Bernard C. Webber

Bernard Challen Webber (May 9, 1928 – January 24, 2009) was a United States coast guardsman.

Webber served in the Merchant Marine during World War II, then joined the Coast Guard in 1946. At the time of the Pendleton rescue Webber was serving as a boatswain's mate first class at Coast Guard Station Chatham. He rose to the rank of Chief Warrant Officer (Boatswain specialty) during a 20-year military career that included a tour during the Vietnam War as a part of Operation Market Time. He was married to Miriam Penttinen. Webber died on January 24, 2009. He had two children: Patricia Webber Hamilton and Bernard E. Webber.

Awards Gold Lifesaving Medal Coast Guard Good Conduct Medal American Campaign Medal World War II Victory Medal National Defense Service Medal Vietnam Service Medal Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal

Legacy The first-in-class , was named in his honor. She was commissioned on 14 April 2012 at her home port of Miami, Florida.

A history of the rescue of the men of Pendleton and Mercer, including Bernard Webber's heroic role in the rescue of the men from the stern of Pendleton, was presented in the 2009 book The Finest Hours: The True Story of the U.S. Coast Guard's Most Daring Sea Rescue, by Michael J. Tougias and Casey Sherman. This book was later reissued in a "young adult" edition and adapted into a 2016 feature film, The Finest Hours by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, depicting the Pendleton rescue with Chris Pine portraying Webber.

Webber's memoir was published in 2015, titled Lightships, Lighthouses, and Lifeboat Stations: A Memoir and History .