Photos: Most famous disaster at sea since Titanic

[trinacriabob]

At about 11 pm on July 25, 1956, 50 years ago today,the Italian passenger liner Andrea Doria was sailing off of Nantucket, Mass. and due in to NY the following morning. She had essentially crossed the entire Atlantic. However, as the area was blanketed in fog and there was confusion aboard both ships who saw each other's lights up ahead, the Swedish liner Stockholm, with a bow designed to cut through ice, broadsided the Andrea Doria, cutting a gash below the water line that meant her end. About 50 people perished...all at the site of impact. Miraculously, unlike other more rapid sinkings, the Andrea Doria went under at 10:09 am the next day. Furthermore, the French liner Ile de France changed its course and used her lifeboats to shuttle over 1000 people from the sinking liner onto the safety of her decks. The story is chilling....I have read it so many times, since as a little kid, I got to make the same crossing a couple of times aboard Italian Line ships that followed her as the company maintained some ships in their fleet until 1977. The popularity of air travel meant the end of regularly scheduled transatlantic travel (except for the QE2- the Queen Elizabeth 2 which continues to sail today). I know of some of my parents' elderly friends who came to this country aboard earlier crossings of the Andrea Doria.

Photos:

Weirdly enough, the site showed that the survivors, most of whom lived in the East, would reunite once a year on Long Island. With today being the 50th anniversary, there is no mention of anything going on among them.

Edited July 25, 2006 by trinacriabob

[Flybrian]

I believe a major factor in this accident was the lack of experience using surface radar, which could've possibly saved the ship.

Also, another victim of Andrea Doria was the Chrysler Norseman, handcrafted by Ghia over the course of fifteen months. It featured a fully cantalievered roof (no a-pillar support) with a sunroof and unlike many dream cars of the time, this one was fully operational.

[balthazar]

Andrea Doria always reminds me of the Norseman. I keep hoping that one of the divers on it over time will bring back a pic.

Fly- most of the '50s concepts cars were fully operational (tho Ford had a bunch in the 1st half of the decade that were more often scale models than life-size).

[Flybrian]

Fly- most of the '50s concepts cars were fully operational (tho Ford had a bunch in the 1st half of the decade that were more often scale models than life-size).

171143[/snapback]

I had the impression many of them were just 'rollers' or had limited functionality like many of today's concepts (no reverse, speed limited, etc). I would assume the vast majority of Ford's 50s concepts were unworkable simply because of their eccentricities - the Nucleon, Seattleite, Gyron, etc.

[Sixty8panther]

Me too.... it's a tragedy that over four dozen people

perished but when the Andrea Dorea is meantioned

that's what I think of first. The ultimate hardtop.

[trinacriabob]

Me too.... it's a tragedy that over four dozen people

perished but when the Andrea Dorea is meantioned

that's what I think of first. The ultimate hardtop.

171173[/snapback]

Really, some fancy car chassis was on board? The Maybach was brought to NY aboard to QE2 a few years back. It was cool. There was a picture of the ship passing the Statue of Liberty being circled by helicopters as this car sat out there on one of the upper decks.

BTW, the Andrea Doria is off your coastline. Just don't get any ideas and go diving onto the wreck...pretty dangerous stuff.

Incidentally, this is TOO WEIRD and too much of a coincidence. YESTERDAY:

Capsized Cargo Ship Full of Cars Off Alaska

It was bringing 5,000 cars from Asia to Canada. But there was no collision.

Edited July 26, 2006 by trinacriabob

[balthazar]

I had the impression many of them were just 'rollers' or had limited functionality like many of today's concepts (no reverse, speed limited, etc). I would assume the vast majority of Ford's 50s concepts were unworkable simply because of their eccentricities - the Nucleon, Seattleite, Gyron, etc.

Most accounts claim the same: a running '50s/'60s concept is unusual. Most of GM's '50s concepts ran:

RAN~

Buick: '51 XP-300, '53 Wildcat I, '54 Wildcat II, '56 Centurion, '58 XP-75.

Cadillac: '53 LeMans, '54 LaEspada, '54 El Camino, '55 Eldo Brougham, '59 Cyclone.

Chevrolet: '55 Biscayne, '56 Impala, '58 Corvette XP-700

Olds: '54 Cutlass, '54 F-88, '56 Golden Rocket

Pontiac: '53 Parisienne, '54 Bonneville Special, '54 Strato-Streak, '55 Strato-Star, '56 Club deMer,

GM/GMC: '51 LeSabre, '54 Firebird I, '55 L'Universalle, '56 Firebird II, '58 Firebird III.

