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Disasters

February 15, 1846

The Wreck of the John Minturn: A Horrible Tragedy Implicates, but then Vindicates the Wreckers of Monmouth County and Inspires the First Federal Funding for Life-Saving Services

On February 15, 1846, a severe storm caused a number of horrifying shipwrecks along the northeast coast that were a shock even to a nation long accustomed to maritime disasters.  One of these was the John Minturn, a three-masted packet...
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July 12, 1916

The Jersey Shore Shark Attacks of 1916

On July 12, 1916, three people were attacked by a shark in Matawan Creek, with two dying from their injuries.  These attacks followed previous and unprecedented shark attacks off of Spring Lake beach on July 6, and Beach Haven, in...
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June 11, 1929

The President of the Red Bank Aero Club Crashes His Plane into the Governor’s Residence

By Joseph G. Bilby ©2022   Oops.  In the early evening of June 11, 1929, William Taft of Red Bank, New Jersey, “president of the Red Bank Aero Club,” decided to take a couple of friends, Mrs. William Jeanine and...
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July 5, 1930

Explosion at Neptune Fireworks Plant Kills Four, Injures Four

On July 5, 1930, at 4:30 p.m., an explosion erupted at Frank Cimino’s fireworks factory in Neptune Township, killing four people and injuring four. The blast could be heard for miles and was followed immediately by a series of additional...
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September 8, 1934

SS Morro Castle: An Inferno at Sea, a Burning Hulk on the Beach, and Many Unanswered Questions

On September 8, 1934, the luxury passenger liner SS Morro Castle caught fire and burned during a raging storm off the coast of New Jersey, killing 137 passengers and crew members.  The ship, en route from Havana to New York...
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September 8, 1934

The First Separate Battalion to the Rescue

Editor’s note: On September 8, 1934, one of the worst maritime disasters in Monmouth County history occurred when the S.S. Morro Castle, a luxury passenger liner, caught fire during a raging storm that turned the ship into an inferno.  Award-winning...
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September 11, 1934

Two Doofuses from Long Island Go Souvenir Hunting on the Wreck of the SS Morro Castle

Editor’s note: On September 11, 1934, the S.S. Morro Castle was a blackened hulk resting just off the beach at Asbury Park, three days after coming to a rest there after a horrific fire at sea. The site of numerous...
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February 27, 1942

The Oil Tanker R.P. Resor is Torpedoed and Sunk by U-578

Editor’s note: The following story is reprinted with the permission of the authors of A History of Submarine Warfare along the Jersey Shore (The History Press, ©2016, available from retail booksellers everywhere). By Joseph G. Bilby & Harry Ziegler It...
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April 30, 1946

Explosion Aboard the USS Solar Kills Seven Sailors, Injures 125 More

On April 30, 1946, the USS Solar, a U.S. Navy Buckley-class destroyer escort (DE 221), exploded at the Navy Pier in Leonardo, killing seven sailors and injuring 125 others. The Solar was refitted in 1946 to serve as a sonar...
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June 20, 1956

The Crash of Linea Aeropostal Venezolana Flight 253

On June 20, 1956, Linea Aeropostal Venezolana (LAV) Flight 253, a Lockheed L-1049 Super Constellation, caught fire and plummeted into the Atlantic Ocean 32 miles off Asbury Park.  Flight 253 was a regularly scheduled passenger flight from Idlewild International Airport,...
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May 22, 1958

Middletown Nike Ajax Missile Explosion Kills 10

On May 22, 1958, a Nike Ajax missile exploded and detonated seven other missiles lined up at U.S. Army Battery B Base in the Chapel Hill section of Middletown. Six American servicemen and four civilians died. The accident happened while...
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