On Saturday, September 8, 1934, the burning hulk of the disabled luxury liner Morro Castle broke free of its towline and drifted dangerously near Convention Hall to run aground just yards off the Asbury Park beachfront. The tragedy (at the time the worst in U.S. merchant marine history) made national headlines. It turned local lifesavers into heroes and Asbury into a sightseeing mecca for the next six months.
Eighty years later (almost
to the day), the Township of Ocean Historical Museum, located in the
Eden Woolley House at the Ocean Township Library complex on Deal
Road, opens a mini-exhibit remembering the Morro Castle. The
highlight of the September 7 opening is a dramatization of a radio
interview with fictional Morro Castle survivor Ellen Van Brunt.
Imagining a WCAP (“City of Asbury Park”) broadcast from
Convention Hall, the performance, scheduled for 1:30 and repeated at
3:00, brings events to life.
Bad weather, bad
behavior, bad design
A confluence of
misfortunes added up to tragedy for the Morro Castle. The liner was
on its 174th return trip from Havanna to New York when its captain
died mysteriously. That same night, a fire of suspicious origin broke
out on board. The acting captain delayed signaling for help,
thinking at first he could make it to New York. An oncoming
Nor’easter fanned the flames. By 3 a.m. the ship--whose design and
materials contributed to the fire’s spread--was ablaze. They were
six miles off Sea Girt. Launch of the lifeboats was hampered by fire.
Just 6 made it to shore, carrying only 85 people--80 of whom were
crew members! Panicked passenagers, who had received no lifesaving
instruction, jumped into the sea. Nearby ships sped to pick up
survivors.
Local heroes
From shore, local
fisherman and boat owners defied the storm to join the rescue.
Ambulance crews, police, and fire departments (including Ocean
Township’s) rushed to the scene. Local lifeguards pulled corpses
and survivors from the water. In the final toll, 400 were saved, 137
died.
Rescue of a different sort
By early afternoon, the
Coast Guard cutter Tampa had begun towing the Morro Castle to port.
In a final twist of an ill-fated journey, the towline snapped,
leaving the ship adrift and headed for shore. Its dramatic landing
brought notice to Asbury. Tens of thousands flocked to see the
wreck, which sat off the beach for six months. Merchants dealing
with Depression Era downturns and a city burdened by debt realized
an economic boon. The story of the Morro Castle, already a
significant chapter of maritime history, became the stuff of local
lore.
Visit the Eden Woolley
House September 7 to learn the full story. The exhibit will be up
through the end of November.
The
Township of Ocean Historical Museum, founded in 1984, is a
member-supported, 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, incorporated
under the laws of the State of New Jersey. Its headquarters, the Eden
Woolley House, is one of the few 18th century structures
still in existence in the Township and is open to the public on
Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays (1 p.m. to 4 p.m.), Thursday
Evenings (7 p.m. to 9 p.m.) and the first and second Sundays of each
month (1p.m. to 4 p.m.). For more information, please call
732-531-2136.