The hurricane of 1938 that struck New England on Sept. 21, killing almost 700 people and causing damage that today would have reached $68 billion, struck without warning. Most residents were unaware of its impending onslaught.

Nicknamed the Long Island Express, the hurricane began to hit the area in the late morning hours, and by about 3 p.m., Groton was experiencing the full force of the storm. It was a Category 3 hurricane with sustained winds of 90 miles per hour and gusts reaching over 120 miles per hour.

Tragically, a total of 10 storm-related deaths were reported in Groton and Mystic.

Accounts of the deaths are graphic, but they are being relayed to demonstrate the horrific effects a storm of this nature can have. Out of respect for the families of the victims, their names will be omitted.

One of the most tragic deaths occurred on the Poquonnock River when a newlywed couple (married just over a week), along with the bride’s younger brother, were attempting to get inland on a small row boat from the family cottage on Bluff Point. After rowing a short distance on the river, the boat was capsized by a large wave created by the storm and all three were thrown into the water.

The wife and her brother eventually made it safely to shore; however, the husband drowned, his body being recovered three days later.

There was only one life preserver on the boat and, by consensus, it was used by the wife.

Two deaths occurred when the 35-foot cabin cruiser Coquette, from Oyster Bay, Long Island, was caught in the large storm surge, often referred to as a tidal wave. It has been said that the wave pushed the craft over Pine Island and subsequently drove it into the large rocks located on the shore of the Plant estate at Avery Point. The bodies of the captain of the vessel and a crew member were found in the waters off Pine Island six days later. Incidentally, the boat was owned by the general manager of Gimbel’s Department Stores.

Three elderly women drowned at Groton Long Point after they took refuge in a car to ride out the storm. The storm’s powerful winds subsequently hurled the vehicle some 200 feet and it submerged in a cove. Reportedly, a delivery truck driver had observed the vehicle containing the women parked near a sandbar. He warned the women that they would not be safe there and urged them to go with him on foot to a safer location.

Unfortunately, they refused his offer.

Two other tragic deaths that occurred during the storm included a Mystic woman losing her life after her jugular vein was severed when she was struck by a flying piece of glass from a window she was attempting to fix in her house. The other occurred when an elderly farmer on Fishtown Road suffered a fatal heart attack when the roof of his barn collapsed while he was doing chores inside.

The property damage and destruction caused throughout New England by the hurricane of 1938 can best be described as catastrophic. Damage in New London County was so extensive that martial law was declared, and members of the state’s Army National Guard patrolled the streets. Special passes were issued by the state police to permit food deliveries and to allow individuals owning homes along the coast to recover personal belongings.

Almost every summer cottage at Bluff Point, a community of more than 100 homes, was destroyed by the storm. Many of the summer homes and cottages at Groton Long Point and Eastern Point sustained extensive wind and water damage, and several were blown off their foundations. The large community center casino at Groton Long Point was destroyed when it was blown off its foundation, and all the bath houses and cabanas at the Shennecossett Beach Club were completely washed away.

It was said that just about every house of worship in Mystic and Noank was damaged by the winds and flying debris. Strong winds caused the Methodist Church on Willow Street to collapse. The steeple and clock tower of the Union Baptist Church were blown off, as were the steeple and roof of the Noank Baptist Church.

The hurricane wrecked the old ferry slip on the Groton bank of the Thames River. Many of the out buildings, wharves and docks for the Spicer Ice & Coal and G.M. Long [fish] Companies were also extensively damaged. Several businesses and homes near the river were destroyed.

Some buildings and docks at the Submarine Base received extensive damage from the winds and flooding during the storm. The Shennecosset Yacht Club, as well as many boatyard facilities in Groton, Noank and Mystic were severely ravaged by the winds and water surge of the storm.

As can be seen, the hurricane of 1938 lived up to its reputation as being the most devastating storm of the 20th century.

Jim Streeter is the Groton town historian.

EDITOR'S NOTE

EDITOR'S NOTE

Eighty years after the Hurricane of 1938, details and personal accounts about the storm are beginning to fade. In this second of a three-part series, a local historian examines the storm and its effect on Groton. Next week, read about several Groton residents who have personal remembrances about the storm.