History in Pictures - Morro Castle

The Morro Castle was a ship that traveled between New York City and Havana, Cuba in the 1930's.  The Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company began construction on her in January 1929.  She was christened March 1930.  She had her maiden voyage from New York City to Cuba on August 23, 1930.  

My grandfather, Hugh D. Turner, was born and raised in Newport News, VA.  He was a Merchant Marine and lived in New York City in the 1930's.  I am not sure if this photo was taken in VA or NY, but know it could only be taken taken between March 1930 and September 1934.

On September 8, 1934,  a fire broke out on the ship.  137 passengers and crew members lost their lives that day.  This changed how ships were designed with fire prevention in mind.

83 years after the disaster, here is Hugh's great grandson, Jack, at the memorial placed in Asbury Park, NJ. Near the location where the ship's hull came aground.

Remembering September 11, 2001

It was a crisp fall morning.  The sky was so very blue with random fluffy clouds.  

I was sitting in my cubical at work in Summit, NJ when my co-worker, Sadie, told me she just got a call from her boyfriend. He had heard a plane crashed into one of the towers on the Howard Stern show.  I was in disbelief.  Thinking that was a horrible skit by the Howard Stern Show. 

We then proceeded to find a TV.  The conference rooms were packed. We were able to get visual conformation that the news was true, but being smokers at the time, we proceed to my car and listened to the news on the radio.  After chain smoking for while, we went back into the office. 

The feeling inside was dread.  It was quiet and no one was at their desks.  More planes were falling from the sky.  I didn't know what was going on, I thought we were going to war, and I wanted to go home.  I left work before 11 AM.  Coming down the mountain that morining,   People were pulled over gazing at the city. You could see the smoke and dust in the skyline. The landscape had changed forever that day.

I went to visit my husband, Bob, at the store in Garwood and was glued to the TV all day.  Living close to Newark Airport, you always hear planes flying by, but that afternoon there were no planes in the air. It was so,so quiet.

In the days that followed, we saw the best of Americans.  People volunteering and helping in any way that they could.  Streets were lined with American Flags.  You couldn't find flags for sale, they were all sold out.  People were still searching for their loved ones.  Funerals were happeneing all over the place for the lucky ones that could be laid to rest.

I guess I was one of the luckier ones.  I only attened one funneral.  The father of one of my brother's best friend answered the Port Authority radio call that morning.  He was also our 3rd cousin once removed. He was one of one of the good ones. RIP Bobby Kaulfers.

It was a time that none of will ever forget.

What were you doing or where where you when you first learned of the Twin Tower attacks?

A Memory of Grandma Turner

My daughter, Bridget, asked me to take her to Claire's at the mall today.  She never asks to go to the mall, so I said sure.  We'll go while daddy's watching football!

So I take her to Claire's.  As we were walking through the store, I couldn't help but think about Grandma Turner.   For my 13th birthday, grandma gave me a necklace that I loved.  It was a little pendant of an old fashioned fan that opened and closed.  It was unique, and I loved it.

I remember this because Grandma sent me a postcard after she received a note I had sent to her thanking her for it. Apparently, I had asked her where she found it.

This was around the time where I started to save every letter or note that I could. I still have that postcard from 1985.

After Bridget and I went to Claire's we went to lunch.  I told her about the first necklace I ever had from Claire's and about Grandma Turner.  She learned that I would spend a week at Grandma's every  summer.  I told her how we would go to the beach or swim in the pool (bathing caps and all).  Some times we would go up to the "Clubhouse" and play shuffleboard.   She taught me how to play poker.  We played every night and would play with poker chips (very common now, but back then she was the only one I knew with poker chips in a case) and we would drink chocolate soda.

When we got home, I showed her the pendant. Bridget thought it was neat.  I on the other hand still love it.