nolatom
Contributor
Doria and Stockholm collided in fog off Nantucket today in 1956, I remember it made big news in Boston when I was a kid.
And the story continued after she sank the following day, with divers, a few at first, then many in the '80s and since. Many stories and lessons, some uplifting, some very sad.
And many lessons for the maritime community about collision avoidance with radar, which can mislead you very easily as to which way to turn for that unseen contact, especially back then with no AIS interface or ARPA computer-plotting.
But did you know you can still see the Stockholm? At age 60, she may be the oldest cruise ship still sailing, as the ATHENA. Here's a paragraph from a maritime industry blog from today, quote:
Andrea Doria/Stockholm collision - 25 July 1956
Before
After
The Swedish passenger ship Stockholm and the Italian passenger ship Andrea Doria collided on the edge of a heavy fog bank off Nantucket on 25 July 1956. The Andrea Doria sank several hours after the collision, but not before 1,660 passengers and crew were rescued. There were 46 deaths. While the exact cause of the casualty has never been determined, it appears to have been a "radar-assisted" collision, with the officers of the watch on both vessels misinterpreting the radar images and taking the wrong actions. The wreck of the Andrea Doria has become a popular, though notorious, destination for deep-sea divers. The Stockholm was rebuilt following the collision. It has gone through a number of owners and names and now sails as the cruise ship Athena. On 3 December 2008, it was attacked by pirates while transiting the Gulf of Aden, but was able to evade the attempted boarding.
unquote
And here are some photos from back then, the damage to Stockholm is astounding--how is she still afloat? (hint--collision bulkheads: "don't leave home without them"). Farther down, you can see her as ATHENA.
photos of doria stockholm collision - Google Search
So, here's the event from which all the dives began.
And the story continued after she sank the following day, with divers, a few at first, then many in the '80s and since. Many stories and lessons, some uplifting, some very sad.
And many lessons for the maritime community about collision avoidance with radar, which can mislead you very easily as to which way to turn for that unseen contact, especially back then with no AIS interface or ARPA computer-plotting.
But did you know you can still see the Stockholm? At age 60, she may be the oldest cruise ship still sailing, as the ATHENA. Here's a paragraph from a maritime industry blog from today, quote:
Andrea Doria/Stockholm collision - 25 July 1956
Before
After
The Swedish passenger ship Stockholm and the Italian passenger ship Andrea Doria collided on the edge of a heavy fog bank off Nantucket on 25 July 1956. The Andrea Doria sank several hours after the collision, but not before 1,660 passengers and crew were rescued. There were 46 deaths. While the exact cause of the casualty has never been determined, it appears to have been a "radar-assisted" collision, with the officers of the watch on both vessels misinterpreting the radar images and taking the wrong actions. The wreck of the Andrea Doria has become a popular, though notorious, destination for deep-sea divers. The Stockholm was rebuilt following the collision. It has gone through a number of owners and names and now sails as the cruise ship Athena. On 3 December 2008, it was attacked by pirates while transiting the Gulf of Aden, but was able to evade the attempted boarding.
unquote
And here are some photos from back then, the damage to Stockholm is astounding--how is she still afloat? (hint--collision bulkheads: "don't leave home without them"). Farther down, you can see her as ATHENA.
photos of doria stockholm collision - Google Search
So, here's the event from which all the dives began.
