SS Andrea Doria

The SS Andrea Doria was an ocean liner for the Italian Line (Società di navigazione Italia) homeported in Genoa, Italy. Named after the 16th-century Genoese admiral Andrea Doria, the Andrea Doria had a gross tonnage of 29,100 and a capacity of about 1,200 passengers and 500 crew. For a country attempting to rebuild its economy and reputation after World War II, the Andrea Doria was an icon of Italian national pride. Of all Italy's ships at the time, Andrea Doria was the largest, fastest and supposedly safest. Launched on June 16, 1951, the ship undertook its maiden voyage on January 14, 1953.

History

Construction and maiden voyage

At the end of World War II, Italy had lost half its merchant fleet through wartime destruction and Allied forces' seeking reparations. The losses included the SS Rex, a former Blue Riband holder. Furthermore, the country was struggling with a collapsed economy {{ref|LostLiners}}. To show the world that the country had recovered from the war and to reestablish the nation's pride, the Italian Line commissioned two new vessels of similar design in the early 1950s. The first was to be named Andrea Doria with the second vessel, which was launched in 1953, to be named Cristoforo Colombo after Christopher Columbus.

Related Topics:
World War II - Reparations - SS ''Rex'' - Blue Riband - 1950s - 1953 - Cristoforo Colombo - Christopher Columbus

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The Andrea Doria started as Yard No. 918 at Ansaldo Shipyard in Genoa. On February 9, 1950, the ship's keel was laid on the No. 1 slipway, and on June 16, 1951, the Andrea Doria was launched. During the ceremony, the ship's hull was blessed by Giuseppe Cardinal Siri, Archbishop of Genoa, and christened by Signora Giuseppina Saragat, wife of the former Minister of the Merchant Marine. However, amid reports of machinery problems during sea trials, the Andrea Doria's maiden voyage was pushed back from December 14, 1952, to January 14, 1953 {{ref|Survivor2}}.

Related Topics:
Genoa - February 9 - 1950 - Slipway - June 16 - 1951 - Giuseppe Cardinal Siri - Archbishop of Genoa - December 14 - 1952 - January 14 - 1953

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During the ship's maiden voyage it ran into heavy storms on the final approach to New York and was delayed by minutes. Nevertheless, the Andrea Doria completed its maiden voyage on January 23 and received a welcoming delegation which included New York Mayor Vincent R. Impellitteri. Afterwards, Andrea Doria became one of Italy's most popular and successful ocean liners as it was always filled to capacity.

Related Topics:
January 23 - New York Mayor - Vincent R. Impellitteri

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Collision at sea

On July 25, 1956, the Andrea Doria, commanded by Captain Piero Calamai, was heading west toward New York from Genoa. At the same time, the Stockholm was heading east toward Gothenburg. The Stockholm was commanded by Captain Gunnar Nordenson, though Third Officer Johan-Ernst Carstens-Johannsen was in command on the bridge at the time.

Related Topics:
July 25 - 1956 - Captain - New York - Stockholm - Gothenburg - Bridge

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At 11:10 PM in heavy fog, the Stockholm and the Andrea Doria were approaching each other head-on in a well-used shipping corridor. The original inquiry established that Andrea Doria attempted to avoid a collision by steering to the port (left), instead of following the nautical tradition of passing on the starboard (right). Compounded by the extremely thick fog, as the ships approached each other, guided only by radar, they apparently misinterpreted each others' courses. There was no radio communication between the two ships, and by the time visual contact had been established, they were unable to avoid the collision.

Related Topics:
Heavy fog - Port - Starboard

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When Andrea Doria and the Stockholm collided at almost a 90-degree angle, the Stockholm's sharp icebreaking prow pierced Andrea Doria's starboard side, penetrating three cabin decks to a depth of nearly 40 feet (12 m). The collision smashed occupied passenger cabins and, at the lower levels, ripped open several of Andrea Doria's watertight compartments. The gash pierced five fuel tanks on Andrea Doria's starboard side and filled them with 500 tons of seawater while air was trapped in the empty tanks on the port side, contributing to an uncorrectable list. The ship's large fuel tanks were mostly empty at the time of the collision since the ship was nearing the end of its voyage.

