Shipwrecks - Time Capsules of Human Civilization

Do I Save the Passengers or Save the Ship?

The captain of the Andrea Doria, Piero Calamai, had a huge decision to make. Should he save the ship by driving it into the Nantucket Shoals or should he save the passengers by staying out in the "Times Square" of shipping and rescue his passengers. If he drove the ship off to the Shoals he would not be able to lower the lifeboats and potential rescue crafts would of been too far away to assist should abandon ship be required. Remember, the list of the boat was at least 20 degrees making the rudder ineffective. If he stayed in the Times Square area, many ships would be in the area and there would be a high percentage of passengers saved; however, the ship would be doomed. Captain Calamai did the heroic thing and saved the passengers over the ship. He was the last Italian Officer to leave the ship and was pretty much resolved to go down with the ship (Second Officer Guido Badano convinced him to leave the ship). Initially Calamai did wait and hold out for a tow but realized by the time he left that any efforts were in vain. His valiant attempts to save the passengers and ship will be formally recognized by the Andrea Doria Survivors Reunion.

The Andrea Doria's Untold Psychological Scars

A new book about the Andrea Doria will be put out by Andrea Doria survivor Pierette Domenica Simpson this month entitled Alive on the Andrea Doria. This book is advertised as the first Doria book written by a survivor about the tragedy.  Actually, two survivors have written about their Andrea Doria accounts in two very obscure books that deal with psychological trauma of surviving this tragedy and how they deal with their lives. The first book was written by Canadian Doria survivor Eugene Gladstone and was printed in the mid-1960's entitled In the Wake of the Andrea Doria and the second book was printed in the late 1960's by Doria survivor Barbara Boggs Benzinger entitled The Prison of my Mind. In both books, the authors try to deal with their lives following the psychological impact of this tragedy. I can tell you that there were only 46 deaths on the Andrea Doria but uncounted hundreds of survivors that experienced post-traumatic stress syndrome following this tragedy.

Eugene Gladstone's book was originally a 'diary' that his doctor suggested he put together following his psychological trauma on board the Andrea Doria.  It delves into his coming to terms with his entire life and what it means to him to be alive. He has taken this diary and made it a remarkable book about the dealings of mental disorder.

Barbara Boggs Benzinger's book "The Prison on my Mind" is a fascinating read. The book was written from her coming to terms with her own mental illness that she became aware of following the trauma caused by the Andrea Doria tragedy. The book branches out into her own phobias and how she tried to overcome her demons. Although you might not learn much more about the tragedy itself, you will finally gain an understanding of the hidden scars that the Andrea Doria tragedy produced in many survivors. No book about the Andrea Doria has captured this element and I have found that it was one of the most devastating emotion that many survivors carry even to this day.

Busy, Busy, Busy..... New Shipwreck Information Gathered

It has been quite a busy time for me over the past month.  I have logged over 25,000 miles, been to 5 different countries on three continents, given 5 Shipwreck presentations on three different ocean liners and presented a scientific research paper on Titanic.  All of this travel has enabled me to provide my blog readers with firsthand research materials for shipwreck study - so it was extremely productive. Even though the amount of blogs has decreased this month, the quality of materials gained through my travels will allow me present you with new, unique and relevant information on the latest developments on shipwreck exploration in the immediate future.

Much of my work has been focused on the Andrea Doria of which I have made many dives and have done over 25 years of research. The 50th anniversary of the Andrea Doria's collision and sinking is being remembered by many throughout the globe and I have been inundated with media requests. Three of this month's presentations have been about the Andrea Doria and were viewed by over 800 people. In addition, I have been working on the Andrea Doria Survivor's Reunion, two Andrea Doria documentaries, a consultant on PBS (Public Broadcasting Systems) Andrea Doria website  and started publicity on a new Andrea Doria book entitled Alive on the Andrea Doria by Doria survivor Pierette Simpson. Yesterday, a newspaper review by the Daily Collegian of my presentation to a scientific crowd at the Pennsylvania State University's Marine Science Program was published. Although the article did not contain the science behind the collision and sinking of the Andrea Doria, I had a great time interacting with students, professors, administrators and guests at this event. In July, I will be leading the Official Andrea Doria Diving Expedition to the wreck site and will be doing some high definition filming of the current morphological changes to the ship.

