The petitioner's husband was a longshoreman on board the vessel Palmetto State when a hatch beam became disengaged and fell, striking the decedent in the head and causing his death.

The petitioner brought suit as his widow and representative to recover damages for wrongful death from States Marine Lines, Inc., the owner of the vessel.

The petitioner's based her claims upon negligence and the unseaworthiness of the vessel, alleging that a defective locking arrangement caused the hatch to fall.

[2] In a unanimous opinion delivered by Justice John M. Harlan II, the Supreme Court overruled the prior controlling case of The Harrisburg (1886), which denied recovery under general maritime law for wrongful death on navigable waters.

[4] A companion case, Raskin v. P. D. Marchessini, Inc., was vacated and remanded to the Court of Appeals for reconsideration in light of Moragne.