1 00:00:01,320 --> 00:00:04,280 Speaker 1: Welcome to Stuff You Missed in History Class, a production 2 00:00:04,400 --> 00:00:11,000 Speaker 1: of iHeartRadio. 3 00:00:12,000 --> 00:00:15,320 Speaker 2: Hello, and welcome to the podcast. I'm Tracy B. Wilson 4 00:00:15,360 --> 00:00:19,119 Speaker 2: and I'm Holly Frye. I was going through my shortlist 5 00:00:19,320 --> 00:00:21,880 Speaker 2: deciding what I was going to do next, and I 6 00:00:22,000 --> 00:00:26,880 Speaker 2: realized that the SS Andrea Doria was on there twice, 7 00:00:28,560 --> 00:00:32,640 Speaker 2: and I'll just go ahead and say it's an Italian ship. 8 00:00:32,840 --> 00:00:37,159 Speaker 2: The Italian pronunciation of it would be closer to Andrea Doria. 9 00:00:38,520 --> 00:00:39,080 Speaker 1: I would say. 10 00:00:39,080 --> 00:00:43,720 Speaker 2: I'd heard most English speakers say Andrea Doria. I'm not 11 00:00:43,920 --> 00:00:47,360 Speaker 2: super worried about being fiddly with it in this episode, 12 00:00:48,120 --> 00:00:50,640 Speaker 2: but I did figure it's there two different times on 13 00:00:50,720 --> 00:00:52,919 Speaker 2: my shortlist, so why not go ahead and do that. 14 00:00:53,920 --> 00:00:57,320 Speaker 2: And it's also possible that there will be another twice 15 00:00:57,360 --> 00:01:00,400 Speaker 2: on the shortlist episode soon because this was not the 16 00:01:00,400 --> 00:01:03,760 Speaker 2: only topic I discovered. I had written on there twice 17 00:01:03,800 --> 00:01:07,000 Speaker 2: at some point, so my short list it's long enough 18 00:01:07,000 --> 00:01:08,319 Speaker 2: to have duplicates on it. 19 00:01:08,319 --> 00:01:11,760 Speaker 1: And me not realize same. Uh So. 20 00:01:12,080 --> 00:01:16,000 Speaker 2: The SS Andrea Doria was a luxury cruise liner that 21 00:01:16,360 --> 00:01:20,320 Speaker 2: sank after colliding with another ship called the Stockholm in 22 00:01:20,400 --> 00:01:24,000 Speaker 2: nineteen fifty six. This came up in our episode on 23 00:01:24,080 --> 00:01:27,560 Speaker 2: the Empress of Ireland disaster. That episode came out in 24 00:01:27,600 --> 00:01:31,440 Speaker 2: November of twenty twenty three. Because these two collisions had 25 00:01:31,520 --> 00:01:35,840 Speaker 2: several similarities, there was one particular moment in the research 26 00:01:35,840 --> 00:01:38,640 Speaker 2: and writing process where I was, like, I've described this 27 00:01:38,800 --> 00:01:45,039 Speaker 2: exact collision previously. The Empress of Ireland disaster was the 28 00:01:45,120 --> 00:01:51,440 Speaker 2: worst maritime disaster to happen in Canadian history, you know, 29 00:01:51,560 --> 00:01:58,360 Speaker 2: during a civilian peacetime situation. This collision was also tragic, 30 00:01:58,560 --> 00:02:02,480 Speaker 2: but most of the people who were on the Andrea 31 00:02:02,560 --> 00:02:07,480 Speaker 2: Doria were rescued before the ship sank, thanks to one 32 00:02:07,520 --> 00:02:11,080 Speaker 2: of the biggest civilian maritime rescues in history. 33 00:02:12,040 --> 00:02:15,799 Speaker 1: This disaster took place as Transatlantic travel was shifting from 34 00:02:15,880 --> 00:02:19,720 Speaker 1: happening by sea to by air. The first flights across 35 00:02:19,720 --> 00:02:22,720 Speaker 1: the Atlantic Ocean had taken place back in the nineteen teens, 36 00:02:23,120 --> 00:02:25,880 Speaker 1: but it wasn't until after World War II that airlines 37 00:02:25,919 --> 00:02:29,919 Speaker 1: really started working on commercial passenger service, thanks in part 38 00:02:30,000 --> 00:02:32,920 Speaker 1: to the aircraft and runways that now existed because of 39 00:02:32,960 --> 00:02:37,600 Speaker 1: the war. By the early nineteen fifties, multiple carriers were 40 00:02:37,639 --> 00:02:41,040 Speaker 1: making commercial flights across the Atlantic, but these flights were 41 00:02:41,040 --> 00:02:45,840 Speaker 1: expensive and long. These were propeller driven airplanes, and they 42 00:02:45,840 --> 00:02:50,600 Speaker 1: typically had to make at least one refueling stop somewhere 43 00:02:50,680 --> 00:02:53,240 Speaker 1: like Gander on the northwest coast of the island of 44 00:02:53,280 --> 00:02:57,160 Speaker 1: Newfoundland or Shannon in western Ireland, or they might need 45 00:02:57,200 --> 00:03:01,840 Speaker 1: to stop both of those places. Their first transatlantic jet 46 00:03:01,919 --> 00:03:06,040 Speaker 1: flight didn't take place until nineteen fifty eight, two years 47 00:03:06,080 --> 00:03:10,800 Speaker 1: after this disaster. Even though most passengers were still crossing 48 00:03:10,800 --> 00:03:14,680 Speaker 1: the Atlantic on ships, shipping lines recognized the air travel 49 00:03:14,720 --> 00:03:19,320 Speaker 1: industry as a threat. Obviously, the idea of luxury ocean 50 00:03:19,360 --> 00:03:21,720 Speaker 1: liners was not at all new, but there was an 51 00:03:21,760 --> 00:03:25,000 Speaker 1: increasing focus on the idea that a trip across the 52 00:03:25,040 --> 00:03:28,280 Speaker 1: ocean might be part of a vacation and not just 53 00:03:28,360 --> 00:03:31,400 Speaker 1: a way of getting from one place to another. This 54 00:03:31,560 --> 00:03:35,160 Speaker 1: brings us to the SS Andrea Doria, flagship of the 55 00:03:35,200 --> 00:03:39,160 Speaker 1: Italian Line. This ship was part of the post World 56 00:03:39,160 --> 00:03:42,920 Speaker 1: War II efforts to rebuild Italy's naval fleet, and it 57 00:03:43,000 --> 00:03:47,880 Speaker 1: was meant to provide a beautiful, comfortable, luxurious crossing of 58 00:03:47,920 --> 00:03:54,280 Speaker 1: the Atlantic Ocean for celebrities, vacationers, business travelers, and immigrants alike. 59 00:03:55,000 --> 00:03:57,960 Speaker 1: That could carry more than twelve hundred passengers and five 60 00:03:58,040 --> 00:04:02,600 Speaker 1: hundred and sixty crew with the passenger accommodations divided among first, 61 00:04:02,840 --> 00:04:08,200 Speaker 1: cabin and tourist class, with cabin and tourists essentially being 62 00:04:08,280 --> 00:04:12,560 Speaker 1: second and third class respectively. Each class had its own 63 00:04:12,600 --> 00:04:15,800 Speaker 1: outdoor swimming pool, which each of these pools on a 64 00:04:15,880 --> 00:04:18,919 Speaker 1: separate level of the deck at the stern of the ship, 65 00:04:18,960 --> 00:04:23,000 Speaker 1: making kind of a little three terraces of swimming pools. 