The final presentation of this week was to an organization of Lockheed Martin retirees about the tragic sinking of the Empress of Ireland at their group's luncheon. They were treated to a brief historical account of the tragedy and a forty-minute, high-quality digital virtual dive to the shipwreck. The Empress is considered a very dangerous dive due to its cold water temperatures, limited dark visibility and ripping currents. It was great to talk to this group about the Empress as this ship is the most tragic ship accident that most people have never heard about.  Later this summer, I will be leading a diving expedition to the Empress and look forward to broadcasting LIVE from the dive site as I did last year.

I will be continuing the series on my expedition to Turkey on the next blog. I look forward to chatting with you about this adventure to ancient nautical times. Look forward to a new Titanic story from a Titanic passengers' family with a unique twist that we will exclusively broadcast later this month. There is so much to write about!

Andrea Doria Presentation in Florida

For my Florida viewers, I will be back in the Sunshine State giving a high-quality digital video presentation on the life and times of the Italian luxury liner Andrea Doria. The presentation is supported by the Mote Marine Research Laboratories and sponsored by Mote Trustee Robert Williams and his wonderful wife Jill on Monday March 20th at their Sarasota Florida facility.

Further information can be found at their web site and the following link:
http://www.mote.org/index.php?src=events&srctype=profile&id=514&category=Events

A brief abstract of the presentation follows:

Andrea Doria: Dive to Adventure and Danger

The night was deep with fog, as the luxurious Italian steamship, Andrea Doria, one of the last of the truly elegant transatlantic ocean liners, was making for New York and safety. The Doria was completing a run from Genoa, and carrying 1706 passengers and crew. Ominously, out of the gloom and hazy mist, the Swedish-American liner Stockholm, appeared before the starboard side of the helpless Andrea Doria. Before evasive maneuvers could be fully undertaken, the Stockholm impaled its reinforced ice-breaking bow into the defenseless Doria. The impact on the 29,000-ton Italian liner mortally wounded her and she sank eleven hours later. The events that occurred following this disaster would become of epic proportions.

This program presents a multifaceted view of the Andrea Doria tracing her history from the initial planning stages to the most recent diving salvage expeditions in 260 feet of cold North Atlantic waters. Utilizing the latest multimedia digital technology, you will virtually board the Andrea Doria in its home port of Genoa, take a walking tour of all the elegant social and boarding accommodations, meet the officers of both the Doria and Stockholm, experience the collision of both ships near Nantucket Shoals, be rescued by a Doria lifeboat and brought aboard the Ile de France to safety. Furthermore, you will have the opportunity of experiencing a virtual dive to the Doria and viewing her watery remains.

Nantucket Lightship during the Heydays of the Queen Mary and Andrea Doria

The Nantucket Lightship station marked the southern extremity of the extensive shoals that make out south and east from Nantucket Island.  It served as a primary leading mark for both coast-wise and trans-Atlantic traffic.  It was located variously at distances from 20 to 50 miles from the nearest land throughout its history.  It was repositioned several times to provide a greater safety margin from shoal areas, and to conform to changed in the international traffic lanes.  Nantucket Shoals was one of the most exposed lightship stations in the world and it was the last of the U.S. lightship stations to be discontinued.

LV 112 / WAL 534 served as the Nantucket Lightship from 1945 - 1958 and was in place during the Andrea Doria-Stockholm collision. This vessel was overhauled in 1958 and was later deployed back as the Nantucket Lightship from 1960-1975. She was one of the longest standing lightships that the Nantucket Shoals ever had. She served 39 years as a lightship and is currently used as a museum that very recently was berthed in New York City. Although there were variations in the locations, they never deviated too much during its later years.

Looking for Andrea Doria Survivors

On July 22nd 2006, Nautical Research Group, in conjunction with the Andrea Doria International Historical Society, will be sponsoring a 50th Anniversary Survivors Reunion to be held at the United States Merchant Marine Academy at Kings Point New York.  This event is a closed affair that is only opened to Andrea Doria survivors, family and their guests. I am looking for any Andrea Doria survivor that would like to be included on the invitation list so I am asking my global audience to please email me information regarding Andrea Doria survivors.  I am the original founder of these reunions that started in 1990 and these reunions have been regularly held since that time.

