The doomed andrea doria
by Published on 27th July 2016 07:22 PM
Sixty years ago today ...It was soon realized that the badly damaged Stockholm was in no danger of sinking, and so began to assist the severely damaged Doria. Below decks on the Italian ship, crewmen struggled quickly with flooding and furiously tried to pump out the floods of invading Atlantic water. Meanwhile, deck crews work promptly to rig rope ladders and nets so passengers could clamber down the ship's sides and reach waiting lifeboats. All of the port side lifeboats were useless because of the severe, ever-increasing list to starboard. The Doria's electrical system fortunately continued to work, along with the huge Boat Deck emergency searchlights. An onlooker reported, "Lighted up and with searchlights acting as beacons for lifeboats, the Stockholm and other, soon-to-arrive rescue ships, the stricken Andrea Doria was obviously doomed. She was already listing badly.Passengers slid down ropes – off the stern, off the bow, off the quarter. Small children and the elderly were carried. The steady relay of lifeboats, while largely successful, was frequently a clumsy affair and all throughout the night. The lifeboats, often unwieldy, were manned not by seamen, but by cooks, waiters and bellhops. The Doria's whistle moaned continuously – "Her death rattle," as one survivor called it. A small armada of rescue ships began to gather around the liner as passengers and crew fled for safety and sought assistance and rescue. For a time, radio traffic between the rescue ships, as well as from shore, became overloaded and confusing. By the first daylight, the Doria was keeled well over to starboard and was all but fully abandoned. The last passengers had been removed by five o'clock in the morning, over five hours following the collision. Only Captain Calamai and a few officers remained aboard, hoping that the stricken liner might somehow be saved. Below, the pumps still throbbed as tons of seawater was pumped overboard. It was all to no avail – the Doria was doomed.At six in the morning, the Coast Guard cutter Hornblower eased alongside the sinking liner. There was no hope. The captain and his last remaining officers and crew were taken off. "Both Moran Towing and another New York firm, the big salvage company Merritt, Chapman & Scott, were called during the night by the Italian Line. They discussed towing the liner and then beaching it, perhaps on the shores of Nantucket," recalled Captain Ed Squire. "But there was not enough time. She was sinking far too quickly. Furthermore, with the great list, she might have turned over completely if a tow was attempted. Realistically, thre Andrea Doria could not have withstood the stress of a towline.
Last edited by Doc Vernon; 27th July 2016 at 07:32 PM.
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