66 00:04:23,600 --> 00:04:27,200 Speaker 1: The Andrea Doria was described as a floating art gallery 67 00:04:27,440 --> 00:04:30,400 Speaker 1: full of original works of art and copies of works 68 00:04:30,400 --> 00:04:35,320 Speaker 1: by Italian Renaissance artists like Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael 69 00:04:35,520 --> 00:04:38,839 Speaker 1: and Titian. In the first class lounge, there was also 70 00:04:38,920 --> 00:04:43,120 Speaker 1: a life sized bronze statue of the ship's namesake, sixteenth 71 00:04:43,200 --> 00:04:48,240 Speaker 1: century Admiral Andrea Doria, ruler of the Genoese Republic. The 72 00:04:48,279 --> 00:04:51,680 Speaker 1: mid century modern decor was meant to be attractive and inviting, 73 00:04:51,760 --> 00:04:55,520 Speaker 1: and of course the ship was full of dining rooms, lounges, 74 00:04:55,720 --> 00:05:00,000 Speaker 1: reading rooms, card rooms and the like. In terms of safety, 75 00:05:00,000 --> 00:05:04,760 Speaker 1: the Andrea Doria had eleven watertight compartments, and it could 76 00:05:04,760 --> 00:05:08,560 Speaker 1: stay afloat if two of those compartments were breached. There 77 00:05:08,600 --> 00:05:13,039 Speaker 1: were enough lifeboat spaces for everyone on board the ship 78 00:05:13,120 --> 00:05:16,000 Speaker 1: was also equipped with radar, which at this point was 79 00:05:16,040 --> 00:05:20,920 Speaker 1: still a fairly new innovation in civilian travel. As was 80 00:05:20,960 --> 00:05:24,719 Speaker 1: the case with the commercial air travel industry, radar was 81 00:05:24,800 --> 00:05:28,240 Speaker 1: something that had older roots but went through some major 82 00:05:28,320 --> 00:05:32,080 Speaker 1: developments during World War Two. To the nation of Italy, 83 00:05:32,360 --> 00:05:35,480 Speaker 1: the Andrea Doria was also not just an ocean liner. 84 00:05:36,040 --> 00:05:38,240 Speaker 1: It was meant to show the world how Italy was 85 00:05:38,279 --> 00:05:41,880 Speaker 1: rebuilding itself as a nation after World War II. It 86 00:05:41,920 --> 00:05:46,119 Speaker 1: was part pr part aspiration, showing Italy as a place 87 00:05:46,160 --> 00:05:50,159 Speaker 1: of refinement and elegance, and of course beautiful and historically 88 00:05:50,200 --> 00:05:54,200 Speaker 1: important artwork, an example of Italy's place in world culture. 89 00:05:55,160 --> 00:05:58,680 Speaker 1: During the ship's first test voyages, there was enormous fanfare 90 00:05:58,760 --> 00:06:01,919 Speaker 1: at its departure and every port it visited, all of 91 00:06:01,960 --> 00:06:05,479 Speaker 1: it documented da newsreels that then went out around the world. 92 00:06:06,440 --> 00:06:10,400 Speaker 1: After various trial runs and a cruise around the Mediterranean, 93 00:06:10,839 --> 00:06:14,960 Speaker 1: the Andrea Doria departed on its first transatlantic voyage from 94 00:06:15,080 --> 00:06:19,720 Speaker 1: Genoa to New York on January fourteenth, nineteen fifty three. 95 00:06:19,760 --> 00:06:23,120 Speaker 1: From there, it took passengers on its one and only 96 00:06:23,240 --> 00:06:27,039 Speaker 1: Caribbean cruise, which lasted for two weeks. After that, it 97 00:06:27,120 --> 00:06:30,000 Speaker 1: returned to the North Atlantic and all in all, this 98 00:06:30,200 --> 00:06:35,159 Speaker 1: ship safely crossed the Atlantic Ocean one hundred times before 99 00:06:35,200 --> 00:06:39,640 Speaker 1: its final voyage. The other ship in this collision, the Stockholm, 100 00:06:39,960 --> 00:06:43,040 Speaker 1: was part of the Swedish American Line, and its description 101 00:06:43,200 --> 00:06:46,000 Speaker 1: is not quite as dramatic. The Stockholm was built in 102 00:06:46,080 --> 00:06:48,520 Speaker 1: nineteen forty eight, and at the time it was the 103 00:06:48,640 --> 00:06:52,360 Speaker 1: largest passenger ship ever built in Sweden, but by nineteen 104 00:06:52,400 --> 00:06:56,040 Speaker 1: fifty six, the Stockholm was the smallest passenger liner providing 105 00:06:56,120 --> 00:06:59,400 Speaker 1: service across the North Atlantic, with a capacity of five 106 00:06:59,520 --> 00:07:03,839 Speaker 1: hundred four forty eight passengers. While the Andrea Doria's exterior 107 00:07:03,880 --> 00:07:08,200 Speaker 1: appearance had similarities to today's ocean cruise ships, the Stockholm's 108 00:07:08,200 --> 00:07:10,880 Speaker 1: design looked more like a yacht. It was built for 109 00:07:11,000 --> 00:07:14,240 Speaker 1: comfort more than luxury, and like the Andrea Doria, was 110 00:07:14,280 --> 00:07:17,920 Speaker 1: outfitted with a radar system because its home ports were 111 00:07:17,960 --> 00:07:20,880 Speaker 1: in Sweden. It also had a reinforced bow to allow 112 00:07:20,920 --> 00:07:22,440 Speaker 1: it to break through icy water. 113 00:07:23,600 --> 00:07:27,680 Speaker 2: On July seventeenth, nineteen fifty six, the Andrea Doria departed 114 00:07:27,720 --> 00:07:32,200 Speaker 2: from Genoa, stopping at cann Naples and Gibraltar before entering 115 00:07:32,240 --> 00:07:35,760 Speaker 2: the open ocean for a nine day crossing. It was 116 00:07:35,880 --> 00:07:38,920 Speaker 2: under the command of Captain Piero Kalamai, who was an 117 00:07:39,000 --> 00:07:43,080 Speaker 2: experienced nautical officer who had served with the Italian Navy 118 00:07:43,200 --> 00:07:46,960 Speaker 2: during World War One and World War Two. He had 119 00:07:47,040 --> 00:07:50,520 Speaker 2: been with the Andrea Doria since its very first trial runs. 120 00:07:51,760 --> 00:07:55,400 Speaker 2: During this voyage, there were one thousand, seven hundred six 121 00:07:55,480 --> 00:07:59,960 Speaker 2: people aboard the Andrea Doria, including five hundred sixty three crew. 122 00:08:00,920 --> 00:08:03,720 Speaker 2: Although a number of celebrities had sailed on the Andrea 123 00:08:03,760 --> 00:08:06,320 Speaker 2: Doria before, the most well known people aboard on this 124 00:08:06,400 --> 00:08:10,200 Speaker 2: final voyage were Ruth Roman, star of various movies including 125 00:08:10,240 --> 00:08:14,480 Speaker 2: Alfred Hitchcock's Strangers on a Train, and songwriter Mike Stoller, 126 00:08:14,640 --> 00:08:17,920 Speaker 2: who collaborated with Jerry Lieber on songs like hound Dog, 127 00:08:17,960 --> 00:08:20,800 Speaker 2: which was first recorded by Big Mama Thornton in nineteen 128 00:08:20,840 --> 00:08:23,920 Speaker 2: fifty two. The best known version of this song was 129 00:08:23,960 --> 00:08:26,560 Speaker 2: of course, recorded by Elvis Presley, and that was in 130 00:08:26,640 --> 00:08:30,480 Speaker 2: nineteen fifty six. Yeah, apparently this Elvis recording happened like 131 00:08:30,880 --> 00:08:34,360 Speaker 2: shortly before they departed on the voyage, and they like 132 00:08:34,640 --> 00:08:38,440 Speaker 2: nobody really knew who Elvis was yet. On the morning 133 00:08:38,520 --> 00:08:42,040 Speaker 2: of July twenty fifth, nineteen fifty six, the Stockholm left 134 00:08:42,080 --> 00:08:46,160 Speaker 2: New York bound for Guttenberg, Sweden and from there to Copenhagen, 135 00:08:46,200 --> 00:08:49,640 Speaker 2: making its one hundred and third Atlantic crossing. It was 136 00:08:49,679 --> 00:08:53,360 Speaker 2: carrying five hundred thirty four passengers and two hundred eight crew. 137 00:08:54,160 --> 