There were six ships that saved the passengers and crew of the Andrea Doria. These ships are:

Stockholm                      532 people saved      308 passengers         234 crew
Ile de France                 753 people saved      576 passengers         177 crew
Cape Ann                         129 people saved          91 passengers           38 crew
Pvt Willliam Thomas  158 people saved       112 passengers            46 crew
Edward H. Allen             77 people saved            0 passengers           77 crew
Robert E. Hopkins            1 person saved             1 passenger                0 crew
TOTAL                     1660 person saved  1088 passengers  572 crew

If you have you information about an Andrea Doria survivor, please email David Bright at info@nauticalresearch.com .

Collision at Sea - Andrea Doria / Stockholm Questions

Many questions about the collision of the Andrea Doria and Stockholm have remained unanswered for 50 years. Back in the late 1950's, a prominent marine engineer named John C. Carrouthers, who was contracted by the US Navy to investigate marine accidents, concluded that misreading of the radar by the young third officer on the bridge of the Stockholm was the fatal error. As the world's nautical experts had an opportunity to look at all the evidence, they have felt that the misreading of the radar was highly probable as the fatal mistake. Mr. Carrouthers produced many research papers in prestigious professional journals that chronicled the mistakes that both ships made during their approach. He concluded emphatically that the fatal mistake was made by the Stockholm. Unfortunately, the treasure-trove of information that he provided extensively in these professional journals never really made it to the public mainstream media. Here is a brief Q&A about some of the major issues dealing with the collision of these two fine ships:

"You have wrote that the reason for the collision was a misreading of the radar at the bridge of the Stockholm. That is understandable. Is this the main reason for the collision? I have read that the guilt could not be proved, neither for the captain of the Andrea Doria nor for the captain for the Stockholm. Is this correct? "

There were many small errors made by both ships that contributed to the collision. Each small error concatenated to become bigger errors. However, the biggest error that fateful evening of 7/25/56 was the mis-reading of the radar by the young third officer Carstens. As far as guilt for the collision, there was none that was attributed. There were pre-trial depositions that were taken, in contemplation of a full trial, but both ship owners, deciding that it would not be in their best interests to have a long, drawn-out trial, settled their differences with their common insurers. Therefore-it never went to trial to decide who was at fault. Informally, the mariners in the US went over all the testimony; and understanding the laws of the sea figured that either the Stockholm bridge officer was mistaken about the radar. These mariners have always believed that the radar misreading was the reason. Every decision that Carstens made on the bridge from 20 minutes before the collision to the collision time suggest that he thought that the Doria was much further away. It made the most reasonable and logical sense for this theory. Back in those days, the radar rings were not illuminated and the range of the scale of the OD was done manually by moving a switch. It is believed by these experts that Carstens thought that he was on a different range (15 mile) when in reality he was on another range(5 mile). In order to verify what range you are on in the night, a small flashlight is used. However, Carstens has vehemently denied this, but computer projections of the collision prove out, with very little doubt that the reason for this collision was the radar mis-reading by Carstens.

"I have read that both ships recognized the danger, while the distance was about 12 miles. There is another point that I cannot understand: Why did the Andrea Doria change her course to portside? Normally – so I have learned for my license for sport boats – the ships should be passing portside to portside. So the normal reaction of the Andrea Doria should be to change to starboard? Can you explain to me the consideration of Captain Calamai to change to the wrong side?"

The Doria has always thought that the passing would be starboard to starboard. You are correct in your rule of navigation referring to normal passing of port to port-especially in a head on passing. However, you must understand that the Doria felt that they were on the starboard side ALWAYS and by going starboard to get into a position for a port to port passing would of had the Doria pass right across the bow of the Stockholm. As you know the port to port rule is only applied if the ships were in a head to head basis and would not be applied if it would put the ship in PERIL - and apparently the Doria officers felt that trying to align the Doria in a port to port passing would put the ship across the bow of the Stockholm and into peril.

