On March 6, 1932, southern New Jersey was feeling the affect of a nor’easter, which brought 60-knot winds, heavy seas and rain mixed with snow. The crew of Station Atlantic City received a distress call that the fishing vessel Anna, underway in a nearby fishing area, was lost.
Lt. Jim Turner, the commanding officer of the station, took two of his surfmen and launched a 30-foot wooden boat to respond. While still on their way to the fishing area, the response boat capsized. Employees at the Steel Pier, a nearby amusement area, saw the men in the water and reported the accident to the station. Turner made it ashore and was hospitalized for days before he recovered.
Going to the aid of their shipmates, three more surfmen launched a 28-foot power surfboat. After entering the 18-foot seas, the surfboat and its crew were never seen or heard from again. The bodies of Surfman William R. Garton, 19, and Livingston, 24, were the only ones recovered.
| Name | Rating | Duty Station | Date |
| Rhoades, M. E. | BM2 | STA Atlantic City, NJ | 3/6/1932 |
| Graham, W. | MOMM2 | STA Atlantic City, NJ | 3/6/1932 |
| Barnett, D. A. | Surfman | STA Atlantic City, NJ | 3/6/1932 |
| Livingston, H. | Surfman | STA Atlantic City, NJ | 3/6/1932 |
| Garton, W. R. | Surfman | STA Atlantic City, NJ | 3/6/1932 |