00:08:57,560 Speaker 2: This was under the command of Captain Henry Gunner Nortensen, 138 00:08:57,640 --> 00:09:01,040 Speaker 2: who had been born in Massachusetts to Sweden parents who 139 00:09:01,120 --> 00:09:04,920 Speaker 2: returned to Sweden while he was still a child. Like Calami, 140 00:09:05,120 --> 00:09:08,240 Speaker 2: he was an experienced captain. He had more than forty 141 00:09:08,240 --> 00:09:12,120 Speaker 2: five years of experience, including three years under charter to 142 00:09:12,160 --> 00:09:16,360 Speaker 2: the US government during World War Two. Although Nordensen was 143 00:09:16,440 --> 00:09:19,960 Speaker 2: highly experienced and had a reputation for being very strict 144 00:09:20,480 --> 00:09:24,880 Speaker 2: when the collision took place, third mate Johann Ernst Carston's Johansson, 145 00:09:25,120 --> 00:09:28,959 Speaker 2: known just as Carston's, was the one in command. Carston's 146 00:09:29,120 --> 00:09:31,960 Speaker 2: was twenty six, and the night of the collision was 147 00:09:32,000 --> 00:09:35,800 Speaker 2: his first time alone on the bridge. A pilot ship 148 00:09:35,880 --> 00:09:38,360 Speaker 2: had guided the Stockholm out of the harbor in New 149 00:09:38,440 --> 00:09:41,360 Speaker 2: York until they reached Staten Island, and then the Stockholm 150 00:09:41,440 --> 00:09:45,320 Speaker 2: headed due east from there. The Stockholm in the Andrea 151 00:09:45,360 --> 00:09:49,400 Speaker 2: Doria collided just about twelve hours into the Stockholm's voyage, 152 00:09:49,720 --> 00:09:51,920 Speaker 2: and we'll get into the details after we pause for 153 00:09:51,960 --> 00:10:04,040 Speaker 2: a sponsor break. At the top of the show, I 154 00:10:04,160 --> 00:10:07,440 Speaker 2: mentioned our previous episode on the Empress of Ireland disaster, 155 00:10:07,559 --> 00:10:10,600 Speaker 2: which came out in November of twenty twenty three. This 156 00:10:10,720 --> 00:10:14,480 Speaker 2: disaster happened in nineteen fourteen after the Empress of Ireland 157 00:10:14,600 --> 00:10:19,680 Speaker 2: collided with another ship called the Storstad. In that earlier episode, 158 00:10:20,000 --> 00:10:23,360 Speaker 2: we talked about how the accounts that were given by 159 00:10:23,360 --> 00:10:26,320 Speaker 2: the captain of the Empress of Ireland and the first 160 00:10:26,360 --> 00:10:29,600 Speaker 2: mate of the Storstad did not agree with each other. 161 00:10:30,480 --> 00:10:34,120 Speaker 2: It was just impossible for both their statements to simultaneously 162 00:10:34,200 --> 00:10:38,600 Speaker 2: be true. A commission of inquiry ultimately found that both 163 00:10:38,760 --> 00:10:43,120 Speaker 2: officers had made errors and that the Storstad's first mate 164 00:10:43,200 --> 00:10:46,839 Speaker 2: was negligent because he had not summoned the captain once 165 00:10:46,880 --> 00:10:50,480 Speaker 2: the ship had entered the fog. Although the loss of 166 00:10:50,520 --> 00:10:53,440 Speaker 2: life was far greater in the Empress of Ireland disaster, 167 00:10:53,920 --> 00:10:56,280 Speaker 2: the collision itself had a lot in common with the 168 00:10:56,320 --> 00:11:00,600 Speaker 2: collision of the Andrea Doria with the Stockholm. Both collisions 169 00:11:00,640 --> 00:11:03,559 Speaker 2: happened in the fog, with a more junior officer failing 170 00:11:03,600 --> 00:11:07,080 Speaker 2: to alert the captain about it. In both cases, one 171 00:11:07,120 --> 00:11:10,360 Speaker 2: ship sank while the other remained seaworthy. And assisted with 172 00:11:10,440 --> 00:11:14,319 Speaker 2: the rescue effort, and in both collisions, the testimonies of 173 00:11:14,360 --> 00:11:17,160 Speaker 2: the officers and crews of each of the ships do 174 00:11:17,280 --> 00:11:20,200 Speaker 2: not agree with each other. But from there there's a 175 00:11:20,320 --> 00:11:24,319 Speaker 2: key difference. After the Empress of Ireland disaster, a Commission 176 00:11:24,360 --> 00:11:29,240 Speaker 2: of Inquiry investigated the disaster. It drew conclusions about what 177 00:11:29,400 --> 00:11:33,720 Speaker 2: had happened. We mentioned those conclusions earlier. Presiding over this 178 00:11:33,880 --> 00:11:38,320 Speaker 2: inquiry was John Charles Bigham, Lord Mercy, who also presided 179 00:11:38,360 --> 00:11:42,520 Speaker 2: over inquiries into the sinkings of the Titanic and the Lusitania. 180 00:11:42,640 --> 00:11:47,000 Speaker 2: It is definitely possible to question the findings of these inquiries, 181 00:11:47,600 --> 00:11:50,000 Speaker 2: to criticize things about the inquiries themselves. 182 00:11:50,080 --> 00:11:55,640 Speaker 1: Over the years, people have, but there were investigations into 183 00:11:55,720 --> 00:12:00,120 Speaker 1: all of these disasters and formal attempts to determine exactly 184 00:12:00,160 --> 00:12:03,000 Speaker 1: what happened. In the case of the sinking of the 185 00:12:03,040 --> 00:12:06,920 Speaker 1: Andrea Doria, though those attempts were cut short. We're going 186 00:12:07,000 --> 00:12:09,040 Speaker 1: to get to why. But that means that what we 187 00:12:09,160 --> 00:12:11,560 Speaker 1: know about the collision comes from accounts that are not 188 00:12:11,679 --> 00:12:16,040 Speaker 1: only contradictory but were also never fully investigated, and there 189 00:12:16,160 --> 00:12:20,319 Speaker 1: was no official conclusion about what happened. Instead, there are 190 00:12:20,400 --> 00:12:23,880 Speaker 1: so many papers full of witness statements and data from 191 00:12:23,920 --> 00:12:27,840 Speaker 1: the ship's course recorders and radar plots and times and headings. 192 00:12:28,440 --> 00:12:31,400 Speaker 1: Some of these papers come to different conclusions because they 193 00:12:31,440 --> 00:12:34,360 Speaker 1: were written before all the data was available, but in 194 00:12:34,400 --> 00:12:38,360 Speaker 1: other cases people have drawn very different conclusions about the 195 00:12:38,440 --> 00:12:41,880 Speaker 1: same basic facts. We are not going to get into 196 00:12:41,880 --> 00:12:44,880 Speaker 1: the minutia of every single thing that happened on each 197 00:12:44,880 --> 00:12:47,400 Speaker 1: of these ships before they collided, because that would be 198 00:12:47,480 --> 00:12:51,720 Speaker 1: incredibly tedious to listen to. I found some of it 199 00:12:51,920 --> 00:12:54,720 Speaker 1: very tedious to read, and it also would not actually 200 00:12:54,760 --> 00:12:58,360 Speaker 1: make anything clearer. So these are just the key elements 201 00:12:58,400 --> 00:13:01,840 Speaker 1: of what went wrong. At ten thirty five pm on 202 00:13:01,960 --> 00:13:05,600 Speaker 1: July twenty fifth, nineteen fifty six, the Andrea Doria and 203 00:13:05,640 --> 00:13:08,560 Speaker 1: the Stockholm were both in the North Atlantic near the 204 00:13:08,640 --> 00:13:13,600 Speaker 1: Nantucket Lightship, headed in opposite directions. Lightships have the same 205 00:13:13,600 --> 00:13:17,080 Speaker 1: purpose as lighthouses, but are typically placed in areas that 206 00:13:17,120 --> 00:13:19,400 Speaker 1: are too deep for a lighthouse to be built there, 207 00:13:19,920 --> 00:13:22,120 Speaker 1: or for some other reason, are just not suitable for 208 00:13:22,160 --> 00:13:26,440 Speaker 1: a lighthouse. The US doesn't officially use lightships anymore, and 209 00:13:26,440 --> 00:13:29,640 Speaker 1: the Nantucket Lightship was the last one in use before 210 00:13:29,640 --> 00:13:33,680 Speaker 1: being decommissioned in nineteen eighty five. The Nantucket Lightship was 211 00:13:33,720 --> 00:13:36,520 Speaker 1: stationed on the edge of Nantucket Shoals off the coast 212 00:13:36,520 --> 00:13:39,520 Speaker 1: of Massachusetts, in an area that was so busy with 213 00:13:39,600 --> 00:13:42,720 Speaker 1: shipping traffic that it had the nickname Times Square. 