Coast Guard Maritime Historian
Russ Webster is an author of eight books that focus on historic lessons learned for mariners and Coast Guardsmen alike that are appropriate for future generations of boaters and leaders.
Captain W. “Russ” Webster retired from federal service in 2023 following a 46-year career with the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Transportation Security Administration, and the United States Coast Guard. Webster served in the Coast Guard for 26 years where he was engaged in or oversaw more than 10,000 search and rescue cases.
The Last Flight:
The Untold Story of the Search for JFK Jr. and the Race Against the Atlantic
Retired Coast Guard Captain W. Russell “Russ” Webster—the officer who coordinated the search mission—and historian Theresa Mitchell Webster provide the first-ever accounting of the intense operation that captivated the world.
Drawing on first-hand accounts, official government records and updated research, the book offers a fresh and compelling narrative of leadership, military professionalism, and human dedication during a sorrowful mission which resulted in the respectful burials-at-sea of the deceased.
