DULUTH — Three Coast Guardsmen tethered themselves together to rescue three brothers who had made their way down the Duluth ship canal’s north pier, awash in gale force winds and mammoth waves.

Nathan Halverson, 17, and twins Eric and Arthur Halverson, 16, weren’t alone in being drawn to the pier on that stormy night 50 years ago. The Duluth Herald reported the next day that “other youths also had been daring the waves by running on the pier during the storm.”

Two of the brothers made it to the lighthouse at the pier’s end, but witnesses saw the third brother clinging briefly to a light pole on the pier before disappearing. The other two retreated down the pier to help him, waves obscuring witnesses’ view of what happened next.

The Coast Guardsmen found no trace of them on the pier during the rescue attempt, but halfway back to shore, the lake would claim Boatswain Mate 1st Class Edgar A. Culbertson as its fourth victim that night.

“We must keep reminding ourselves that Lake Superior, to which we owe so much, is capable of dealing a frightful blow,” the Duluth News Tribune wrote a few days later.

Fifty years after the events of April 30, 1967, a few reminders of their deaths can be found in Duluth. Three Brothers Chapel was constructed at First United Methodist Church, where the Halverson brothers were members. A plaque sits on a stone along the north pier in Canal Park to honor Culbertson, noting that “his great sacrifice is an enduring example of his devotion to duty and compassion for his fellow man.”

Their deaths also resulted in the installation of the metal gates that now close the canal piers during inclement weather.

Culbertson’s friend Tom Mackay planned to mark the 50th anniversary with his annual tradition of bringing flowers to Culbertson’s plaque, placing three flowers on one side and one flower on the other side.

The Halverson family continues to remember the bravery of Culbertson on that night 50 years ago.

“Our family joins in honoring the heroism and memory of Edgar Culbertson. We will never forget his bravery and ultimate sacrifice in volunteering to venture into the storm in an attempt to save our brothers. We offer our continuing sympathy and prayers to his family,” the Halversons’ older brother Phil Halverson told the Duluth News Tribune.

Culbertson, 32, of Ferndale, Mich., along with Coast Guard Boatswain Mate Third Class Richard R. Callahan, 21, of Chicago, and Fireman Ronald C. Prei, 21, of St. Francis, Wis., were awarded the Coast Guard Medal for their bravery and heroism. Culbertson, who had a law enforcement role in the Coast Guard, also is included on the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial.

Mackay became friends with Culbertson at the Sand Bar and described him as a fun guy.

“We shot pool together. We played an old shuffleboard game. That’s how I got to know Ed and the Coast Guard guys and we became good friends,” he said.

Mackay said that when he heard that Culbertson had died during the rescue attempt, it didn’t surprise him that his friend had gone into the storm to try to save the brothers.

Culbertson had been in the Coast Guard for 14 years and had been stationed in Duluth starting in 1963. He was was survived by two children.

BROTHERS’ BODIES NEVER FOUND

The Halverson brothers went to Canal Park after attending a youth group meeting at First United Methodist Church. The boys left the church at about 8:30 p.m. that night. The Duluth Police Department called the Coast Guard at about 10 p.m., saying that the brothers had either been washed off the pier or were stranded on it.

For the rescue attempt, Culbertson, Callahan and Prei left about 25 feet between them on the tether so they could pull a man up if one of them was washed off the pier. The tether snapped Callahan’s wrist and, coupled with the massive waves, he and Prei were unable to pull Culbertson in after he went into the water on the lake side of the pier. They found Culbertson’s body on the beach.

Dragging of Lake Superior failed to find the Halverson brothers’ bodies and search efforts were called off eight days later. The Coast Guard commander at the time said searching for that long was the “humanitarian thing to do.” However, he said, “it is impossible to search the whole lake.”

The Rev. A. Dean Hadley at First United Methodist Church told the Duluth Herald that the Halverson brothers were leaders at school and church. The brothers were students at East High School and Eric was a month shy of graduation when he died.

“I had accompanied them on outdoor trips into the North Country. They always were very responsible,” Hadley told the Duluth Herald. “They were extremely capable swimmers and knew how to handle themselves in water. This is indeed tragic.”

Mackay points out that Culbertson would be 82 and the Halverson brothers 67 and 66 today, but what their futures held for them will never be known. Now with the 50th anniversary, Mackay’s thoughts turned to the future and he wondered if anyone will be around for the next major milestone — the 75th anniversary — who knew and remembers the four who died.

“I’d be almost 100 at the 75th anniversary, so I don’t know what’s going to happen from here on. Hopefully other people still remember the date and maybe in another 25 years, maybe my little great-nephew or my great-niece will be down there saying, ‘My uncle Tom was his friend and he wants people to remember this,’ ” Mackay said.