Between our cruises on the Margaritaville at Sea Paradise and the Norwegian Escape, my wife and I had a free day to spend in sunny Florida. So we rented a car and headed out to nearby Pompano Beach. It’s there—at the Pompano Beach City Cemetery—that exists a memorial to those who perished in the Yarmouth Castle disaster on November 13, 1965.
This memorial isn’t too well known, and it’s definitely off the beaten path. I actually only learned of its existence early last year when I stumbled across an entry for it on Find a Grave. Visiting it has been on my maritime history bucket list ever since. I was glad to finally be able to see it.
“Deep within the Yarmouth Castle, the fire begins to glow…”
I’ve written about the Yarmouth Castle here before. To me, it’s one of the most fascinating and tragic ship disasters of the 20th century. It lead to an overhaul of Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) regulations in regard to fire safety—the impacts of which are still being felt today.
The Yarmouth Castle began life as the Evangeline in 1927. She sailed under her original name for decades—including during World War II when she and her identical sister Yarmouth were requisitioned as troopships for the Allied war effort. In late 1963, the ship was sold and renamed Yarmouth Castle for the budget Yarmouth Castle Line. Some believed that the new name changed the ship’s luck.
Sailing out of Miami, Florida for the last time on November 12, 1965, the Yarmouth Castle caught fire later that night en route to Nassau, the Bahamas. Captain Byron Voutsinas and several of his officers abandoned ship early on in the disaster, leaving remaining crew members like Second Purser Terry Wise to organize evacuation efforts onboard. Sadly, 87 people never made it off the ship—many were trapped in their cabins when the fire cut off their escape. A few survivors also later died of their injuries. Those who made it off were rescued by the nearby ships Finnpulp and Bahama Star.
The Yarmouth Castle finally sank at 6:03 am. The rescue ships sailed to Nassau, where reporters captured the scene of dazed and disheveled Yarmouth Castle survivors disembarking. They were fortunate to have survived the ordeal.
“God help the ones who sleep below, and cannot find their way!”
The Yarmouth Castle Memorial was dedicated on the second anniversary of the disaster in 1967. Twenty-three of the victims were members of the North Broward County Senior Citizens Club in Pompano Beach, hence why the plaque is located there. If there’s anywhere where the Yarmouth Castle disaster is still keenly felt, it’s Pompano Beach, Florida.
The Pompano Beach City Cemetery is located at 400 SE 23rd Avenue. I couldn’t find any maps or directions of where the memorial is located within the cemetery, but we had some clues. A 1988 Sun Sentinel newspaper article mentions that the memorial is a “bronze plaque on the stone pedestal near the flag.” This was helpful, and we set out to look for it (hoping that this 37-year-old description was still correct).
Thankfully it was. We found the memorial on the North Lawn near the cemetery offices, though the single flag was replaced by a set for the US Armed Forces. It also looks like a small columbarium was built behind the memorial in recent years. But the Yarmouth Castle Memorial itself was still there.
“Is she crying for the ones who lay within her molten sides?”
The bronze plaque lists the names of those who died in the Yarmouth Castle disaster. The thing that struck us both immediately was the number of couples listed. Curiously, while the plaque has 91 names, all official documents mention that 90 people died. I’m not sure why there’s a discrepancy, and the official US Coast Guard report has the victims’ names redacted. It seems to be another mystery in the Yarmouth Castle story.
It was a quiet day in the cemetery. The birds chirped loudly, and it just seemed so peaceful there. We sat on a bench and quietly played Gordon Lightfoot’s “Ballad of Yarmouth Castle” while taking in the moment. I also took the opportunity to record a short video about the memorial. The peacefulness in the cemetery contrasted with the scenes that must’ve unfolded on the decks of the blazing Yarmouth Castle.
The bronze plaque is in good shape. The city held a memorial service at the cemetery for the 50th anniversary in 2015, at which time it was buffed and cleaned up. It was great to see that the memorial is being taken care of—sadly I’ve seen too many monuments and memorials in poor repair over the years (or just gone).
This post is dedicated to those who died in the Yarmouth Castle disaster.
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