214 00:13:43,800 --> 00:13:49,280 Speaker 2: The Stockholm was headed almost directly toward the Nantucket Lightship. Typically, 215 00:13:49,320 --> 00:13:53,960 Speaker 2: though eastbound ships passed about twenty miles south of the lightship, 216 00:13:54,480 --> 00:13:57,280 Speaker 2: this route put the Stockholm in a travel lane that 217 00:13:57,400 --> 00:14:02,560 Speaker 2: was designated for westbound ships. Most sources attribute this to 218 00:14:02,600 --> 00:14:05,719 Speaker 2: the fact that this was faster and more direct than 219 00:14:05,800 --> 00:14:10,560 Speaker 2: going farther south, but Captain Henry Gunner Nordensen also gave 220 00:14:10,600 --> 00:14:14,600 Speaker 2: a statement saying that he thought that heading into this 221 00:14:14,840 --> 00:14:18,880 Speaker 2: oncoming traffic was safer than having to cross over all 222 00:14:18,920 --> 00:14:22,520 Speaker 2: of it. When the Stockholm turned north towards Sweden, the 223 00:14:22,560 --> 00:14:26,320 Speaker 2: Andrea Doria was running about an hour behind schedule, which 224 00:14:26,600 --> 00:14:29,040 Speaker 2: might be why when it entered a fog bank, it 225 00:14:29,160 --> 00:14:32,640 Speaker 2: didn't reduce its speed very much, dropping from twenty three 226 00:14:32,720 --> 00:14:35,800 Speaker 2: knots or roughly twenty six point five miles per hour 227 00:14:36,200 --> 00:14:39,040 Speaker 2: to twenty one point eight knots or about twenty five 228 00:14:39,120 --> 00:14:43,160 Speaker 2: miles per hour. Other precautions were being taken, though the 229 00:14:43,240 --> 00:14:46,400 Speaker 2: ship was sounding its fog whistle every one hundred seconds, 230 00:14:46,640 --> 00:14:48,600 Speaker 2: and there was a lookout posted on the bow of 231 00:14:48,640 --> 00:14:52,120 Speaker 2: the ship, who was connected to the bridge by phone. 232 00:14:52,160 --> 00:14:55,560 Speaker 2: The Andrea Doria had also closed its watertight doors and 233 00:14:55,760 --> 00:14:58,720 Speaker 2: placed extra crew in the engine rooms as a precaution. 234 00:15:00,000 --> 00:15:02,360 Speaker 2: This collision took place in a part of the ocean 235 00:15:02,440 --> 00:15:05,840 Speaker 2: where warm water from the Gulf Stream meets cold water 236 00:15:05,920 --> 00:15:09,320 Speaker 2: from the North Atlantic, so fog is really common. The 237 00:15:09,560 --> 00:15:13,120 Speaker 2: fog can also form suddenly, and sometimes it's pretty patchy. 238 00:15:13,640 --> 00:15:16,960 Speaker 2: While the Andrea Doria had been traveling through fog for 239 00:15:17,040 --> 00:15:21,160 Speaker 2: several hours, the seas around the Stockholm had been clear 240 00:15:21,240 --> 00:15:25,760 Speaker 2: at first. When he left. Third Officer Johann Ernst Carston's 241 00:15:25,800 --> 00:15:30,720 Speaker 2: Johanssen Captain Nortonsen, had given orders that he be summoned 242 00:15:30,840 --> 00:15:32,280 Speaker 2: if a fog developed. 243 00:15:33,440 --> 00:15:37,080 Speaker 1: At about ten forty five pm, Captain Piero Kalamai of 244 00:15:37,120 --> 00:15:40,400 Speaker 1: the Andrea Doria saw another ship on the radar that 245 00:15:40,520 --> 00:15:43,760 Speaker 1: was the Stockholm, although neither ship knew the identity of 246 00:15:43,800 --> 00:15:46,680 Speaker 1: the other until after they had collided and heard one 247 00:15:46,680 --> 00:15:51,640 Speaker 1: another's distress calls. The Stockholm was about seventeen nautical miles away. 248 00:15:52,240 --> 00:15:55,480 Speaker 1: Aboard the Stockholm, Carston spotted the Andrea Doria on the 249 00:15:55,560 --> 00:15:58,560 Speaker 1: radar about eight minutes later. At that point, the ships 250 00:15:58,560 --> 00:16:02,640 Speaker 1: were about twelve nautical miles apart. Carstons used the radar 251 00:16:02,680 --> 00:16:04,760 Speaker 1: readings to plot out the course of the other ship 252 00:16:04,800 --> 00:16:07,560 Speaker 1: on the plotting board and was confused by the fact 253 00:16:07,600 --> 00:16:11,480 Speaker 1: that he couldn't see the Andrea Doria's lights, even though 254 00:16:11,520 --> 00:16:14,760 Speaker 1: they were in an area known for sudden, sometimes patchy fog. 255 00:16:15,120 --> 00:16:18,120 Speaker 1: It apparently did not occur to him that the Andrea 256 00:16:18,160 --> 00:16:20,920 Speaker 1: Doria might have been in a fog bank that Carstons 257 00:16:20,920 --> 00:16:23,880 Speaker 1: couldn't see in the dark, but was obscuring the other 258 00:16:23,960 --> 00:16:29,400 Speaker 1: ship's navigational lights. According to Carston's account, at eleven oh 259 00:16:29,560 --> 00:16:33,920 Speaker 1: five pm, he did cite the Andrea Doria's red navigation 260 00:16:34,080 --> 00:16:38,920 Speaker 1: light over the Stockholm's port bow. The red side light 261 00:16:39,040 --> 00:16:43,119 Speaker 1: signifies the port side of the ship, so Carstons concluded 262 00:16:43,240 --> 00:16:45,680 Speaker 1: that these two ships were going to pass each other 263 00:16:45,800 --> 00:16:49,640 Speaker 1: port to port, about a mile apart. He ordered a 264 00:16:49,680 --> 00:16:51,960 Speaker 1: twenty two and a half degree turned to the starboard, 265 00:16:52,120 --> 00:16:55,640 Speaker 1: which he thought would then take the Stockholm farther away 266 00:16:55,680 --> 00:16:59,000 Speaker 1: from the Andrea Doria and give the other ship more. 267 00:16:58,880 --> 00:17:02,840 Speaker 2: Room to pass. As this was happening, the Andrea Doria's 268 00:17:02,920 --> 00:17:07,399 Speaker 2: lights were once again obscured by the fog. Meanwhile, aboard 269 00:17:07,400 --> 00:17:11,760 Speaker 2: the Andrea Doria, Klamai briefly sighted the Stockholm's lights over 270 00:17:11,800 --> 00:17:16,040 Speaker 2: the Andrea Doria's starboard bow. Based on what he observed, 271 00:17:16,080 --> 00:17:18,639 Speaker 2: he believed that the two ships were passing starboard to 272 00:17:18,680 --> 00:17:22,320 Speaker 2: starboard and ordered a slight shift toward port to accommodate. 