Famous Shipwrecks

This passage describes the shipwreck of the Morro Castle.

Lexile Level: 600L

Categories: History

The Morro Castle was a fancy ocean liner. It sailed between Havana, Cuba and New York City. The ship was not far from New York City when things went wrong. The weather became stormy. The ship's captain fell ill and died on the night of September 7, 1934. The new captain was told at three o'clock in the morning that the ship was on fire. He did not stop the boat. The boat's fancy decorations made the fire burn faster. The fire cut out the lights so no one could see. The crew could not steer. Passengers had not been told how to use the lifeboats. Many people ended up jumping in the cold ocean. The ship had not sent out the help signal right away. Some people drowned waiting for rescue. Later that day, the boat ran into the shore in New Jersey. There were a total of 137 people who died. New laws were passed to make ships safer after the fire on the Morro Castle.