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Forty-six of the 1,706 passengers and crew of Andrea Doria were killed in the collision, while five crew members of the Stockholm who were in the impact area also perished. After the collision, crew members discovered 14-year-old Linda Morgan, an Andrea Doria passenger in Cabin 52, without major injury on the deck of the Stockholm aft of the wrecked bow. She had miraculously survived the impact and apparently been thrown clear while her half sister, who shared her cabin on Andrea Doria, perished.

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Immediately after the collision, Andrea Doria began to take on water and started to list severely to starboard. Within minutes, the list was at least 18 degrees. As the water rose, it was soon discovered that one of the watertight doors to the engine room was missing. More importantly, however, stability was lost by the failure during routine operations to ballast the mostly empty fuel tanks as the builders had specified. Due to the immediate rush of seawater flooding the starboard tanks, and the fact that the port tanks were empty, an even greater list occurred than would otherwise have been the case. As the list increased over the next few minutes to 20 degrees or more, Captain Calamai realized there was no hope for his ship. Meanwhile, the two ships drifted apart in the fog.

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Rescue: Ile De France turns back to help

On Andrea Doria, the decision to abandon ship was made within 30 minutes of impact. However, lifeboat operations were difficult since half of the lifeboats were on the port side, which made them unlaunchable due to the severe list. A distress message was relayed to other ships by radio, and passengers unable to use the lifeboats on Andrea Doria were eventually rescued by the Stockholm and other responding ships.

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A major turning point in the disaster was the decision by the captain of SS Ile de France, a larger eastbound French Line ship which had passed the westbound Andrea Doria many hours earlier, to turn back to assist. Ile de France managed to rescue the bulk of the remaining passengers by shuttling its ten lifeboats back and forth to the Andrea Doria, and had sufficient capacity to accommodate the extra passengers. Some passengers on the Ile de France gave up their cabins to be used by the wet and tired survivors. Several smaller ships also responded. As a result, loss of life was limited to those killed in the actual collision, and one child (four-year-old Norma di Sandro) who suffered a fatal head injury during the loading of lifeboats.

Related Topics:
SS ''Ile de France'' - French Line

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By daylight, everyone had been evacuated from Andrea Doria, and inquiries were made about towing it to shallow water. However, it was clear to those watching helplessly at the scene that the stricken ocean liner was continuing to roll on its side. Andrea Doria finally capsized and sank 11 hours after the collision, at 10:09 AM on July 26, in an event covered widely by local media. Spectacular aerial photography of the stricken ocean liner capsizing and sinking won a Pulitzer Prize in 1957 for Harry A. Trask of the Boston Traveler newspaper.

Related Topics:
Capsized - July 26 - Pulitzer Prize - 1957

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ABC Radio Network news commentator Edward P. Morgan, based in New York City, broadcast a professional account of the collision, not telling listeners that his 14-year-old daughter was aboard Andrea Doria and feared dead. He did not know that Linda Morgan, the "miracle girl", was alive and aboard the heavily damaged Stockholm, which was able to steam back to New York under its own power. After learning the good news, his emotional broadcast became one of the more memorable in radio news history.

Related Topics:
ABC Radio Network - Edward P. Morgan

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Among Andrea Doria's passengers were Hollywood actress Ruth Roman and her four-year-old son. In the 1950 film Three Secrets, Roman had portrayed a distraught mother waiting to learn whether or not her child had survived a plane crash. She and her son were separated from each other during the collision and evacuation. Rescued, Roman had to wait to learn her child's fate which resulted in a media frenzy for photos as she waited at the pier in New York City for her child's safe arrival aboard one of the rescue ships.

Related Topics:
Hollywood - Ruth Roman - 1950 - Three Secrets - New York City

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The sinking produced a small footnote in automotive history, as it resulted in the loss of the Chrysler Norseman, an advanced prototype car which had been built for Chrysler by Ghia in Italy. The Norseman had been announced as a major attraction of the 1957 auto show circuit. However, it had not been shown to the public prior to the disaster.

Related Topics:
Chrysler Norseman - Chrysler - Ghia - 1957

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