273 00:17:23,119 --> 00:17:26,320 Speaker 2: Ships typically passed one another port to port, though and 274 00:17:26,440 --> 00:17:29,680 Speaker 2: Kalamai didn't try to confirm this deviation with the other 275 00:17:29,800 --> 00:17:34,280 Speaker 2: ship or plot its course on the radar. Soon after, 276 00:17:34,480 --> 00:17:37,199 Speaker 2: both of the ships were enveloped by the fog, and 277 00:17:37,359 --> 00:17:40,760 Speaker 2: once they were visible to each other again, Carston realized 278 00:17:40,800 --> 00:17:45,000 Speaker 2: he was seeing a green light from the Andrea Doria's 279 00:17:45,160 --> 00:17:49,840 Speaker 2: starboard side, not a red light from its port side. 280 00:17:49,880 --> 00:17:53,360 Speaker 2: He and Kalamai, at about the same time, realized they 281 00:17:53,359 --> 00:17:57,520 Speaker 2: were on a collision course. Kalamai ordered the Andrea Doria 282 00:17:57,600 --> 00:17:59,520 Speaker 2: to make a hard turn to try to get out 283 00:17:59,520 --> 00:18:03,280 Speaker 2: of the way, while Carston's ordered the Stockholm's engines into 284 00:18:03,320 --> 00:18:06,520 Speaker 2: a full reverse to try to slow down. At this point, 285 00:18:06,600 --> 00:18:09,800 Speaker 2: though a crash was inevitable, there's nothing either of them 286 00:18:09,800 --> 00:18:13,760 Speaker 2: could have done to recover, and at eleven eleven PM, 287 00:18:13,880 --> 00:18:17,879 Speaker 2: the Stockholm's reinforced bow, the one that had been made 288 00:18:17,920 --> 00:18:21,880 Speaker 2: to break through icy water, crashed into the starboard side 289 00:18:21,880 --> 00:18:26,000 Speaker 2: of the Andrea Doria, almost at a right angle. When 290 00:18:26,040 --> 00:18:30,159 Speaker 2: the two ships collided, they had a combined speed of 291 00:18:30,200 --> 00:18:34,119 Speaker 2: almost forty knots or forty six miles an hour. Both 292 00:18:34,119 --> 00:18:38,720 Speaker 2: of them were traveling really faster than was normally advised 293 00:18:38,720 --> 00:18:40,119 Speaker 2: for foggy conditions. 294 00:18:40,680 --> 00:18:43,840 Speaker 1: The bow of the Stockholm was completely crushed, but in 295 00:18:43,880 --> 00:18:46,600 Speaker 1: spite of that the ship was still seaworthy. But the 296 00:18:46,640 --> 00:18:50,000 Speaker 1: Andrea Doria had a huge hole in the starboard side 297 00:18:50,560 --> 00:18:52,960 Speaker 1: and it started to lean toward the starboard as it 298 00:18:53,000 --> 00:18:57,199 Speaker 1: took on water. After colliding, the ships traveled together for 299 00:18:57,240 --> 00:19:00,040 Speaker 1: a little over two and a half nautical miles, and 300 00:19:00,080 --> 00:19:03,760 Speaker 1: then the Stockholm pivoted and tore out another portion of 301 00:19:03,800 --> 00:19:07,520 Speaker 1: the Andrea Doria's hull. As we said earlier, this is 302 00:19:07,840 --> 00:19:11,800 Speaker 1: an overview of what happened. There are moment by moment 303 00:19:11,840 --> 00:19:15,000 Speaker 1: accounts of everything on both ships, and they go on 304 00:19:15,280 --> 00:19:21,240 Speaker 1: four pages, but Calamaia's and Carston's accounts contradict one another. 305 00:19:21,800 --> 00:19:24,919 Speaker 1: According to Carston's for the entire time the two ships 306 00:19:24,920 --> 00:19:27,359 Speaker 1: were approaching each other, they were port to port, but 307 00:19:27,560 --> 00:19:31,679 Speaker 1: according to Calamai, they were starboard to starboard, as was 308 00:19:31,680 --> 00:19:35,000 Speaker 1: the case with the Empress of Ireland disaster. Both of 309 00:19:35,040 --> 00:19:38,919 Speaker 1: these things just could not be true at the same time, 310 00:19:39,560 --> 00:19:42,399 Speaker 1: and as with the Empress of Ireland disaster, if the 311 00:19:42,400 --> 00:19:46,200 Speaker 1: two ships had kept to their initial course, they would 312 00:19:46,240 --> 00:19:48,720 Speaker 1: have passed close by one another, but they would not 313 00:19:48,800 --> 00:19:53,520 Speaker 1: have collided. We don't have a good explanation for this contradiction. 314 00:19:54,240 --> 00:19:57,320 Speaker 1: Obvious possibilities are that one or both of the men 315 00:19:57,440 --> 00:20:00,280 Speaker 1: was mistaken, or that one or both of them was 316 00:20:00,359 --> 00:20:03,360 Speaker 1: not telling the truth in their statements, but there are 317 00:20:03,400 --> 00:20:07,400 Speaker 1: some other possibilities as well. Writing in the US Naval 318 00:20:07,440 --> 00:20:11,560 Speaker 1: Institute Proceedings in nineteen fifty eight, John Carrol Carruthers argued 319 00:20:11,800 --> 00:20:15,480 Speaker 1: that the only possible explanation was that the navigational lights 320 00:20:15,520 --> 00:20:18,800 Speaker 1: spotted from aboard the Stockholm did not belong to the 321 00:20:18,840 --> 00:20:21,800 Speaker 1: Andrea Doria, that they belonged to some other ship in 322 00:20:21,840 --> 00:20:25,399 Speaker 1: this extremely busy part of the Atlantic. But the crews 323 00:20:25,440 --> 00:20:27,679 Speaker 1: of both ships said there was no other ship in 324 00:20:27,720 --> 00:20:31,639 Speaker 1: the vicinity, and other researchers have dismissed this argument or 325 00:20:31,800 --> 00:20:33,600 Speaker 1: even framed it as just absurd. 326 00:20:34,520 --> 00:20:39,000 Speaker 2: Another hypothesis has been that Carston's had the Stockholm's radar 327 00:20:39,640 --> 00:20:43,400 Speaker 2: on the wrong setting, with a range of five miles 328 00:20:43,520 --> 00:20:47,080 Speaker 2: rather than fifteen, so that when he saw the Andrea 329 00:20:47,200 --> 00:20:50,280 Speaker 2: Doria it was already much closer to the Stockholm than 330 00:20:50,320 --> 00:20:53,520 Speaker 2: he thought that it was. Arguments in favor of this 331 00:20:53,640 --> 00:20:56,840 Speaker 2: idea include that setting the range on the radar you 332 00:20:56,920 --> 00:20:59,920 Speaker 2: just twisted a knob, and it would have been really 333 00:21:00,080 --> 00:21:02,399 Speaker 2: easy to move it to the wrong setting on a 334 00:21:02,480 --> 00:21:05,280 Speaker 2: darkened bridge, or to change it and then forget to 335 00:21:05,359 --> 00:21:09,640 Speaker 2: change it back. There is a point in the proceedings 336 00:21:09,680 --> 00:21:12,399 Speaker 2: of what happened where he did change the range and 337 00:21:12,480 --> 00:21:17,440 Speaker 2: change it back according to his statements. Others point out 338 00:21:17,560 --> 00:21:21,399 Speaker 2: that this incorrect setting would have been obvious to Carston's 339 00:21:21,480 --> 00:21:25,159 Speaker 2: within moments of it happening, although that to me it 340 00:21:25,200 --> 00:21:29,680 Speaker 2: would have been obvious argument doesn't really seem to take 341 00:21:29,720 --> 00:21:33,639 Speaker 2: into account that it