THE FINEST HOURS (Rated PG-13)

Out of curiosity, I entered the phrase “most daring rescue mission in the history of the Coast Guard” into the Firefox browser, resulting in at least one entry for the “most extreme rescue” in 2008 of survivors on the sinking Alaska Ranger ship in Alaska’s frigid Bering Sea.

And yet, there were multiple entries for the much older and impressive story of Coast Guard heroism that took place during a nor’easter off the coast of Massachusetts in the bitter cold of February 1952 when the oil tanker SS Pendleton was split in half by a treacherous storm.

Directed by Craig Gillespie (“Million Dollar Arm”), the extraordinary true story of the greatest small boat rescue in Coast Guard history is brought vividly to life in full-blown thrilling fashion in “The Finest Hours.”

The key to understanding how insanely impossible the rescue mission appeared to be is to know that four brave souls set forth in extremely choppy waters in a 36-foot motorized, wooden lifeboat that had a maximum capacity load of twelve people.

Before setting off on what objectively looked like nothing less than a suicide mission, the film takes time to introduce the pivotal character of youthful Coast Guard Captain Bernie Webber (Chris Pine) as he nervously awaits a blind date with Miriam (Holliday Grainger).

In the setting of seaside Chatham, Massachusetts, where the Coast Guard station is located, Miriam is a local telephone operator who has become acquainted with Bernie only through conversations over the phone line.

Meeting only months before the disaster that comes in the winter of 1952, Miriam and Bernie undertake a whirlwind romance, ending with Miriam actually being the one to propose marriage to the somewhat startled seafarer.

On the day of the storm, the shy, cautious Bernie is seen trying to work up the courage to inform his superior, Warrant Officer Daniel Cluff (Eric Bana), a recent transplant unfamiliar with the New England seas, of his upcoming wedding plans.

Meanwhile, as the storm rages unabated, out in the Atlantic somewhere off the coast of Cape Cod, all that remains of the broken SS Pendleton is the stern still staying afloat by the poise of first assistant engineer Ray Sybert (Casey Affleck) thinking outside-the-box.

The tanker’s captain was lost at sea, leaving the crew members on the verge of mutiny, with most of them having no fondness for the aloof, unpopular engineer, though they come to realize he may be their only hope of salvation.   

It was not an easy task for Sybert to convince the motley crew of salty characters to trust his instincts so that they would pull together, albeit reluctantly, under very trying and challenging circumstances.

Standing out among the diverse group of the tanker crew, from novices to old hands, are the sensible lieutenant (John Ortiz), the jovial ship’s cook (Abraham Benrubi), and the craven blowhard (Michael Raymond-James).

Setting off on the rescue mission, Bernie gets help from veteran Coast Guard seaman Richard Livesey (Ben Foster), who harbors doubts from the get-go, and two other volunteers (Kyle Gallner and John Magaro).

Perhaps the most quotable lines of “The Finest Hours” is when Bernie accepts the dangerous assignment by observing that in the Coast Guard, “they say you have to go out. They don’t say you have to come back in.”

The first challenge, powerfully captured by the 3-D technology that is sufficiently used here, is for the small boat to clear the hazardous sandbar known as the Chatham Bar, only to make it out to sea where 60-foot waves require incredible navigation skills to surmount.

The early goings at sea with the small boat dealing with the harsh waves and howling weather are spectacular, and things get only more dicey when the Coast Guard boat loses its compass when knocked around by huge waves.

As the crew of the Pendleton can only wonder if any rescue is on its way, Sybert has managed to buy some precious time by steering the tanker onto a sandbar where it sits precariously while seawater continues to rush into the engine room.

Eventually, the Coast Guard boat makes its way to its destination, and here the rescue drama becomes extremely effective for the tension created when 32 men brave the hurricane-force winds and turbulent waters to reach the safety of a small boat not designed to hold so many.

“The Finest Hours” turns into a great story of courage, honor, duty and determination. Though Chris Pine’s Bernie Webber comes off wooden and reserved, the heroic nature of the rescue is something to behold.

The end credits of “The Finest Hours” nicely play homage to the true story through a montage of newspaper headlines and photos of the real heroes. It’s worth the wait to recapture this stirring moment in history that is largely unknown.

Tim Riley writes film and television reviews for Lake County News.