Pea Island Lifesaving Station. "Station 17" was manned by an all African American crew including Benjamin Bowser, Louis Wescott, William Irving, George Pruden, Maxie Berry and Herbert Collins. Under the leadership of Captain Richard Etheridge, these brave men rescued stranded sailors in the perilous and turbulent waters along the Outer Banks of North Carolina.
A pond the death of Captain Etheridge, the first African-American to command a Life-Saving station, Benjamin J Bower became Captain and served until his death.
Although the Pea Island surfmen rescued many sailors who may have otherwise succumbed to the sea, one rescue in particular illustrates the dedication to duty of these rescuers and earned them the Gold Lifesaving Medal. On October 11, 1896 during a violent storm, Etheridge and his crew saved the entire crew onboard the grounded schooner, E.S. Newman. Despite the severity of the storm, the rescuers launched the surfboat and battled the rough seas and strong winds to reach the crew of the stranded schooner. Once on scene and without dry land to implement standard rescue techniques used during that time, they had to improvise to execute the rescue. Etheridge tied two of his strongest surfmen together and connected them to shore by a long line. These men then swan through the breaking waves ten times in order to rescue all of the schooner's crewmembers.
The film "Rescue Men – The story of the Pea Island Surfmen" is a 90-minute documentary about the extraordinary historical significance of the Pea Island Lifesaving Station.
A pond the death of Captain Etheridge, the first African-American to command a Life-Saving station, Benjamin J Bower became Captain and served until his death.
Although the Pea Island surfmen rescued many sailors who may have otherwise succumbed to the sea, one rescue in particular illustrates the dedication to duty of these rescuers and earned them the Gold Lifesaving Medal. On October 11, 1896 during a violent storm, Etheridge and his crew saved the entire crew onboard the grounded schooner, E.S. Newman. Despite the severity of the storm, the rescuers launched the surfboat and battled the rough seas and strong winds to reach the crew of the stranded schooner. Once on scene and without dry land to implement standard rescue techniques used during that time, they had to improvise to execute the rescue. Etheridge tied two of his strongest surfmen together and connected them to shore by a long line. These men then swan through the breaking waves ten times in order to rescue all of the schooner's crewmembers.
The film "Rescue Men – The story of the Pea Island Surfmen" is a 90-minute documentary about the extraordinary historical significance of the Pea Island Lifesaving Station.
Pea Island Lifesaving Station. "Station 17" was manned by an all African American crew including Benjamin Bowser, Louis Wescott, William Irving, George Pruden, Maxie Berry and Herbert Collins. Under the leadership of Captain Richard Etheridge, these brave men rescued stranded sailors in the perilous and turbulent waters along the Outer Banks of North Carolina.
A pond the death of Captain Etheridge, the first African-American to command a Life-Saving station, Benjamin J Bower became Captain and served until his death.
Although the Pea Island surfmen rescued many sailors who may have otherwise succumbed to the sea, one rescue in particular illustrates the dedication to duty of these rescuers and earned them the Gold Lifesaving Medal. On October 11, 1896 during a violent storm, Etheridge and his crew saved the entire crew onboard the grounded schooner, E.S. Newman. Despite the severity of the storm, the rescuers launched the surfboat and battled the rough seas and strong winds to reach the crew of the stranded schooner. Once on scene and without dry land to implement standard rescue techniques used during that time, they had to improvise to execute the rescue. Etheridge tied two of his strongest surfmen together and connected them to shore by a long line. These men then swan through the breaking waves ten times in order to rescue all of the schooner's crewmembers.
The film "Rescue Men – The story of the Pea Island Surfmen" is a 90-minute documentary about the extraordinary historical significance of the Pea Island Lifesaving Station.
A pond the death of Captain Etheridge, the first African-American to command a Life-Saving station, Benjamin J Bower became Captain and served until his death.
Although the Pea Island surfmen rescued many sailors who may have otherwise succumbed to the sea, one rescue in particular illustrates the dedication to duty of these rescuers and earned them the Gold Lifesaving Medal. On October 11, 1896 during a violent storm, Etheridge and his crew saved the entire crew onboard the grounded schooner, E.S. Newman. Despite the severity of the storm, the rescuers launched the surfboat and battled the rough seas and strong winds to reach the crew of the stranded schooner. Once on scene and without dry land to implement standard rescue techniques used during that time, they had to improvise to execute the rescue. Etheridge tied two of his strongest surfmen together and connected them to shore by a long line. These men then swan through the breaking waves ten times in order to rescue all of the schooner's crewmembers.
The film "Rescue Men – The story of the Pea Island Surfmen" is a 90-minute documentary about the extraordinary historical significance of the Pea Island Lifesaving Station.
