Etrusco Remembered – Part Four -The Main Event – March 1956

Giovanni Belfiore was the youngest crewman on Etrusco. He shares his story here in an interview with Tom Hall of the Scituate Historical Society.

Jim Howard was part of a volunteer Civil Defense Group that included Buster Sylvester, Arthur Fletcher, Wayne Kestilla and others. He also has a story to tell.

A Breeches Buoy was used to rescue the crew

These photographs were taken shortly after the rescue inside of Mrs. Russo’s house on Rebecca Road.

“Her cheerfulness was sweetness in Bedlam.”

The Captain, Ernesto Garcias, is in the lower frame next to Jim Howard who is on the left. These photographs are by Kevin Walsh and Stanley Bauman.

This image tells the story of Mrs. Russo’s kindness and the video clip above shows you the graciousness of Mr. Belfiore whose name is misspelled in this caption from the Scituate Herald.

It was a vicious, difficult night. The ship had been turned away from Boston Harbor as the pilots there said it was too rough to transfer aboard the ship. The captain was counselled to try to put out to sea.

Etrusco lacked any cargo, was in ballast. Control of the ship was lost to the waves and the wind. A certain worry was that the ship could capsize. Communications were lost with the Coast Guard and only restored by the quick action of the Scituate Civil Defense Group. Wayne Kestilla forced his way through waist deep drifts to reach First Cliff and jury rig power with the old trick of aluminum foil added to a spent fuse. Mrs. Russo’s house must have been the greatest relief to these lost sailors after hours of anxiety.