Captain Joshua James

Captain Joshua James embodied the courage and determination of nineteenth-century lifesaving crews. Born in Hull, Massachusetts, in 1836, he lost his mother to shipwreck when he was just 10 years old and thereafter was said to scan the sea for those in need of rescue. While still in his teens, he joined Hull's Massachusetts Humane Society volunteer crew and eventually became Keeper of the Humane Society boats. In 1889, he was appointed the first Keeper of the Point Allerton U.S. Lifesaving Station. Described in 1889 by George Merritt as “a cool brave level-headed man who is always chosen to lead the boats when lives are to be saved,” James, over a 60 year career, brought more than 540 shipwrecked mariners safely ashore and earned gold, silver, and bronze Massachusetts Humane Society and Congressional Lifesaving Medals. In 1896, he received the Silver Lifesaving Medal for the rescue of the schooner Ulrica. On the way to Ulrica, the 70 year old James was catapulted into the frigid sea when a wave struck the steering oar, but after clinging to a surfman's oar as they rowed ashore, he rose and successfully continued the rescue. In March 1902, as he and his men completed a boat drill on Stony Beach, he looked out to sea, spoke his last words, “The tide is ebbing,” and died. His legacy of leadership, courage, and dedication is honored by the Hull Lifesaving Museum.

Dania Beach, Florida · United States