Rum Row: The Liquor Fleet that Fueled the Roaring Twenties

by Robert Carse

Rum Row is the story of the liquor fleet that fueled the Roaring Twenties. In the years of Prohibition (1920-1933) the citizens of the United States were ready to drink anything–and to do or pay anything to get a drink. Easy money was there for those who could supply a parched nation with liquor. The rum-runners, as they became known, employed vessels of all descriptions and set out from ports in Europe, the Bahamas, Cuba, Jamaica, even the French island of St. Pierre and Miquelon, loaded with Scotch, rye, bourbon, gin, champagne and brandy, and headed for the major cities of the United States. This flotilla rode at anchor outside the limits of U.S. law enforcement, their holds wide open, ready, willing and able to do business with anyone. The string of floating liquor stores became know as “Rum Row.” To the rum-runner, the enormous profits outweighed the dangers posed by hijackers who would stop at nothing to steal cash and cargo, and, of course, the Coast Guard. The actions of these intrepid men–and women–kept America wet for nearly 14 years and eventually forced Prohibition’s repeal. Rum Row is the story of thrilling and dangerous times on ship and shore.

Published by Flat Hammock Press