That Others Might Live

Book excerpt: From 1878 to 1915 the U.S. Life-Saving Service was a small federal maritime organization that carried out amazing rescues of those in distress close to shore. Working from small stations scattered along the coastlines of the United States and using only oar-powered boats, none longer than 36 feet, crewmembers came to be known as "storm warriors" as they pulled off rescues that almost defied belief. Considered one of the most valorous organizations ever run by the U.S. government, the service carried out thousands of rescues, and many of its men lost their lives in the effort to save others. Yet since its incorporation into the U.S. Coast Guard in 1915, the feats of this life-saving service have been largely confused with those of its successor or forgotten altogether. Now for the first time in a full-length book, the author presents an operational history of the U.S. Life-Saving Service and places the agency within a national context, shedding light on a little-known aspect of maritime history. The book includes numerous photographs and other illustrations of the people, equipment, and exploits of this service and covers many out-of-the-way stations about which little has been published. Dennis Noble also examines the formation of the service, its organization, and its rescue equipment and explores the lives and routines of early watermen. In a clear and precise style, he describes how rescue efforts were conducted and includes gripping stories of the fate of such schooners as the George Taulane and J. H. Hartzell. These legendary sea rescues that presaged the modern-day Coast Guard were previously addressed only on a local or regional basis.