   

As the Doria was going forward, assuming a starboard to starboard passing, it would be natural for the ship to steer to the port to open the distance between the two ships. Changing course to starboard would of placed the Doria in the Stockholm's path!

"I have inquired about the following years of the Stockholm until now to include multiple name changes.  In 2002 she received the name “Caribe.” Do you know whether this ship is still working today? And – do you own current printable photos of this ship? "

The Stockholm has had many names since she left the ownership of the Brostrom concern's Swedish-American Lines. In 1960, she was sold to the East Germans as a union cruise vessel called Völkerfreundschaft.  The Stockholm was sold to Italian interests in 1989. Ironically, it was given a refit in Genoa, the Andrea Doria's home port. When it first arrived, the press called the Stockholm the "ship of death." It was later gutted and given a new design resembling a modern cruise ship. Previously named the Italia I, Italia Prima, Valtur Prima and Caribe, the Stockholm currently sails as the Athena and is registered in Portugal.

Comparing Titanic's Decay with the Empress of Ireland, Lusitania, Britannic and Andrea Doria

Although Titanic is deteriorating while subjected to the natural force of the Atlantic Ocean, it has been preserved relatively well throughout the past ninety-three years. More recent shipwrecks, like the ill-fated Italian luxury liner Andrea Doria which sank in 1956, is in much worse shape structurally than Titanic. The Doria lies in 260 feet of water about 40 miles southwest of Nantucket Island. The relatively shallow depths, strong currents, aluminum-alloy- based superstructure and weather conditions have battered the Doria to the point where the top five deck levels have fallen down to the bottom of the ocean. With its entire superstructure gone, the Doria is now a huge steel hull with all of its once-beautiful infrastructure lying next to it on its starboard side in a vast heap of metallic wreckage.

It is important to put the decay of Titanic in the context of other contemporary twentieth century ocean liner shipwrecks. These once-opulent liner shipwrecks like the Lusitania, the Empress of Ireland and Titanic’s sister, Britannic have all sunk in different parts of the world and been exposed to a variety of different environmental factors. Despite their environmental differences, all of these fine liners are in relatively similar states of deterioration to that of Titanic. Judging by these many differences in environmental conditions, the fact that their states of deterioration are similar may prove to be a mere coincidence.

Prototype Car of the Future Lost on the Andrea Doria - Norseman

One of the "casualties" of the Andrea Doria sinking has received quite a bit of attention in the past decade; however, this casualty was not a person but a beautiful automobile called the Norseman. The Norseman was a special prototype car that was a joint project of Chrysler and Ghia. It is thought that the complete development of this automobile cost more than $100,000 1956-dollars. Normally, all passenger cars were placed in the garage section of the Andrea Doria that is slightly aft of the collision point where the Stockholm impaled the Doria underneath the bow wing bridge. These cars would have been placed on to the Doria by use of a crane and meticulously parked in the garage and arranged strategically for stability. However, the Norseman was no passenger vehicle and was specially packed and treated with extra care. The Norseman was put into a wooden crate and placed in the number 2 cargo area. While looking for a lost diver, I had an opportunity to see the Norseman for myself in the cargo hold. The crate had disintegrated and the car was in very, very poor condition. The ocean's salt water invaded the Norseman's metal and most of the car is rust, corrosion and a heap of indistinguishable junk. The tires are still there and have assisted to its identification.

I have been back to the cargo area several times (it is pretty scary in the cargo hold because the ship is lying on its starboard side) and visited the Norseman on a couple other occasions. I contributed to an article authored by a New York Times reporter that appeared in the Hemmings Motor News in the early 1990's. In 1996, a website in Germany translated part of this Hemmings article and added additional information. The link to this article is: http://riekmann.prohosting.com/magazin/chrysler_norseman/chrysler_norseman.htm
I have been interviewed about my dives to the Norseman several times since the original Hemmings article appeared. I have not been back to this cargo site since 1994 and with all the decay that the wreck has had over the past 10 years, it is doubtful if I will ( or anyone else) ever get a chance to see the remains of the Norseman again.

