A staged reading at the Amagansett Life-Saving and Coast Guard Station to mark the 80th anniversary of the landing of Nazi saboteurs on the nearby beach during World War II will happen on June 11 at 5 p.m.
On the night of June 12, 1942, a U-boat submarine approached Atlantic Avenue Beach after having overshot East Hampton because of weather, and four men came ashore with explosives and plans to blow up factories and other sites. Seaman John Cullen from the Amagansett Station came upon them on his patrol, and there ensued a chain of events that culminated in the capture and military tribunal of the four men — and four others who had landed off Florida — before they could do any damage.
The commemoration will feature a reading of firsthand accounts of Coast Guard personnel on duty when the saboteurs came ashore, including dialogue from the encounter on the beach between one of the saboteurs, George Dasch, and Seaman Cullen. It will take the form of a 1940s-style radio broadcast called “Cavalcade of America,” produced and directed by Hugh King, who will preside, together with Elena Prohaska Glinn, Ted Hults, Sonny Sireci, David Cataletto, and Isabel Carmichael.
The event is free and open to the public, but space is limited and seating is first come first served. Masks are required inside. Doors will open at 4:45 p.m.
