The Finest Hours: The True Story of the U.S. Coast Guard’s Most Daring Sea Rescue
By: Michael J. Touglas, Casey Sherman / Narrated By: Malcolm Hillgartner
Length: 5 hrs and 56 mins
Captivating despite flat narration
One of the worst Nor’easters ever struck New England in 1952, a storm which put several vessels, namely two oil tankers, in distress. The Finest Hours chronicles the valiant responses by the U.S. Coast Guard, and it’s an engaging listen despite the iffy narration.
Let’s get the narration out of the way. I usually like Malcolm Hillgartner, especially for nonfiction, but in The Finest Hours, his tones are as flat as an anchorman’s. Add to that the many and varied vocal distinctions he gives to each and every one of the people who comment through the audiobook, and you have a strange hodgepodge of flat, then twang; flat, then twang. It’s odd and might’ve been wearying had the rescues not been so absorbing. That said, I will give Hillgartner his due: he brings a mighty winter storm to life, and he adds excitement to the tensions brought about during the rescues. So I suppose the narration doesn’t ultimately take away too much from the audiobook.
Both oil tankers were built with “dirty steel” and shoddy welding, so both the Pendleton and the Fort Mercer split in two. At the Coast Guard battle station, crews can’t believe the bad luck and have only the faintest hope of success given the extremity of the storm raging outside. We follow along as the brave crews battle the elements, losing hope, getting increasingly weary, as hell after hell breaks loose. And almost immediately, there is loss of life. Not everyone makes it out alive, but that anybody did, least of all so many, is nothing short of a miracle. There’s one individual, Tiny, a large man who has a feeling he’s not going to make it, gives away all of his belongings so that others might survive. He even gives clothing from his back to help others endure the raw iciness of the winds and cold. That image of a generous and hopeless Tiny will haunt me for a long time.
The story doesn’t end with the rescues, as we’re allowed to follow as each man of the rescue crews deals with their own sorts of nightmares. While praise and honors were heaped upon them, they had their doubts, bad memories, horrifying images that haunted them when they tried to sleep at night. It makes for some tragic listening.
I really wanted to listen to this audiobook as my husband was reading the print copy at the same time. Despite Hillgartner’s iffy narration, I can’t say my dearest got the better deal. It’s an engaging listen all around, and one that’ll make you mighty proud of the Coast Guard and all they do. They’re a proud service, and The Finest Hours is a fine testament to their heroic history.
As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.