2006 - Year of New Underwater Shipwreck Discovery and Exploration

The following article is a modified extract of a comment that I made to fellow underwater explorer, Steve Libert about several of my projects over the next three months. I hope that you enjoy....

I thought that it might be tough to top all the exciting and wonderful expeditions that I had in 2005 that included Titanic, Empress of Ireland, the Bermuda Triangle rescue aircraft - Martin Mariner PBM-5, various historical shipwrecks that ranged from naval to merchant and old treasure galleons to ocean liners (including a Blue Riband Cunard Liner Oregon).

2006 is shaping up to be an even better and more historic diving season that will be highlighted by our series of events surrounding the 50th Anniversary of the Collision and Sinking of the Andrea Doria. I will be releasing some new nautical forensic information and underwater video regarding this beautiful Italian liner's sinking that will change the historical perception of that tragic evening. In two weeks, I am off to Florida diving deep in the underground caves using a mixed-gas, closed circuit rebreather (as part of a cave diving course run by two of the world's best instructors - legendary Tom Mount and former British Special Forces diver Andrew Driver). Hopefully we will find in situ evidence for some prehistoric species deep within these underwater caves (a mastodon or mammoth would be nice). In March, I have two presentations to give. The first presentation is at the American Academy of Underwater Sciences meeting at the University of Washington's Friday Harbor Laboratory (FHL) in the San Juan Islands -located north of Seattle between the mainland and Vancouver Island, British Columbia about the latest scientific observations about the biological decay of Titanic. The second presentation of the month will be at the Mote Marine Laboratory in Sarasota, Florida about Diving to the Italian Liner Andrea Doria. Before the end of the month of March, I am off to the Black Sea and this should be very interesting - perhaps, if I am very lucky, I might discover Noah's Ark (just kidding!). In addition, I have some other "secret" shipwreck explorations and projects that I can't quite divulge yet (don't want the bureaucrats to put a damper on all the adventure) but will provide some significant new information about several historic shipwrecks.

Thank you for your continued support for this web site which is globally the number one blog ( weblog ) for shipwrecks. I find that it is a perfect forum for me to get things off my chest without feeling inhibited about the dives, expeditions and science. As a corporation, Nautical Research Group is thriving and we have been able to pick and choose the best and most interesting underwater projects. Our unique blend of nautical archaeology and deep technical diving - wrapped around our roots in the biological sciences is unparallelled.

Shipwrecks and Lost Aircraft Profiled in Recent Magazines

I enjoy working with the media to educate the public about the nautical history of shipwrecks and the undersea world. Lately, I have been involved with several television documentaries that have been placed on many of the cable networks ( MsNBC, History Channel, National Geographic Channel, Sci-Fi Channel etc.) and have done a slew of newspaper and magazine interviews. This month, I have been profiled in several different magazines pertaining to my work on the shipwrecks and an aircraft. This is not so uncommon because I am involved with so much shipwreck and underwater research that the media and the public finds very fascinating. However, this month has to be the most diverse in terms of the types of magazines that I have been written about in a long time.  It seems that my diving and shipwreck work has taken a new persona as characterized by these three distinct magazine articles:

December 2005 Sci Fi Magazine - Profiles the search for the Bermuda Triangle's famed lost Mariner rescue aircraft that went missing while looking for the 5 US Navy Avenger aircraft in 1945. I led a team of 20 scientists, divers and operational crew on the underwater search for the PBM-5 Mariner aircraft.

January 2006 Worth Magazine - This magazine caters to high net worth individuals and has an article about the the search for lucrative shipwrecks and its ability to provide the investors and salvors fortune and fame. I have a few comments about treasure hunting in this article.

January / February 2006 Aquanaut Magazine - This diving magazine is written in German and caters to the Swiss, German and Austrian sport and recreational diving markets. The article that I am profiled in is entitled Andrea Doria: Der Mount Everest der Wracktaucher which translates out to Andrea Doria: The Mount Everest of Wreck Diving. I have dove the Andrea Doria over a hundred times since the mid-1980's and will be going back this summer with the Official Andrea Doria Diving Expedition ™ to mark the 50th anniversary of its collision and sinking.

Well-so far I have not been approached by Playboy yet ;-) !

