Fire at Sea: The Mysterious Tragedy of the Morro Castle [Paperback]

Thomas Gallagher (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1, 2003

On a stormy night in September 1934, the Morro Castle was making its way through heavy seas en route from Havana to New York City. Shortly after 2:00 A.M., while most of the passengers slept, fire suddenly engulfed the luxury liner; within an hour, hundreds were dead or struggling desperately in the water.
The fire's apparently inexplicable outbreak wasn't the only secret that night aboard the Morro Castle. Hours earlier, Captain Robert Wilmott had died in his cabin under suspicious circumstances. Had Wilmott been poisoned? Was the fire accidental, or intentionally set? Drawing from interviews with the survivors, as well as his own in-depth research, Thomas Gallagher skillfully recreates the Morro Castle tragedy, proposing convincing solutions to its myriad mysteries.
In FIRE AT SEA, originally published in 1959, a seasoned reporter's meticulous attention to detail is combined with a novelist's sense of his story's drama. The result is a vivid and unforgettable story of the sea.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Winner of the Mystery Writers of America's 1960 Edgar Award for Nonfiction

" . . . where else can a reader find a disaster at sea combined with a fascinating whodunit?"
--Time

" . . . a staggering maritime mystery. [Gallagher] has written a chilling account of terror at sea and the heroism and cowardice displayed by humans under stress."
--Chicago Sunday Tribune

From the Back Cover

On a stormy night in September 1934, the Morro Castle was making its way through heavy seas en route from Havana to New York City. Shortly after 2:00 A.M., while most of the passengers slept, fire suddenly engulfed the luxury liner; within an hour, hundreds were dead or struggling desperately in the water.
The fire's apparently inexplicable outbreak wasn't the only tragic occurance that night aboard the Morro Castle. Hours earlier, Captain Robert Wilmott had died in his cabin under suspicious circumstances.
Had Wilmott been poisoned? Was the fire accidental, or intentionally set?
Drawing on interviews with the survivors and in-depth research, Thomas Gallagher skillfully recreates the Morro Castle tragedy, proposing convincing solutions to its mysteries.
In Fire At Sea, which won the Mystery Writers of America's 1960 Edgar Award for Nonfiction, a seasoned reporter's meticulous attention to detail is combined with a novelist's sense of his story's drama. The result is a vivid and unforgettable story of the sea.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 280 pages
• Publisher: Lyons Press; 1st edition (August 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 158574624X
• ISBN-13: 978-1585746248
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 6.6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #897,653 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars MYSTERY OF THE SEA, December 13, 2010

By 

Severin Olson (Hyattsville, Maryland United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Fire at Sea: The Mysterious Tragedy of the Morro Castle (Paperback)

The Morro Castle is a disaster ready made for mystery lovers. It's complete with a dead captain, two suspicious wireless operators, a fire and a storm. Cruising between New York and Havana, the ship caught fire just hours from home off the New Jersey coast, the first officer having taken over with the captain's sudden death. Following a series of mistakes, the ship became a blazing inferno, taking the lives of over a hundred passengers, many of whom jumped into a stormy sea to escape the flames. After burning for hours, the ship beached at Asbury Park, NJ, where it became a prime tourist attraction.

Although he doesn't prove it, the author makes it clear here he believes the fire was set by George Rogers, the wireless operator and 'hero' of the disaster. He is a certainly a fine suspect. A lifelong criminal, Rogers ends up murdering two people and dies in prison. Had he remained free he might well have become a serial killer.

'Fire at Sea' is a fine read, but I had two problems with it. First of all, Gallagher begins his book on the day of the tragedy and gives us no background on the ship and its early history. I didn't expect much here, but a few pages of background would have been helpful. I also took issue with his willingness to make excuses for crew behavior during the fire. Lifeboats left full of crew and almost no passengers, a most shameful state of affairs. Gallagher finds this natural, as the crew were poorly paid. So much for the law of the sea.

5 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Tragedy at Sea, September 1, 2007

By 

Catherine Goolsby - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Fire at Sea: The Mysterious Tragedy of the Morro Castle (Paperback)

This book is well written and the facts are correct as I have read other books on the Morro Castle. Gave this book as a gift to a relative and he has enjoyed it very much. Highly recommend this book.