Andrea Doria was an Italian ocean liner that famously sank in 1956. Another ship crashed into the Andrea Doria, causing it to slowly go under. Fifty-one people died in the disaster .
The Andrea Doria was named after a powerful admiral from Genoa , Italy , who lived in the 1400’s and 1500’s. The ship was built by the Italian Line and launched in 1951. At the time, ocean liners served as symbols of national pride. The Andrea Doria was smaller than its American and British competition, but it was extremely luxurious. The ship measured about 700 feet (200 meters) long and 90 feet (30 meters) at its widest. The Andrea Doria was powered by steam turbines that drove twin screws ( propellers ). It could reach a maximum cruising speed of 23 knots (26 miles per hour). The ship could carry 575 crew members and 1,241 passengers.
Much like the luxury liner Titanic , which sank in 1912, the Andrea Doria was considered to be extremely safe for its time. Its bottom hull (watertight shell) was protected by an extra layer, and it contained 11 watertight compartments. Despite these features, the Andrea Doria experienced problems as early as its first voyage across the Atlantic Ocean in 1953. Twenty passengers were injured when the ship steamed through bad weather.
In July 1956, the Andrea Doria was on its 51st westbound voyage. Steaming from Genoa to New York City , New York, the ship approached Nantucket Island, Massachusetts, in a heavy fog. The Swedish-American ocean liner Stockholm, an older and smaller ship, had just left New York City for Copenhagen, Denmark, and Goteborg, Sweden, on its 103rd eastbound voyage. Around 11:10 PM on the night of July 25, about 50 miles (80 kilometers) from Nantucket, the crews of the two ships realized they were on a collision course. Although they tried to avoid each other, the Stockholm drove hard into the Andrea Doria’s side at an angle of nearly 90 degrees.
The Andrea Doria immediately began listing (tilting sideways). The tilt rendered the port (left side) lifeboats useless. The ship’s watertight compartments delayed its sinking for around 11 hours. The Stockholm rescued 545 of the Andrea Doria’s passengers and crew. Even though its bow (front) had been sheared off in the crash, the Stockholm returned to New York City under its own power. Meanwhile, other ships arrived to rescue the remainder of the survivors. The Andrea Doria lost 46 passengers and the Stockholm lost 5 crew to the collision.
The Andrea Doria now sits on the ocean bottom beneath about 250 feet (75 meters) of water. It is a popular but dangerous destination for advanced scuba divers. The Stockholm was repaired. It is still in service as a passenger vessel, under different owners and a new name—Azores.
