Eileen Olivieri Torpey's PBS-aired documentary short chronicles the maritime history of East Hampton. Before the government established the U.S. Life-Saving Service (USLSS) in 1848, coastal citizens would volunteer to help the survivors of shipwrecks (who were mainly fishermen and whalers). Afterward, some 280 life-saving stations sprung up across the country. Torpey focuses on the Amagansett Station, which was built on the South Shore of Long Island in 1902. According to Richard Barons, executive director of the East Hampton Historical Society, locals would often stop by to socialize, making the station an ersatz meeting place or community center. The Coast Guard eventually took over the USLSS, occupying the structure until 1944. Retired Captain Milton Miller recalls serving there in 1942 when a Nazi U-Boat ran aground carrying four saboteurs who were planning to blow up power stations. John Cullen, a fellow guardsman, reported the incident to his superiors, and the plan was derailed. After the Coast Guard left, the decommissioned station stood fallow for 22 years until author Joel Carmichael bought it for a dollar (otherwise, it would have faced the wrecking ball) and moved it several blocks to serve as a summer home. The documentary begins and ends with the efforts of his children to return the station to its original location in order to preserve it as a historical landmark. In an interview, Torpey says that she hopes their actions spur others to make similar moves on behalf of the 129 remaining life-saving stations, 10 of which qualify as endangered. Recommended, especially for regional collections. Aud: C, P. (K. Fennessy)
Ocean Keeper
(2012) 27 min. DVD: $19.99: individuals; $65: public libraries; $80: high schools; $160: colleges & universities. Pure Newt. PPR. Volume 30, Issue 1
Ocean Keeper
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