2006 Marks the 50th Anniversary of the Andrea Doria Collision and Sinking

This is the year of the Andrea Doria and I have many exciting projects planned to mark the 50th anniversary of the collision and sinking of this beautiful ocean liner. I have been saving some phenomenal materials that will be unveiled for the first time this year that will change the overall perception of what happen that tragic evening of July 25th, 1956. This rare information will include one-of-a-kind documentation about the collision, sinking and the behind-the-scenes negotiations by the lawyers and insurers that will shed some new insight into the tragedy that was never before published. The book by Andrea Doria survivor Pierette Simpson will soon become an Andrea Doria classic as some of this new information will be placed in her book. The anticipated release date for the book is Spring 2006 and will be a startling revelation about the collision, sinking, rescue and diving of the Andrea Doria. In addition, two new film documentaries will be released in the European and the North American markets about some of the latest information about this tragedy that was never formally released to the public. Nautical Research Group will be the sponsor of the Official Andrea Doria Diving Expedition to be held in early July 2006.  The year's activities will climax with the Andrea Doria Survivors Reunion that is a closed, by-invitation-only gala affair that will be held at the United States Merchant Marine Academy in late July. Stay subscribed to our weblog ( blog ) for the latest developments and project planning surrounding the Andrea Doria Anniversary activities.

Who is to Blame for the Andrea Doria - Stockholm Collision?

Being a noted authority on the history of the Italian ocean liner Andrea Doria, I have been asked this same question over a thousand times. I have spent over 25 years looking into this question and am 100 percent positive with the following conclusions. Here is a quick synopsis of my highly controversial answer:

There were many small errors made by both ships, the Italian liner Andrea Doria and the Swedish-American liner Stockholm, that contributed to the collision. Each small error concatenated to become bigger errors. However, the biggest error that fateful evening of July 25th, 1956 was the misreading of the radar by the young Third Officer Carstens aboard the Stockholm. This was truly the fatal error and was pivotal for the collision to have taken place that foggy evening at 11:10 pm!

As far as formal guilt for the collision, there was none that was legally attributed. There were pre-trial depositions that were taken, in contemplation of a full trial, but both ship owners, deciding that it would not be in their best interests to have a long, drawn-out trial, settled their differences with their common insurers. Therefore-it never went to trial to decide who was at fault. Informally, many professional mariners in the US went over all the testimony; and understanding the laws of the sea figured that, barring perjury from either the Doria or Stockholm's officers and crew, the Stockholm bridge officer was mistaken about the radar. These mariners have always believed that the radar misreading was the critical error. Every decision that Stockholm's young and inexperienced Third Officer Carstens made on the bridge from 20 minutes before the collision to the collision time suggest that he thought that the Doria was much further away. It made the most reasonable and logical sense for this theory. However, Carstens has vehemently denied this, but computer projections of the collision prove out, with very little doubt that the reason for this collision was the radar misreading by Carstens.

This misread of the radar by Carstens has overwhelming and uniform acceptance; and is supported by the world's most prestigious mariners/nautical scientists. Making this type of error is a very simple thing to do on a busy bridge with fog and a vessel closing fast. Back in those days, the radar rings were not illuminated and the radar's range scale selection was done manually by moving a switch. It is believed by these experts that Carstens thought that he was on a different range (15 mile) when in reality he was on another range (5 mile). In order to verify what range you are on in the night, a small flashlight is used. All the decisions that Carstens made on the bridge would support that Carstens believed that he was on a distant range and that the Doria was farther away then he thought.

