It was during a state convention at Asbury Park on September 8, 1934, that word was received that a ship had caught fire and volunteers were needed. Several members of Post 70 who were at the Convention answered the call. They helped row boats, carried stretchers, aided the cold and needy and set-up first aid stations. The next day, the newspapers blazoned the story of the “Morro Castle” which, on a voyage from Havana to New York, the ship caught fire and burned, killing 137 passengers and crew members. The ship eventually beached herself near Asbury Park, New Jersey, and remained there for several months until she was towed off and scrapped.