also should have been obvious that 342 00:21:33,720 --> 00:21:38,080 Speaker 2: the reason he couldn't see the Andrea Doria's lights was fog. 343 00:21:39,440 --> 00:21:41,159 Speaker 2: That's like the kind of thing where it's like the 344 00:21:41,200 --> 00:21:44,040 Speaker 2: whole thing should have been obvious ideally, but that's not 345 00:21:44,080 --> 00:21:48,800 Speaker 2: how things work. Correct that collision caused catastrophic damage to 346 00:21:48,840 --> 00:21:52,760 Speaker 2: the Andrea Doria, leading to a massive rescue operation. We're 347 00:21:52,760 --> 00:22:05,320 Speaker 2: going to talk about that after a sponsor break. Because 348 00:22:05,520 --> 00:22:09,000 Speaker 2: the Andrea Doria and the Stockholm collided a little after 349 00:22:09,119 --> 00:22:12,639 Speaker 2: eleven PM, a lot of the passengers aboard were asleep, 350 00:22:13,320 --> 00:22:17,320 Speaker 2: especially families with small children aboard the Andrea Doria who 351 00:22:17,359 --> 00:22:19,280 Speaker 2: were going to need to get up early the next 352 00:22:19,400 --> 00:22:23,040 Speaker 2: day to disembark from the ship. Most of the people 353 00:22:23,080 --> 00:22:26,120 Speaker 2: who were killed aboard the Andrea Doria were in their 354 00:22:26,160 --> 00:22:30,800 Speaker 2: staterooms and were killed instantly in the collision itself. Five 355 00:22:30,880 --> 00:22:33,240 Speaker 2: crew members who were at their stations toward the bow 356 00:22:33,359 --> 00:22:36,640 Speaker 2: of the Stockholm were also killed in the actual collision. 357 00:22:36,680 --> 00:22:40,560 Speaker 2: When we say that the front of the ship was 358 00:22:41,160 --> 00:22:46,439 Speaker 2: smashed in, it's really like a giant just smashed the 359 00:22:46,440 --> 00:22:48,960 Speaker 2: front of it with a hammer. It is so dramatic. 360 00:22:50,000 --> 00:22:53,120 Speaker 1: The impact when the two ships collided was so dramatic 361 00:22:53,160 --> 00:22:56,840 Speaker 1: that one passenger, Linda Morgan, was thrown from her bed 362 00:22:56,960 --> 00:23:00,000 Speaker 1: on the Andrea Doria onto the deck of the stock 363 00:23:00,840 --> 00:23:04,119 Speaker 1: She broke her arm in the process. She survived, but 364 00:23:04,200 --> 00:23:07,080 Speaker 1: her stepfather and stepsister, who were in the stateroom with 365 00:23:07,160 --> 00:23:10,879 Speaker 1: her were both killed. Linda's father, Edward P. Morgan, was 366 00:23:10,920 --> 00:23:13,919 Speaker 1: a journalist who covered the collision on the radio, and 367 00:23:14,040 --> 00:23:17,159 Speaker 1: during his broadcast he believed that at the time Linda 368 00:23:17,200 --> 00:23:18,040 Speaker 1: had been killed. 369 00:23:18,800 --> 00:23:20,879 Speaker 2: Yeah, this is one of the things that people mark 370 00:23:21,000 --> 00:23:24,879 Speaker 2: is like one of the memorable points of his career, 371 00:23:24,960 --> 00:23:27,640 Speaker 2: because he gave no indication that anything was going on 372 00:23:27,960 --> 00:23:31,920 Speaker 2: for him personally. While he was doing this reporting. Throughout 373 00:23:31,960 --> 00:23:35,480 Speaker 2: the Andrea Doria, it was obvious that something very serious 374 00:23:35,480 --> 00:23:38,480 Speaker 2: had happened. People were thrown off of their feet, thrown 375 00:23:38,520 --> 00:23:41,919 Speaker 2: out of their beds. An orchestra playing in one of 376 00:23:41,960 --> 00:23:45,440 Speaker 2: the lounges was thrown from the stage, and that orchestra 377 00:23:45,680 --> 00:23:50,440 Speaker 2: was perhaps ironically playing the song arrivederchi Roma. Soon after 378 00:23:50,480 --> 00:23:53,280 Speaker 2: the collision, the captain of the Andrea Doria issued in 379 00:23:53,400 --> 00:23:56,920 Speaker 2: order to abandon ship. As we said, there were enough 380 00:23:56,960 --> 00:24:00,400 Speaker 2: lifeboat spaces for everyone on board, but because this ship 381 00:24:00,440 --> 00:24:03,399 Speaker 2: was tilted so severely, the ones on the port side 382 00:24:03,520 --> 00:24:06,159 Speaker 2: could not be lowered down to the water, and it 383 00:24:06,240 --> 00:24:10,120 Speaker 2: was difficult and dangerous to get people into the starboard lifeboats. 384 00:24:10,440 --> 00:24:13,400 Speaker 2: The decks were slippery and everything was at an angle, 385 00:24:13,720 --> 00:24:17,600 Speaker 2: and the ship was continually moving with the sea. It 386 00:24:17,720 --> 00:24:20,640 Speaker 2: also wasn't safe to load the lifeboats and lower them. 387 00:24:21,119 --> 00:24:23,880 Speaker 2: The boats had to be lowered first, with passengers being 388 00:24:23,920 --> 00:24:28,080 Speaker 2: lowered by ropes or climbing down rope ladders. Getting to 389 00:24:28,160 --> 00:24:31,919 Speaker 2: the lifeboats from the interior of the ship was also difficult. 390 00:24:32,240 --> 00:24:35,639 Speaker 2: It was dark and parts of the Andrea Doria's interior 391 00:24:35,840 --> 00:24:39,840 Speaker 2: were filled with smoke and debris. The Andrea Doria radioed 392 00:24:39,880 --> 00:24:44,200 Speaker 2: for help, asking specifically for ships with lifeboats to come 393 00:24:44,240 --> 00:24:48,800 Speaker 2: to their aid. Ships immediately started arriving, Some of them 394 00:24:48,880 --> 00:24:50,679 Speaker 2: did not have a lot of lifeboats to help. There 395 00:24:50,720 --> 00:24:53,080 Speaker 2: was a freighter called the Cape Ann that arrived a 396 00:24:53,080 --> 00:24:56,120 Speaker 2: little more than an hour after the collision, followed by 397 00:24:56,240 --> 00:24:59,640 Speaker 2: two ships from the US Navy. Then there was an 398 00:24:59,640 --> 00:25:03,200 Speaker 2: ocean the Eel de France, which arrived at about two am, 399 00:25:03,640 --> 00:25:06,800 Speaker 2: just as the fog cleared, and its lifeboats were a 400 00:25:06,840 --> 00:25:10,760 Speaker 2: really critical part of the rescue operation. The US Coast 401 00:25:10,800 --> 00:25:14,000 Speaker 2: Guard helped coordinate these rescue efforts, and there were also 402 00:25:14,200 --> 00:25:18,000 Speaker 2: eight Coast Guard cutters that were patrolling the area around 403 00:25:18,040 --> 00:25:20,879 Speaker 2: the collision and looking for more survivors in the water. 