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.
Its a dangerous wreck to dive on it becasuse 12 divers lost their lives the current is so strong it will pull divers off the line heres my e-mail adderss [email protected].
Posted by: James Bixler | June 14, 2005 at 07:29 PM
I just wonder why no one that I can recall has done an extensive movie on this shipwreck. Personally, I would like to see James Carmeron of the "Titanic" (1997) do a movie on this shipwreck as well. It seems to have all the interesting concepts that make a good movie. The Andrea Doria was considered "unsinkable". (Did man not learn a thing from the sinking of the Titanic?) You have some weathly people on board. Again you have the immigrants which unfortunately for them seem to have been in the wrong place at the wrong time, and you have stories if herioism as well as cowardness. If you know of a movie that I could watch to bring this life from a historical perspective, I would be greatful. Thank you.
Elizabeth
Posted by: Gayla Tedder | May 01, 2006 at 11:25 AM
Hello Elizabeth,
There has never been a featured film on the Andrea Doria collision and sinking-although it has been talked about in Hollywood for almost 50 years. There have been several very good documentaries on television and there will be a new one coming to PBS this summer under the series entitled "Secrets of the Dead". You can check out its official web site at : http://www.pbs.org/wnet/secrets/case_andreadoria/index.html . I just saw a pre-release of this show and I am stunned by all the new pictures of the Andrea Doria, the discussion by the survivors of their heroic escape from the ship and the complete exoneration of the Doria's Captain Piero Calamai. A new book by Andrea Doria survivor Pierette Simpson will be released next month and can be found at : http://www.catskill.net/purple/doria.htm . Thank you for your wonderful observation and for visiting the Shipwreck web log.
David Bright
Nautical Research Group, Inc.
Posted by: David Bright | May 01, 2006 at 07:07 PM
I have 5 original menus from the Andrea Doria date Feb. 1956, and would like to know the value and possibly sell them.
Posted by: Irene Wernick | December 26, 2008 at 05:01 PM