Free The Finest Hours by Michael J. Tougias

drifted over to the inboard side of the lifeboat and grabbed hold of the line. Richard Livesey then leaned far over the side of the vessel and reached for Myers’s hand. The move nearly cost Livesey his life. Myers was so heavy and strong that he began to pull Richard down into the water. Ervin and Andy rushed over to help, grabbing hold of Livesey by the legs and waist to prevent him from being pulled overboard.
    As they tried in vain to hoist Myers into the boat, the large man was swallowed by an even larger wave and disappeared from sight. A collective gasp of horror could be heard on the lifeboat as the survivors watched their friend be consumed by the sea. Bernie put the lifeboat in reverse and maneuvered away from the side of the ship. The CG 36500 came around in a circle as Andy kept the spotlight shining on the cresting waves. They finally caught sight of Myers in the darkness.
    Due to the angle of the stern, the three propeller blades were now sticking out of the water. The seas were picking up, and Webber knew that he’d have only one chance to save this man. He steered the bow of the lifeboat toward Myers and then eased slowly ahead. At that moment, Webber and crew felt the back of the boat rise up as a huge wave lifted the CG 36500 and threw it against the ship. The lifeboat was now out of control and rushing toward Myers. Webber could see the panicked look in the man’s eyes. Ervin Maske reached out and managed to grab hold of the man once more, but the lifeboat was careering toward the ship. A second later, they felt the sudden impact of a collision as the lifeboat slammed into the tanker, trapping Tiny Myers between them.

 
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    THIRTY-SIX MEN IN A 36-FOOT BOAT
    Webber had tried desperately to avoid Tiny Myers as the lifeboat lurched forward. He even tried throwing the CG 36500 in reverse, but that only stalled the engine once more. Ervin Maske was the last man to get ahold of Myers, and he paid a price for it. Maske’s hands had been crushed in the collision, and he could feel the blood pumping in his fingertips, which were now beginning to swell. There would be no way to recover the body now. Webber tried to put the thought out of his mind. He successfully maneuvered the boat back to the ladder, rescuing the last man down, Raymond Sybert.
    Andy Fitzgerald crawled back into the engine compartment in hopes of getting the motor going again. The lifeboat took another violent punch from a wave, throwing Andy back on top of the engine at the moment it restarted. Webber heard his comrade scream as the spark plugs burned his back. Bernie was about to send another crewmember into the compartment when Fitzgerald suddenly dragged himself out. Andy could feel the welts growing on his back, but otherwise he was okay. Webber and crew had conquered Chatham Bar, and getting the survivors off the Pendleton ’s stern was a huge accomplishment, but making it safely back to shore would have its own set of perils.
    Drifting in the darkness and with no compass to guide them, Webber still had no idea exactly where they were. Also, he didn’t know where the other coast guard boats were, but he understood that his vessel must have remained somewhere off Chatham or maybe somewhere to the south of Monomoy Island. If I can just put the sea behind me and jog along, we’ll end up in Nantucket Sound and eventually on the shallow water somewhere on Cape Cod , he tried to convince himself. Bernie then relayed his plans to the rest of the men on board.
    â€œIf the boat all of a sudden stops, hit the beach,” he commanded. “Don’t waste any time asking questions. Get off and help those who are hurt. Just get off as fast as you can!”
    Webber felt that if he could get the boat’s bow as close as possible to the storm-tossed beach and keep the engine going, the men would have the precious few moments they would need to get safely ashore. The survivors understood the plan perfectly.