Michael Tougias to Present Slide Presentation on The Coast Guard’s Most Daring Rescue

Seekonk, MA – New York Times bestselling author Michael Tougias will give a slide presentation on Tuesday, August 1st at 6:00 PM on his international bestseller The Finest Hours: The True Story of the U.S. Coast Guard’s Most Daring Sea Rescue. The program is free and open to the public. Register in the Events Calendar at www.seekonkpl.org/events.  The Disney Corporation has made a movie based on the book, and it stars Chris Pine and Casey Affleck.

On February 18th, 1952 an astonishing maritime event began when a ferocious nor’easter split in half a 500-foot long oil tanker, the Pendleton, approximately one mile off the coast of Cape Cod, Massachusetts. Incredibly, just twenty miles away, a second oil tanker, the Fort Mercer, also split in half. On both fractured tankers men were trapped on the severed bows and sterns, and all four sections were sinking in 60-foot seas. Thus began a life and death drama of survival, heroism, and a series of tragic mistakes. Of the 84 seamen aboard the tankers, 70 would be rescued and 14 would lose their lives. The rescue that followed is considered the Coast Guard’s greatest small boat rescue.

The author will also discuss the making of the movie, working with the screenwriters, and will share some humorous stories about the actors and his cameo in the movie.

Michael Tougias is the author and coauthor of 29 books including Fatal Forecast: An Incredible True Tale of Disaster and Survival at Sea, which the Los Angeles Times called “breathtaking…a marvelous and terrifying tale.” Tougias’ previous book Ten Hours Until Dawn: The True Story of Heroism and Tragedy Aboard the Can Do During the Blizzard of ‘78 received an Editor’s Choice Selection from the American Library Association which selected it as one of the top books of the year. He has also co-written a new book about the Cuban Missile Crisis titled Above & Beyond. His latest nature book is The Waters Between Us: A Boy, A Father, Outdoor Misadventures and the Healing Power of Nature. Visit www.michaeltougias.com  for more information.

For more event information, visit www.seekonkpl.org  or email library@seekonkpl.org.