404 00:25:21,800 --> 00:25:25,840 Speaker 2: Although the Stockholm took on survivors as well, initially it 405 00:25:25,880 --> 00:25:29,840 Speaker 2: could not move its anchors had dropped in the collision 406 00:25:30,240 --> 00:25:32,960 Speaker 2: and the equipment used to raise them had been destroyed, 407 00:25:33,040 --> 00:25:35,080 Speaker 2: so the ship had to be cut free of the 408 00:25:35,080 --> 00:25:38,640 Speaker 2: anchors a little more than six hours after the collision, 409 00:25:38,880 --> 00:25:41,920 Speaker 2: seven hundred and fifty three survivors from the Andrea Doria 410 00:25:42,200 --> 00:25:45,000 Speaker 2: had been taken aboard the Eel de France, with five 411 00:25:45,080 --> 00:25:47,720 Speaker 2: hundred forty five aboard the Stockholm and the rest on 412 00:25:47,800 --> 00:25:52,399 Speaker 2: other rescue ships. Captain Piero Calamai believed the Andrea Doria 413 00:25:52,560 --> 00:25:54,960 Speaker 2: might be able to stay afloat, and he wanted to 414 00:25:55,000 --> 00:25:57,439 Speaker 2: wait for tugs to arrive to show it to shore, 415 00:25:58,000 --> 00:26:00,600 Speaker 2: and failing that, he seemed to be ready to go 416 00:26:00,640 --> 00:26:03,520 Speaker 2: down with the ship, but the crew refused to leave 417 00:26:03,520 --> 00:26:05,800 Speaker 2: without him, and he did leave the ship around five 418 00:26:05,960 --> 00:26:10,080 Speaker 2: thirty am. At ten oh nine am, so only about 419 00:26:10,080 --> 00:26:13,439 Speaker 2: eleven hours after the collision, as the Stockholm and the 420 00:26:13,480 --> 00:26:15,919 Speaker 2: rescue vessels were on their way to New York with 421 00:26:15,960 --> 00:26:20,640 Speaker 2: the survivors, the Andrea Doria sank. Photographer Harry A. Trask 422 00:26:20,760 --> 00:26:23,880 Speaker 2: took photos of the ship as it was sinking from 423 00:26:23,920 --> 00:26:27,040 Speaker 2: an airplane that was flying only about seventy five feet 424 00:26:27,080 --> 00:26:30,480 Speaker 2: above the water. He was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for 425 00:26:30,560 --> 00:26:35,040 Speaker 2: Photography for these images, especially one that shows the Andrea 426 00:26:35,080 --> 00:26:38,960 Speaker 2: Doria like sort of in the process of sinking. In 427 00:26:39,040 --> 00:26:40,040 Speaker 2: nineteen fifty seven. 428 00:26:41,080 --> 00:26:44,800 Speaker 1: Fifty one people died during and after the collision, forty 429 00:26:44,840 --> 00:26:48,240 Speaker 1: six from the Andrea Doria and five from the Stockholm. 430 00:26:48,520 --> 00:26:51,159 Speaker 1: Almost all of those aboard the Andrea Doria who were 431 00:26:51,240 --> 00:26:54,800 Speaker 1: killed died as a result of the collision itself. Although 432 00:26:54,840 --> 00:26:57,199 Speaker 1: fewer people died in this collision than in many of 433 00:26:57,200 --> 00:26:59,560 Speaker 1: the other shipwrecks we've talked about on the show, this 434 00:26:59,720 --> 00:27:02,840 Speaker 1: was a course still tragic, and we should also note 435 00:27:02,840 --> 00:27:05,200 Speaker 1: that many of the people who were aboard the Andrea 436 00:27:05,240 --> 00:27:08,040 Speaker 1: Doria were there because they were immigrating to the US, 437 00:27:08,480 --> 00:27:12,359 Speaker 1: and they also lost essentially everything they had. Yeah, some 438 00:27:12,400 --> 00:27:14,480 Speaker 1: of them might have been shipping some stuff separately, but 439 00:27:14,800 --> 00:27:17,439 Speaker 1: a lot of people, all of their belongings, were on 440 00:27:17,480 --> 00:27:21,160 Speaker 1: the ship with them. The aftermath of this collision led 441 00:27:21,200 --> 00:27:23,920 Speaker 1: to a series of lawsuits, with the owners of the 442 00:27:24,000 --> 00:27:28,199 Speaker 1: Andrea Doria suing the owners of the Stockholm and vice versa, 443 00:27:28,320 --> 00:27:32,240 Speaker 1: each of them claiming the other was negligent, and survivors 444 00:27:32,240 --> 00:27:35,800 Speaker 1: of the crash also filed their own lawsuits against one 445 00:27:35,880 --> 00:27:39,600 Speaker 1: or both of the shipping companies. These other lawsuits totaled 446 00:27:39,640 --> 00:27:44,439 Speaker 1: eighty five million dollars in third party claims. This was 447 00:27:44,520 --> 00:27:49,040 Speaker 1: admittedly a complicated situation because it involved an Italian ship, 448 00:27:49,280 --> 00:27:52,639 Speaker 1: a Swedish ship, and claims that were primarily being filed 449 00:27:52,680 --> 00:27:57,240 Speaker 1: through American courts. An official inquiry started on September nineteenth, 450 00:27:57,359 --> 00:28:02,200 Speaker 1: nineteen fifty six, with testimonies and deposition happening in three languages. 451 00:28:02,800 --> 00:28:05,560 Speaker 1: A trial was scheduled to start on April first, nineteen 452 00:28:05,640 --> 00:28:09,119 Speaker 1: fifty seven, to be carried out under US admiralty law. 453 00:28:10,000 --> 00:28:15,119 Speaker 1: There was a ton of really contradictory and confusing testimony 454 00:28:15,320 --> 00:28:19,360 Speaker 1: in the preliminary hearings and other court proceedings, but the 455 00:28:19,400 --> 00:28:24,439 Speaker 1: actual trial never happens because on January twenty second, nineteen 456 00:28:24,520 --> 00:28:29,080 Speaker 1: fifty seven, the two steamship companies dropped their lawsuits against 457 00:28:29,080 --> 00:28:32,159 Speaker 1: one another, and, with the permission of a federal court, 458 00:28:32,240 --> 00:28:36,560 Speaker 1: they instead established a six million dollar fund for the survivors. 459 00:28:37,600 --> 00:28:40,280 Speaker 1: This was not even ten percent of the amount of 460 00:28:40,280 --> 00:28:43,120 Speaker 1: the third party claims that had been filed, but the 461 00:28:43,120 --> 00:28:47,040 Speaker 1: settlement took place under maritime laws that limited each company's 462 00:28:47,040 --> 00:28:51,600 Speaker 1: liability to the value of their respective vessels. Post collision, 463 00:28:51,680 --> 00:28:55,400 Speaker 1: the Stockholm was valued at four million dollars. The Andrea 464 00:28:55,480 --> 00:28:58,640 Speaker 1: Doria was a total loss, so initially its owners were 465 00:28:58,680 --> 00:29:02,440 Speaker 1: expected to contribute only four hundred thousand dollars, which was 466 00:29:02,480 --> 00:29:06,320 Speaker 1: its revenue from that final voyage. That, of course, was 467 00:29:06,360 --> 00:29:09,440 Speaker 1: not nearly enough to cover the existing claims, so the 468 00:29:09,480 --> 00:29:13,840 Speaker 1: Italian line ultimately paid one point eight million. Of course, 469 00:29:13,920 --> 00:29:17,320 Speaker 1: without any sort of formal ruling on who was to 470 00:29:17,360 --> 00:29:21,240 Speaker 1: blame or whether the officers of either ship had been negligent, 471 00:29:21,920 --> 00:29:25,720 Speaker 1: people drew their own conclusions. My read is there were 472 00:29:25,760 --> 00:29:30,840 Speaker 1: mistakes made on both sides. Calami in particular faced a 473 00:29:31,040 --> 00:29:35,400 Speaker 1: lot of criticism and became something of a scapegoat, even though, 474 00:29:35,440 --> 00:29:39,000 Speaker 1: as I said, it seems like there were errors across 475 00:29:39,000 --> 00:29:39,400 Speaker 1: the board. 476 00:29:40,160 --> 00:29:42,920 Speaker 2: While De Andrea Doria had been built to give the 477 00:29:42,960 --> 00:29:47,280 Speaker 2: world a positive representation of Italy, people obviously still remembered 478 00:29:47,280 --> 00:29:50,120 Speaker 2: that Italy had been one of the Axis powers during 479 00:29:50,240 --> 00:29:53,760 Speaker 2: World War II, and thus the enemy of the United States. 