For fair balance, a good account of the collision with a totally different interpretation is the book Collision Course by Alvin Moscow. In his book, Mr. Moscow attributed the blame to the captain of the Andrea Doria-Piero Calamai. For many years, Moscow's book was the definitive source for the collision. A marine engineer named John Carrouthers who was contracted by the Navy to investigate marine accidents concluded otherwise and could prove with utmost certainty that the accident was caused by the Stockholm. As the world's nautical experts had an opportunity to look at all the evidence, they have felt that the misreading of the radar was highly probable as the fatal mistake. Currently, at the United States Merchant Marine Academy (USMMA), the cadets use this accident scenario every semester as an example of radar misreading on the bridge. The textbook used for this course is called Watchstanding Guide for the Merchant Officer by Captain Robert J. Meurn Publisher: Cornell Maritime Press, ISBN 0-87033-409-3. (May 1990; updated 2006) In this book, Captain Meurn spends several pages (pp173-176) explaining the reasons for the collision of the Doria-Stockholm on misreading of the ship's radar by the Stockholm and uses this as a learning tool to make sure that any nautical/maritime officer avoids this ship-to-ship encounter. Additionally all cadets are taught how to man a ship's bridge using a multimillion dollar simulator that has the complete accident of the collision programmed specifically with what was occurring out at sea on July 25th, 1956. Captain Meurn is a master mariner and professor emeritus at the USMMA and this textbook is used at the United States Coast Guard and the US Naval Academies; as well as for NOAA mariners.

Since there was never a formal trial (just pre-trial deposition) the ultimate truth will always be left up to the individual; however, with the 50th anniversary of the collision and sinking approaching, there is no doubt that professional mariners in the United States know who was at fault. Coming late Spring 2006, look for a new book by Andrea Doria survivor Pierette Simpson who will provide new and startling evidence for the facts behind the collision and sinking of the Andrea Doria.

Titanic Logs - July 13th Day of Rest

This is our series of supplemental logs that were taken from our scientific research expedition to RMS Titanic earlier last month. I hope that you enjoy!

Today is a day of rest for me, as well as the crew of the MIR submersible team. We have had three straight days of perfect weather and successfully accomplished 6 submersible dives to the Titanic. Last night, I had a very late night after our MIR submersible was recovered by Keldysh. By the time we got back on the deck of Keldysh, it was almost 9:45 pm and MIR I had already been back for over 3 hours. I felt very satisfied with our dive and visited all the spots that I had planned on visiting with the exception of the Grand Staircase. As we disembarked from the MIR, I was given a flute of champagne (or sparkling white wine?) and proceeded to down the flute in one gulp, followed by a bathroom run. My modified diet had served me well while in the MIR for over 12 hours. When I got back out on deck, they gave me the entire bottle of champagne and brought me to the dining room for a wonderful gourmet meal. Stripping out of the NOMEX fire-proof suit, I had a scrumptious meal with many of my fellow observers that took an opportunity to grill me about my wonderful experience. By the time I finished dinner and changed, it was about 11:30 pm but I was too excited to sleep. I decided to stay up with my good friends from Arizona ( Brian Day O'Connor, Chris Vinger, John Lennon and Eric Crown) until the wee hours talking about our Titanic adventures and other sultry tales.

The next morning, I got a chance to sleep in until 8 am and made sure that I returned the NOMEX suit back to Mother before she tracked me down.  I was slated to give two Andrea Doria presentations today - one of the presentations was our Corporation's copyrighted film and the other one was presenting Peter Gimbel's early 1980 expedition to this beautiful Italian liner. Today's activities included a Group Expedition Photograph and later our big BBQ dinner extravaganza out on the patio deck of Keldysh. During this buffet, the Russian crew re-introduced me to "Sheila". Sheila is not a person nor anything living. Sheila is their special homemade vodka that they make somewhere in the deep bowels of Keldysh. I have no idea what is in Sheila but I can certainly attest that it is VERY strong. The movie for the evening was James Cameron's Titanic. I would of thought that everyone had watched this film many times and that the attendance would be sparse. However, I was so wrong as everyone came to watch the film including Anatoly Sagelevitch, who was one of the stars of the film.  In his movie role, Anatoly had this famous line "No gold???" that sent our audience into an uproar. I really admire and respect Anatoly. He is truly a warm and wonderful person!

Italian Beauty Andrea Doria - 49th Anniversary!

With all the press buzzing about our observations about Titanic and the beautiful documentary by James Cameron that was released last night on the Discovery network, it is hard to talk about anything else but Titanic.

