Inferno at Sea: Stories of Death and Survival Aboard the Morro Castle
It was the great disaster of the 1930s, a horrific experience for all those aboard the ill-fated liner Morro Castle. Sailing to New York from exotic, anything-goes Cuba, the luxurious cruise ship was filled with passengers finding an escape from the Great Depression. But after the parties ended and guests were packing their belongings preparing for their arrival home in the morning, the ship became a scene of panic as a raging fire quickly spread, killing 137 and sending many overboard.

The aftermath literally floated into public view — center-stage on the beach at Asbury Park, where the Jersey Shore resort town filled with rescuers, press, and gawking curiosity-seekers from throughout the mid-Atlantic and northeast. The charred, smoldering, stranded ship quickly became a tourist attraction; hawkers sold souvenirs and photographs, and the dramatic story filled front pages for weeks.

Controversy and intrigue surrounded the mysterious death of the captain, as well as the cause of the fire itself, and much of the mystery has endured for nearly eighty years. But for many of those who survived the tragedy, it was a closed subject; they rarely spoke of the events, and held the awful memories away from loved ones.

In Inferno at Sea — a large-format hardcover, filled with never-before-seen photographs — we finally hear those personal accounts. Survivors tell their stories, family and friends share narratives of those lost that night, rescuers and volunteers all contribute to give us a rare glimpse into the events of September 8, 1934. The fading, maritime mystery of the Morro Castle fire remains, but those closest to the disaster speculate about what really happened, and we gain a new perspective on a famous and tragic New Jersey shipwreck.

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Inferno at Sea: Stories of Death and Survival Aboard the Morro Castle
It was the great disaster of the 1930s, a horrific experience for all those aboard the ill-fated liner Morro Castle. Sailing to New York from exotic, anything-goes Cuba, the luxurious cruise ship was filled with passengers finding an escape from the Great Depression. But after the parties ended and guests were packing their belongings preparing for their arrival home in the morning, the ship became a scene of panic as a raging fire quickly spread, killing 137 and sending many overboard.

The aftermath literally floated into public view — center-stage on the beach at Asbury Park, where the Jersey Shore resort town filled with rescuers, press, and gawking curiosity-seekers from throughout the mid-Atlantic and northeast. The charred, smoldering, stranded ship quickly became a tourist attraction; hawkers sold souvenirs and photographs, and the dramatic story filled front pages for weeks.

Controversy and intrigue surrounded the mysterious death of the captain, as well as the cause of the fire itself, and much of the mystery has endured for nearly eighty years. But for many of those who survived the tragedy, it was a closed subject; they rarely spoke of the events, and held the awful memories away from loved ones.

In Inferno at Sea — a large-format hardcover, filled with never-before-seen photographs — we finally hear those personal accounts. Survivors tell their stories, family and friends share narratives of those lost that night, rescuers and volunteers all contribute to give us a rare glimpse into the events of September 8, 1934. The fading, maritime mystery of the Morro Castle fire remains, but those closest to the disaster speculate about what really happened, and we gain a new perspective on a famous and tragic New Jersey shipwreck.

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Inferno at Sea: Stories of Death and Survival Aboard the Morro Castle

Inferno at Sea: Stories of Death and Survival Aboard the Morro Castle

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Inferno at Sea: Stories of Death and Survival Aboard the Morro Castle

Inferno at Sea: Stories of Death and Survival Aboard the Morro Castle

Overview

It was the great disaster of the 1930s, a horrific experience for all those aboard the ill-fated liner Morro Castle. Sailing to New York from exotic, anything-goes Cuba, the luxurious cruise ship was filled with passengers finding an escape from the Great Depression. But after the parties ended and guests were packing their belongings preparing for their arrival home in the morning, the ship became a scene of panic as a raging fire quickly spread, killing 137 and sending many overboard.

The aftermath literally floated into public view — center-stage on the beach at Asbury Park, where the Jersey Shore resort town filled with rescuers, press, and gawking curiosity-seekers from throughout the mid-Atlantic and northeast. The charred, smoldering, stranded ship quickly became a tourist attraction; hawkers sold souvenirs and photographs, and the dramatic story filled front pages for weeks.

Controversy and intrigue surrounded the mysterious death of the captain, as well as the cause of the fire itself, and much of the mystery has endured for nearly eighty years. But for many of those who survived the tragedy, it was a closed subject; they rarely spoke of the events, and held the awful memories away from loved ones.

In Inferno at Sea — a large-format hardcover, filled with never-before-seen photographs — we finally hear those personal accounts. Survivors tell their stories, family and friends share narratives of those lost that night, rescuers and volunteers all contribute to give us a rare glimpse into the events of September 8, 1934. The fading, maritime mystery of the Morro Castle fire remains, but those closest to the disaster speculate about what really happened, and we gain a new perspective on a famous and tragic New Jersey shipwreck.

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9781593220617
Publisher: Down The Shore Publishing
Publication date: 07/05/2012
Pages: 152
Product dimensions: 11.20(w) x 10.20(h) x 0.60(d)

About the Author

GRETCHEN F. COYLE, an author and magazine writer, is a graduate of The Baldwin School and Hollins University. As a past president of the Long Beach Island Historical Association and the Tuckerton Seaport Board of Trustees, she is a well-known authority on maritime history. She and her husband John enjoy exploring the waters between their homes in Beach Haven, N.J., and Useppa Island, Fl.

DEBORAH C. WHITCRAFT, a former owner of Triton Divers and the Black Whale fleet of passenger boats on Long Beach Island, N.J., served two terms as mayor of Beach Haven, N.J. Her collection of artifacts, documents, and photographs of New Jersey maritime history, forty years in the making, is now the foundation of the New Jersey Maritime Museum in Beach Haven, of which she is president and founder.

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