Who died on SS Pendleton?

Nine of Pendleton’s 41 crew were lost: eight (including Captain John Fitzgerald) who were on the bow section (which hadn’t been part of the rescue), and the ship’s cook from the stern section, who had selflessly assisted the rest of the crew off the vessel before himself.

What was the Pendleton carrying?

18, 1952, the 503-foot tanker Pendleton, with 41 crewmen and a cargo of oil and kerosene bound for Boston from Baton Rouge, La., was engulfed off Cape Cod in a shrieking nor’easter, one of the worst in memory, battered by blinding snow, winds exceeding 80 miles an hour and seas taller than a six-story building.

What happened to the stern of the Pendleton?

The final survivor of the Pendleton passed away in 2013. Following the rescue, the stern of the Pendleton was left adrift in the Atlantic, eventually coming to rest on Pollock Rip Shoal near Monomoy Island. The stern rolled over onto its port side and sank in 40 feet of water.

What is the greatest small boat rescue in Coast Guard history?

the SS Pendleton
The CG36500 and its brave crew had found the SS Pendleton. Now they had to save it . . . Survivors of the SS Pendleton leave the CG36500 for the Chatham Lifeboat Station. Image sourced from The Pendleton Disaster off Cape Cod: The Greatest Small Boat Rescue in Coast Guard History.

Why did T2 tankers split in half?

As was found during the war, the United States Coast Guard Marine Board of Investigation in 1952 stated that in cold weather the ships were prone to metal fatigue cracking, so were “belted” with steel straps. This occurred after two T2s, Pendleton and Fort Mercer, split in two off Cape Cod within hours of each other.

How many survived the SS Pendleton?

32 survivors
Bernard Webber and his three fellow Coast Guardsmen return to the Chatham Fish Pier after rescuing 32 survivors from the SS Pendleton. The wooden CG-36500 Motor Lifeboat was designed to hold only 12 people. Local citizens are ready to help as some of the survivors are visible through the windows in the back.

Did the captain of the Pendleton survive?

A crowd of Chatham men, women and children helped the shocked and sobbing survivors ashore. Crews aboard Coast Guard cutters rescued the crew of the Fort Mercer. The captain and seven crewmen on the other half of the Pendleton perished.

How many died on the SS Fort Mercer?

Five men from the crew of the Fort Mercer, which was heading from Louisiana to Portland, Maine, perished. Over the course of four hours, three cracks appeared. The bow was partially submerged, but the stern floated. Two Coast Guard cutters, Eastwind and Unimak, completed the rescue of 21 men after 20 hours.

Where was the tanker Pendleton when it broke in two?

On February 18, 1952, while en route from New Orleans to Boston, Pendleton broke in two in a gale south of Cape Cod, Massachusetts. A United States Coast Guard Consolidated PBY Catalina aircraft was diverted from searching for another T2 tanker, Fort Mercer, to search for Pendleton, and located both sections.

Where was the USS Pendleton in February 1952?

At 5 a.m. on Feb. 18, 1952, the Pendleton was headed south in blinding snow and violent seas 10 miles off the coast of Chatham, Mass. Suddenly the crewmen heard explosive cracking noises. The vessel lurched heavily and then broke in two.

How did the Coast Guard find SS Pendleton?

A United States Coast Guard Consolidated PBY Catalina aircraft was diverted from searching for another T2 tanker, Fort Mercer, to search for Pendleton, and located both sections. At this point, the Coast Guard realized that they were dealing with two ships that had broken in two.

How did the Pendleton crew get out of the ship?

The Pendleton crewmen began climbing down the ladder. One by one they either crashed on the bow of the CG-36500 or fell in to the sea, where the crew fished them out. The wind tossed the ladder to and fro, flinging the Pendleton crewmen away from the ship and then slamming them into it.