#morro castle

[ss-normandie]

Morro Castle!!!!

Traced from a picture

[misforgotten2]

SS Morro Castle was an American ocean liner that caught fire and ran aground on the morning of September 8, 1934, en route from Havana, Cuba, to New York, United States, with the loss of 137 passengers and crew. (Wikipedia)

From the photo album of my great uncle Lawrence Krettler's travels in the US Navy aboard the USS Altair 1923 - 1933 total mileage 85,020

[mostly-history]

Morro Castle (Havana, Cuba).

[shipsofyore]

In 1930 the Morro Castle was launched in Newport News, Virginia. She was to be the newest addition to the Ward Line’s fleet. She operated on the New York - Havanna line and was used mostly by wealthy tourists which were fleeing the moral limitations, the prohibition, and the great depression in the USA. The interiors were lavish and life on board more than relaxed (she quickly gained the nickname “swimming brothel”). On September 1st 1934 the Morro Castle left Cuba for a regular crossing to New York. In the early hours of September 8th the crew noticed a fire had broken out in the 1st class library. It quickly spread throughout the entire ship. Many passengers were sleeping by that time and the crew showed themselves to be very unprofessional in the situation. Many passengers only learned of the fire when it was already too late and only six of the twelve life boats on board were launched (with most of the occupants being crew members). Help arrived slowly although the ship was quite visible from the nearby shore and the last survivors were only evacuated on the afternoon of September 8th. Many passengers remained hours in the water before they were saved whilest others managed to swim to the shore. The burning wreck eventually ran aground on the beaches of Asbury Park, New Jersey. It remained there for half a year until it was scrapped in March 1935, becoming a spectacular tourist attraction. The prominence of many of the 134 victims (of which the vast majority were passengers) and the spectacular photos made of the fire and the wreckage made the catastrophe famous. In its aftermath the ships owners and crew were harshly critisized and many new regulations regarding fire safety on ships were sanctioned. Until today it isn´t exactly clear what caused the fire.

Sources: NYdailynews, oceanlinersmagazine

[staticspaces]

Morro Fortress - 2017

Morro Castle (Fortress) officially named Castillo de los Tres Reyes Magos del Morro is a fortress built in 1589 that sits at the mouth of Havana Bay in Havana, Cuba.

[victorianalexandratitanic]

Sept. 9, 1934 "Crowds gather on the beach next to the still-smoldering wreck of the Morro Castle." IMAGE: BETTMANN/GETTY IMAGES

[mostly-history]

Morro Castle and Havana Harbour (Cuba, c. 1879 – 1930).

[soraarchives]

i saw a documentary on ss morro castle today. i don't have words for what the ship endured from the disasters it went to to the crew and all. i saw this man and felt drawn to him. i am on my period experiencing hormonal fluctuations and heightened emotions. but sir? you absolutely captivate me.

so this person, george alagna, was the ship's assistant radio operator. he was suspected for the cause of the fire. wrongfully so. after watching the whole documentary and knowing the criminal records of the ship's chief radio operator, george rogers, i definitely suspet rogers for the cause of the fire. and to know that alagna tried to dive in to rescue a lady but was stopped by the acting captain of the ship makes me respect him so much more.

he was suspected also because he was a communist and tried to protest against the poor conditions of the crew and was so disliked by the other crew members is so stupid to me. if anything this man should have been called the hero of the tragedy instead of rogers. he made so many trips to the bridge to get orders from bridge officers to send out a distress signal and was ignored by the acting captain. he had to follow the captain around just to be noticed while rogers was sitting in the radio room waiting for orders while it would have been totally fine if he could assess the gravity of the situation himself and send a distress signal. wrongfully handcuffed but still serving looks here.