Neither was following the established “rules of the road” for ocean travel. By around 10:30 p.m., the two ships were approaching one another from opposite directions off Nantucket. That same day, the 524-foot Swedish passenger liner Stockholm departed New York on a voyage to its homeport of Gothenburg. On July 25, the Doria entered the heavily trafficked sea lanes off the Northeast coast of the United States.

Along with 572 crewmembers, it held 1,134 passengers ranging from Italian immigrant families to business travelers, vacationers and even a few notables such as Hollywood actress Ruth Roman.Īndrea Doria, part of Italy’s transatlantic liner fleet, now lies a battered wreck about 300 miles east of New York after colliding with the Swedish liner Stockholm. After leaving Italy on July 17, 1956, the ship stopped at three ports in the Mediterranean and then steamed into the open ocean on a nine-day voyage to New York City. The Doria safely completed 100 transatlantic crossings between 19, and it initially seemed that its 101st would be no different. Anxious travelers could also take solace in the presence of Captain Piero Calamai, a venerable Italian mariner and veteran of both World War I and World War II. It boasted two radar screens-a relatively new technology on ocean liners-and its hull was divided into 11 watertight compartments. Equally impressive were the Doria’s safety features.

There was even a life-sized bronze statue of the ship’s namesake, a 16th-century Genoese navigator. Its decks were dotted with three outdoor swimming pools, and it was dubbed a “floating art gallery” for its dazzling array of paintings, tapestries and surrealist murals. Though not the largest or fastest ocean liner of its era, the 697-foot Andrea Doria was widely regarded as the most beautiful.

Virtual sailor 7 andrea doria