In the winter of 1952, New England was battered by the most brutal nor'easter in years. As the weather wreaked havoc on land, the freezing Atlantic became a wind-whipped zone of peril, setting the stage for one of the most heroic rescue stories ever lived. In the early hours of February 18, while the storm raged, two oil tankers, the Pendleton and the Fort Mercer, found themselves in the same horrifying predicament. Built with the same 'dirty steel' and not prepared to withstand such ferocious seas, both tankers split in tow, leaving the dozens of men on board utterly at the Atlantic's mercy. The Fines Hours is the gripping, true story of the valiant attempt to rescue the souls huddling inside the broken halves of the two ships.

Chatham Lifeboat Station -- The Pendleton -- The Fort Mercer -- "It can't be true" -- "You got to take the 36500 out" -- Blowout at Chatham Bar -- Chatham mobilizes -- "He came to the surface floating" -- Losing all hope: on board the Pendleton stern -- All but one: the rescue of the Pendleton stern -- Thirty-six men in a thirty-six-foot boat -- Pandemonium in Chatham -- The Mercer's bow capsizes -- A maneuver for the ages -- Tuesday at Chatham Station -- Thirteen men still on board -- Search of the Pendleton bow -- The inquiry -- Being labeled a hero can be a burden -- Tanker trouble -- Beyond the rescue -- The restoration -- Epilogue: They were young once.