The SS ''Morro Castle'' was a

passenger ship A passenger ship is a merchant ship whose primary function is to carry passengers on the sea. The category does not include cargo vessels which have accommodations for limited numbers of passengers, such as the ubiquitous twelve-passenger freig ...

build in 1899 for the Ward Line Company. She was launched in April 14, 1900 and was named after the fortress of the same name, at the entrance to the Havana Bay,

Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...

. On 14 May 1904 she sank the schooner ''Pleiades'' in a collision at sea after leaving

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

for

Havana Havana (; Spanish: ''La Habana'' ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of the La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.

. She was active during the Mexican Revolution. In 1924, the ship was retired in Brooklyn and In 1926, the ship was sold for scrap in Italy.

Characteristics

The ''Morro Castle'' was long and wide and had two masts, two

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and two

propellers A propeller (colloquially often called a screw if on a ship or an airscrew if on an aircraft) is a device with a rotating hub and radiating blades that are set at a pitch to form a helical spiral which, when rotated, exerts linear thrust upon ...

. The black painted hull was surmounted by a white

superstructure A superstructure is an upward extension of an existing structure above a baseline. This term is applied to various kinds of physical structures such as buildings, bridges, or ships. Aboard ships and large boats On water craft, the superstruct ...

. The ship was powered by triple expansion steam engines that allow a top speed of . The passenger accommodations were designed for 136 in first class, 62 in second class, and 44 in third class, with the total of 242 passenger.

Service History

After the completion of the ''Morro Castle'', William Cramp & Sons delivered the ship to Ward Line in October 1900. On November 10, 1900, she set sail on her maiden voyage from,

New York city New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the U ...

Havana Havana (; Spanish: ''La Habana'' ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of the La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.

. The command was the Ward Line commodore, Captain Cleveland Downs. Robert R. Willmott later became the ship's long-time captain. He later also took command of the second Morro Castle. On May 16, 1904, the Morro Castle rammed the schooner Pleiades of the Fulton Fish Market off the coast of New Jersey, which sank as a result. The passenger liner rescued Captain Henry Ness and the other 17 crew members of the schooner. She was acquired by the

US navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

for the Mexican Revolution and World War 1. In 1924 the ship was laid up in

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. Kings County is the most populous Administrative divisions of New York (state)#County, county in the State of New York, ...

and shortly thereafter In 1926 the ship was scrapped in Italy.

References

Ships of the Ward Line 1900 ships {{ship stub