The Morro Castle caught fire off Convention Hall in Asbury Park in 1934 and ran aground.
The recent discovery and recovery of the famous Morro Castle anchor will be one of the featured presentations at the Asbury Park Historical Society’s 90th commemorative anniversary event Thurs., Sept. 5 at the Asbury Park Public Library.
The discarded anchor of the Morro Castle, one of America’s most famous maritime disasters that ended up beached off Asbury Park on Sept., 1934. was recently discovered by local dive boat captain Bill Cleary, who discovered, raised, and is restoring the anchor at his base in Point Pleasant.
And how does a heavy anchor from a huge vessel like the Morro Castle end up abandoned on the floor of the Atlantic Ocean off the Sea Girt area coastline?
“Well, come to our Sept. 5 event and find out,” Historical Society President Kay Harris said.
Join the APHS to learn more about the Morro Castle disaster at the event from 6 pm to 8:30 pm.
Tickets are $25 and include dinner, drinks and dessert. Seating is limited and can be reserved through Paypal at www.aphistoricalsociety.org. The historic city library is located at 500 First Avenue and there is plenty of free parking close by.
Guest speakers will talk about various aspects of the Morro Castle and a multi-media display will also be presented.
The Morro Castle was an American oceanliner that caught fire and ran aground off Asbury Park on the morning of September 8, 1934, en route from Havana, Cuba to New York City, with the loss of 137 passengers and crew. The disaster resulted in major changes to maritime law and ship design in the future.
