Class cutter named for CG hero Webber", Coast Guard Compass, Official CG Blog
- ↑ Lamothe, Dan; "The real-life story behind Disney’s forthcoming Coast Guard rescue movie, ‘The Finest Hours’", Washington Post
- ↑ Webber, (2015)
- References used
- "Bernard C. Webber, USCG, 1928-2009". Coast Guard Heroes. U.S. Coast Guard Historian's Office. Retrieved 19 January 2016.
- Lagan, Christopher (19 March 2010). "First Sentinel Class cutter named for CG hero Webber". Coast Guard Compass. Coast Guard Compass, Official CG Blog. Retrieved 19 January 2016.
- Lamothe, Dan (13 July 2015). "The real-life story behind Disney's forthcoming Coast Guard rescue movie, 'The Finest Hours'". Washington Post. Washington Post Company. Retrieved 19 January 2016.
- Tougias, Michael J.; Sherman, Casey (2009). The Finest Hours: The True Story of the U.S. Coast Guard's Most Daring Sea Rescue. New York City, New York: Scribner. ISBN 978-1-4165-6721-9.
- Webber, Bernard C. (2015). Lightships, Lighthouses, and Lifeboat Stations: A Memoir and History. Boca Raton, Florida: Universal Publishers. ISBN 978-1627340625.
- Webster, W. Russell. "A Tribute: Bernie Webber, CWO (Ret.)" (PDF). U.S. Coast Guard History Program. U.S. Coast Guard Historian's Office. Retrieved 19 January 2016.
External links
This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the United States Coast Guard.