During a dangerously ferocious storm on February 18, 1952, two oil tankers get caught in the turmoil off the coast of Cape Cod, just miles from Chatham, Massachusetts.

The SS Pendleton and SS Fort Mercer are mercilessly ripped in half, sending all the passengers plunging helplessly into the stormy waters. The U.S. Coast Guard is called to rescue in what becomes labeled a suicide mission.