One of the most spectacular small boat rescues on the east coast of the United States occurred on February 18, 1952, when the tanker Pendleton broke in half off the coast of Chatham during a fierce Nor' caster storm. In blinding rain and sixty foot seas, the crew of the Coast Guard motor lifeboat CG36500 responded from the Chatham Fish Pier, traversed the treacherous Chatham Bar, and rescued thirty-two crew members of the doomed ship. They then navigated safely back to the Fish Pier in total darkness and without the aid of a compass, which had been washed overboard. The Coast Guard called this heroic feat the Mount Everest of rescues, and each member of the crew received the Gold Lifesaving Medal for bravery. Built in 1946 and retired from service in 1968, the CG36500 was fully restored in 1982 through the efforts of volunteers and is maintained through private donations. The lifeboat remains afloat and actively tours ports throughout southeastern New England as a floating museum dedicated to the brave lifesavers of Cape Cod.