Remembering the Lives Lost During the The SS Morro Castle Disaster

Asbury Park Historical Society President Kay Harris and Trustee Andy Skokos placed a wreath at the SS Morro Castle Monument, which is in remembrance of the 137 passengers and crew members that lost their lives in one of the greatest maritime disasters in American history.

The SS Morro Castle was a luxury cruise ship from the 1930s that made runs between New York City and Havana, Cuba, and was popular with tourists both young and old. In the early morning hours of Saturday, September 8th, 1934, en route from Havana to New York the ship caught fire. The still-burning ship eventually beached near the Convention Hall in Asbury Park and became a major tourist attraction until it was towed away for scrap several months later.