Andrea Doria: Dive to an Era

The collision between the Andrea Doria and the Stockholm has been the subject of unending debate ever since that fateful night of July 25, 1956, when the two liners met so irrevocably. Fifty-two people lost their lives, the Italian Line lost its finest ship, and one of the greatest sea rescues in history made banner headlines that turned the name Andrea Doria into a household word.

Today, the Grand Dame of the Sea rests on her starboard side in 240 feet of cold Atlantic water, fifty miles south of Nantucket. Since the time of her sinking, numerous schemes of hull salvage have been discussed, salvors have penetrated her darkened corridors seeking treasure, and photographers and film makers have captured her slow disintegration.

Chronicled in the pages of this book is the story of the Grand Dame of the Sea after she sank, from Harry Trask’s first Pulitzer Prize winning photograph of the Andrea Doria sinking, through the various commercial salvage and photographic expeditions, to the author’s many trips to the wreck. Covered are amazing feats such as the salvage of the bronze statue of Admiral Andrea Doria and the recovery of the ship’s bell.

Peter Gimbel first dived the Andrea Doria twenty-eight hours after she sank. He returned five times during the next quarter century, sharing through pictures and films his fascination for the magnificent liner. His exploits include the recovery of a safe full of paper money, and an eerie penetration through the smokestack and motor room and out the bottom of the hull. These stories and more are covered in detail.

The author also recounts the highlights of his own twenty-two expeditions to the famous wreck. Over the years he has photographed and recovered china, glassware, unique pieces of jewelry from two of the ship’s gift shops, and works of art which once decorated the walls. The latter are ceramic panels which were specially commissioned for the Andrea Doria, and which were created by the famous Italian artist, Romano Rui. These panels represent the best in Italian renaissance art.

The Andrea Doria is a ship that did not die upon sinking, but instead found new meaning. She is a time tunnel to an era of transportation now extinct, a remnant of bygone years of transatlantic service. She is a ship that will never be forgotten.

The book is amply illustrated with black and white historical photographs, as well as color photographs of the wreck as it appears on the bottom.