This outstanding Nantucket museum is dedicated to the human drama of man's efforts against the relentless sea and is testimony to those early Nantucketers who saved hundreds of lives in and near the island's treacherous shores and shoals. It tells the stories of people pitted against the angry demands of the sea... People who risked their lives to rescue others... People who knew and understood the little-known motto of the United States Life-Saving Service and the United States Coast Guard:

You have to go out, but you don't have to come back.

This museum is one of many located throughout the country dedicated to the preservation of a period of maritime history that has almost been forgotten. We know you will enjoy your visit with us.