Total RUNNING -- 26

Didn't Run~

'56 Eldorado Brougham Town Car (tho it does today).

Not sure~

'55 Wildcat III, '53 Starfire, '55 Delta,

Total Not Sure/ Not Running: 4

I omitted production-based concepts (ie: '54 Roadmaster Landau), as those are by default, powered. I'm sure I unintentionally left a few pure custom concepts out which might alter the results, tho not greatly. And note also that those that had multiple examples.... if one ran almost always the others did too (ie: all (4) '53 LeMans ran).

Most of Chrysler Corp's '50s concepts ran, also; the '58 Cabana being the lone offhand non-runner I can think of.

Ford, by comparison, has a truely dismal showing in this arena.

Running: '53 X-100, '54 XM-800, '55 Futura.

Not Sure: '53 XL-500, '56 XM-Turnpike Cruiser.

Still- the idea that 'most' concept cars from the '50s are rollers needs to die. Same would hold true for the '60s, I am fairly certain.

Edited July 26, 2006 by balthazar

[ShadowDog]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/KdF_Ship_Wilhelm_Gustloff

While Titanic is recognized as the worst 'peacetime' maritime disaster, this one sure made me pause.

That's like sinking half this city's population of 16,000 people in a boat.

[zhawk]

Incidentally, this is TOO WEIRD and too much of a coincidence.  YESTERDAY:

Capsized Cargo Ship Full of Cars Off Alaska

It was bringing 5,000 cars from Asia to Canada.  But there was no collision.

171403[/snapback]

If I remember correctly, that ship was bringing Mazdas to North America. Not exactly a disasterous loss.

[razoredge]

It was bringing 5,000 cars from Asia to Canada.  But there was no collision.

171403[/snapback]

Awe, imagine that 5000 Asian car at the bottom the deep and shiny sea

[trinacriabob]

Forgetting about the load of Asian cars dropped into the water off Alaska, did anyone watch the History Channel documentary on the Andrea Doria sinking and rescue last night?

[Sixty8panther]

They'll be dust in about a week... two weeks if they were Rusty Jones-ed.

[american_revolution_2005]

I thought the Norseman still existed. I loved that concept. I wonder if it is still down there or what kind of shape it is in. Wouldn't Chrysler hire somebody to at least try to save it. The concept cars are a lot of money.

[trinacriabob]

I thought the Norseman still existed. I loved that concept. I wonder if it is still down there or what kind of shape it is in. Wouldn't Chrysler hire somebody to at least try to save it. The concept cars are a lot of money.

171720[/snapback]

The Doria's safes were supposed to be filled with money, jewelry and artworks and they went down there (a documentary show) and did not find anything worthwhile. (The purser took them all!!!) They even cut an additional hole in the ship to get to them. It was egg on the face but it made for an interesting 1-hour documentary.

[razoredge]

The Doria's safes were supposed to be filled with money, jewelry and artworks and they went down there (a documentary show) and did not find anything worthwhile.  (The purser took them all!!!) They even cut an additional hole in the ship to get to them.  It was egg on the face but it made for an interesting 1-hour documentary.

171728[/snapback]

Whos a "purser" ? Is there a story behind this ? Like some survivor lived a life of luxury after the fact ?

I believe I have seen the story on the Andrea Dorea a few years back. The Edmund Fitzgerald is a chilly story and Ive seen that one a few times too.

Nothing compares to the story of those silly King Crab fisherman in the Baron Sea. I just heard it but forget, they loose something like 5 ships a season and 10-15 lifes. Some crazy odds like that.

[trinacriabob]

Whos a "purser" ? Is there a story behind this ?

171832[/snapback]

Just a joke. A purser is a position on the ship...that's what Isaac, the black guy, did on "The Love Boat."

[ocnblu]

I think a purser does what the term implies, right? He takes care of the valuables?

[trinacriabob]

It's sort of like an accountant/treasurer type.

[balthazar]

Norseman is still on board the Andrea Doria. Tech did not exist then, and would be tremendously expensive today, to bring a car up whole from a shipwreck. Of course- add to that the cost to refurbish it and the loss (from a business standpoint) is the far easier way out.

[american_revolution_2005]

Well they could even keep the car in it's condition depending on how bad it is. The car would still be shown but in terrible condition. It could bring more attention to the Andrea Doria.