The S.S. Morro Castle Disaster

"El Desastre del Morro Castle" by Leopoldo González interpreted by Trio Matamoros.

When the Morro Castle departed Havana for the final time on September 5th 1934, she carried aboard her 318 passengers and a crew of 231. On September 7th, as the voyage drew near to its conclusion, the series of events that culminated in disaster commenced. That night,the weather deteriorated a fire was discovered in a storage locker in the port side B deck Writing Room. The ship was kept sailing into the wind for a regrettably long time, driving the fire aft, up through the lounge well, and out onto the boat deck. Passengers, unable or unwilling to risk running through the flames to reach the boats congregated on the open decks aft on B, C and D Deck. The vast majority of those who escaped in the Morro Castle lifeboats were crew members, a fact later to draw much negative criticism, mitigated somewhat by the fact that they were quartered forward on the ship and had a knowledge of onboard shortcuts and crew staircases that the passengers did not possess. Those trapped at the stern began jumping when it appeared that the flames were about to burst from the superstructure on to the aft decks. Many broke their necks or knocked themselves out jumping improperly with life preservers on, while others jumped or were thrown from the ship without any life saving devices only to weaken and drown struggling in the increasing storm.

Passengers who did not awaken in time had to jump from the cabins in which they found themselves trapped by the fire. Few survived.
Full story at http://www.garemaritime.com/features/morro-castle/index.php
Passenger list: http://www.garemaritime.com/features/morro-castle/16.php

http://cruiselinehistory.com/?p=3405

Category:

Travel & Events

Tags:

• cruise
• events
• ships
• fire
• safety
• accident
• disaster
• trio
• matamoros

[starwarsfandude]

I watched the Morro Castle burning with my dad! We would come to the shore and watch her burn every day until she sank.

[mraphel]

@starwarsfandude

It seems it made a great impression on you.

[starwarsfandude]

@mraphel What do you mean by that?

[mraphel]

@starwarsfandude

I don't think my comment needs explaining but be that as it may... you must have been a very young child in the thirties when you watched it go down and it impacted you enough to look it up on You Tube now. What did you think I meant?

[kjiukhix]

Thank for this posting. The photo at 1:20, however, cannot be of the Morro Castle, but from a much earlier ship. The decor in the photo is distincly Victorian and not Art Deco (the Morro Castle was completed in 1930).

[mraphel]

@kjiukhix

Please check the links I provide under the description. The photo is from one of the Morro Castle's brochures.

[viticoeldelmanana]

a famous cuban sport man named frank d'beche died trying to help a girl in the ship, in his honor there is a stadium for baseball in guabanacoa, Havana to honor this courageus boy......

[tennisgirlie100]

Loved this! My grandmother was on board the ship and survived after 8 hours in the Atlantic. She gave up her life jacket to a child and was quite heroic that day. We all are good swimmers as that saved her life that night.

[starwarsfandude]

@mraphel I thought you meant I was looking it up because of the people dying.

[SuperTitanicfreak]

My Grandpa was born 3 years to day after the Morro Castle was loss.

[SuperTitanicfreak]

I know the story of the Morro Castle. I read Fire at Sea. I still wonder why did the wireless operator start the fire? Why did he do it?

[toughcrowd94]

@kjiukhix You're quite right. That picture is from the grand staircase of the first Morro Castle, complete in 1900 for the Ward Line. 

[susiepeas]

My great uncle, Bejamin Eldred, died trying to rescue survivors. Benjamin was a deck hand on one of the tugboats that was racing to the scene to help in the recovery of survivors when the tugboat capsized. He was only 19.