Despite this "titanic" uproar, I would like to change the topic for another Lost Liner that today will mark a quite ominous anniversary. Tonight at 11:10 pm in dense fog, the Swedish-American liner, Stockholm collided with the pride of the Italian merchant fleet, the beautiful Andrea Doria about 50 miles southwest of Nantucket Island Massachusetts 49 years ago.  Nautical Research Group has spent many decades exploring and researching this "floating art museum" and has amassed the largest collection of Andrea Doria items in the world. The rescue of over 1700 passengers has been described as the "greatest open sea rescue" of all time. Unlike Titanic and the Empress of Ireland's massive toll of lives lost, the Andrea Doria lost 46 passengers that night, primarily in the impact zone where the Stockholm impaled itself into the starboard hull, just below the bow wing bridge.

Next year there will be a huge reunion of the Andrea Doria survivors, tentatively planned to be held at the United States Merchant Marine Academy in King's Point, Long Island, New York. Survivors, family and their guests will be treated to a wonderful day of activities and fine dining. In order to mark the 50th anniversary, Andrea Doria survivor Pierette Domenica Simpson will be publishing a book about the survivor's perspective of this tragedy and will lay the framework for uncovering the real reasons why the Stockholm collided and sank the Andrea Doria. This book will become a classic and will finally solve the mystery of how this accident could have occurred in the era of radar. I will give further information about this book as the publication date approaches.

The state of decay on the Andrea Doria is quite amazing. All of the top deck levels above the hull have collapsed and lie on the bottom of the ocean like a huge junk pile. Even Gimbel's Hole in the Foyer Deck has twisted upon itself and the opening can not be penetrated. In the mid-1980's, I discovered that there was more damage inflicted by the reinforced "ice-breaking" bow of the Stockholm on the Andrea Doria than was ever envisioned by its Ansaldo builders. It appears that the Stockholm's bow had even breached the starboard side keel as it collided at nearly full speed into the most vulnerable spot on the Andrea Doria. Over the past twenty years, this keel breach has expanded throughout the hull of the Andrea Doria and now threatens to separate the entire bow section of the ship, from the forecastle to the tip of the bow, from the remainder of the ship. Strong currents and relatively shallow waters at 265 feet have taken its toll on the Andrea Doria and even Titanic is in much better shape in comparison to this once-proud Italian liner.

Andrea Doria - Dive to Danger!

Over the past Memorial Day weekend, I had a chance to drive through New England up into Massachusetts. As I was driving past the Cape, I was thinking about the lost Italian luxury liner Andrea Doria. Nautical Research Group has one of the largest and most extensive collections of Andrea Doria memorabilia in the world that encompasses three museum exhibits. Each one of these exhibits has been displayed at various museums, libraries and universities throughout North America. Our permanent exhibit resides at the Nantucket Lifesaving Museum that represents the closest landfall from the shipwreck, and represents our smallest exhibit.

At the end of this month starts the two and a half month weather window for diving expeditions out to the shipwreck. The Andrea Doria is in about 260 feet of cold, North Atlantic waters and has decayed quite significantly over the past ten years. The entire thick aluminum superstructure has had its structural integrity compromised and subsequently slid off into the sandy bottom. I plan on visiting her watery remains at the end of July; as I have done for over 100 previous dives. Please enjoy a dive to the stern of the Andrea Doria via this video and observe the stern wing bridge on the left and the fishing nets that drape the wreck.

Andrea Doria - New Book Packed with Plenty of Pictures

My good friend, author William H. Miller, has just published a beautiful "coffee table" book on the Andrea Doria entitled "Picture History of the Andrea Doria".  Bill is the quintessential historian on ocean liners and has published more than 60 books on the topic. In his latest book, Bill provides many new and unique photographs of the Andrea Doria that has been dubbed "a floating art museum".  Because Nautical Research Group, Inc. has the largest collection of Andrea Doria items in the world, Bill has invited me to present at several ocean liner meetings - the most recent was last December at the South Street Seaport where we premiered our new Andrea Doria digital presentation "Andrea Doria - Dive to Adventure and Danger". Pick up a copy of Bill's wonderful book at any Borders, Barnes and Noble or Amazon bookstore sites. For information regarding Nautical Research Group's blockbuster digital video presentation of the Andrea Doria, contact their corporation at info@nauticalresearch.com .