480 00:29:54,600 --> 00:29:59,280 Speaker 2: Calamite never commanded another ship, and people described him afterward 481 00:29:59,320 --> 00:30:02,600 Speaker 2: as a broken in man. In nineteen fifty six, it 482 00:30:02,680 --> 00:30:06,200 Speaker 2: probably seemed unimaginable that two ships could collide in a 483 00:30:06,200 --> 00:30:09,600 Speaker 2: way so similar to the way the Empress of Ireland 484 00:30:09,680 --> 00:30:13,240 Speaker 2: disaster had played out more than forty years before, but 485 00:30:13,320 --> 00:30:15,520 Speaker 2: there have been a number of changes in improvements that 486 00:30:15,600 --> 00:30:19,680 Speaker 2: should prevent a similar collision from happening again today. This 487 00:30:19,840 --> 00:30:24,360 Speaker 2: includes more defined shipping lanes, improved radar systems and training 488 00:30:24,360 --> 00:30:27,440 Speaker 2: on how to use them, and bridge to bridge communication 489 00:30:27,640 --> 00:30:31,440 Speaker 2: from one ship to another rather than communication being relayed 490 00:30:31,480 --> 00:30:36,720 Speaker 2: through a separate radio room. Eventually, the Stockholm was repaired 491 00:30:36,880 --> 00:30:40,200 Speaker 2: and it returned to sea. It went through a series 492 00:30:40,240 --> 00:30:44,000 Speaker 2: of name changes and changes in ownership before becoming the 493 00:30:44,160 --> 00:30:49,840 Speaker 2: MV Astoria, eventually becoming the oldest cruise ships still in operation. 494 00:30:50,840 --> 00:30:53,480 Speaker 2: It stayed in service all the way until twenty twenty, 495 00:30:53,560 --> 00:30:56,240 Speaker 2: when the cruise industry shut down due to the COVID 496 00:30:56,360 --> 00:31:00,920 Speaker 2: nineteen pandemic. Both its owner and a company that had 497 00:31:00,920 --> 00:31:04,720 Speaker 2: been chartering it went bankrupt during the pandemic, and in 498 00:31:04,760 --> 00:31:07,280 Speaker 2: the fall of twenty twenty three it was announced that 499 00:31:07,320 --> 00:31:09,920 Speaker 2: this ship would be scrapped. I don't know if it 500 00:31:10,040 --> 00:31:13,160 Speaker 2: has been yet. As of January though it had not been, 501 00:31:14,040 --> 00:31:16,400 Speaker 2: but the wreck of the Andrea Doria is still on 502 00:31:16,480 --> 00:31:20,560 Speaker 2: the floor of the sea, although it has deteriorated significantly 503 00:31:20,600 --> 00:31:24,040 Speaker 2: from when it first sank. The Italian line made no 504 00:31:24,200 --> 00:31:27,280 Speaker 2: efforts to recover or salvage the wreck, although efforts to 505 00:31:27,400 --> 00:31:29,920 Speaker 2: dive down to it started the day after it sank. 506 00:31:30,480 --> 00:31:33,479 Speaker 2: Photojournalist Peter Gimble took pictures of the wreck that were 507 00:31:33,480 --> 00:31:37,000 Speaker 2: published in Life magazine in August of nineteen fifty six. 508 00:31:37,760 --> 00:31:40,720 Speaker 2: In nineteen sixty four, divers recovered most of the statue 509 00:31:40,840 --> 00:31:43,880 Speaker 2: of Andrea Doria from the ship. They had to saw 510 00:31:43,960 --> 00:31:46,080 Speaker 2: it off at the ankle because there was no way 511 00:31:46,160 --> 00:31:49,480 Speaker 2: to remove it from its pedestal. In nineteen sixty eight, 512 00:31:49,480 --> 00:31:52,160 Speaker 2: the first extensive survey of the wreck was undertaken by 513 00:31:52,200 --> 00:31:56,800 Speaker 2: Italian filmmaker and diver Bruno vai Latti. In nineteen eighty four, 514 00:31:56,960 --> 00:32:00,440 Speaker 2: after a salvage expedition helmed by Peter Gimble, the Andrea 515 00:32:00,480 --> 00:32:03,200 Speaker 2: Doria Safe was opened on a very hyped up live 516 00:32:03,240 --> 00:32:08,280 Speaker 2: TV special with author George Plimpton acting as MC. This 517 00:32:08,560 --> 00:32:11,280 Speaker 2: turned out to be anti climactic because the safe only 518 00:32:11,320 --> 00:32:14,920 Speaker 2: contained some water log us dollars and a few Italian lire. 519 00:32:16,240 --> 00:32:20,000 Speaker 2: In nineteen ninety three, a US District court declared to 520 00:32:20,080 --> 00:32:25,200 Speaker 2: the Andrea Doria abandoned and named John F. Moyer salverin possession, 521 00:32:25,200 --> 00:32:28,400 Speaker 2: and that gave him salvage rights over the ship. Moyer 522 00:32:28,480 --> 00:32:32,400 Speaker 2: had already made numerous dives to the site, including to 523 00:32:32,520 --> 00:32:35,640 Speaker 2: remove works of art and other objects, some of which 524 00:32:35,680 --> 00:32:39,680 Speaker 2: are now in museum collections. In news coverage, Moyer has 525 00:32:39,720 --> 00:32:41,880 Speaker 2: been quoted as saying he hopes that there will someday 526 00:32:41,960 --> 00:32:46,480 Speaker 2: be a museum dedicated to the Andrea Doria. The wreck 527 00:32:46,480 --> 00:32:49,360 Speaker 2: of the Andrea Doria is considered to be a challenging 528 00:32:49,440 --> 00:32:53,280 Speaker 2: and dangerous dive. It's nicknamed the Mount Everest of diving, 529 00:32:53,360 --> 00:32:55,720 Speaker 2: and more than twenty people are known to have died 530 00:32:55,800 --> 00:32:58,920 Speaker 2: trying to dive there. It's about two hundred and fifty 531 00:32:58,920 --> 00:33:01,960 Speaker 2: feet or seventy six six meters underwater, which is well 532 00:33:01,960 --> 00:33:06,120 Speaker 2: beyond the depth that recreational divers can reach. In addition 533 00:33:06,200 --> 00:33:08,960 Speaker 2: to the need for specialized equipment and training just to 534 00:33:09,040 --> 00:33:12,160 Speaker 2: reach that depth, the area is also home to very 535 00:33:12,200 --> 00:33:15,920 Speaker 2: strong currents, with the current moving in different directions from 536 00:33:15,920 --> 00:33:18,880 Speaker 2: one layer of the sea to the next. There are 537 00:33:18,880 --> 00:33:21,479 Speaker 2: also a lot of things to get tangled in, like 538 00:33:21,560 --> 00:33:24,840 Speaker 2: submerged nets and other fishing gear, and sometimes there are 539 00:33:24,920 --> 00:33:28,640 Speaker 2: even sharks. Just getting to the site can be a challenge. 540 00:33:28,680 --> 00:33:31,440 Speaker 2: Thanks to the weather and tendency for fog to develop. 541 00:33:32,000 --> 00:33:35,440 Speaker 2: It's generally considered possible only during a brief period in 542 00:33:35,480 --> 00:33:38,640 Speaker 2: the summer months, and divers can typically only stay at 543 00:33:38,640 --> 00:33:41,800 Speaker 2: the wreck site for about twenty minutes before needing to ascend. 544 00:33:42,520 --> 00:33:47,120 Speaker 2: It's possible that specialized equipment might expand that time, but 545 00:33:47,200 --> 00:33:50,840 Speaker 2: I kept seeing twenty minutes. So it is, of course 546 00:33:50,880 --> 00:33:54,800 Speaker 2: also possible to reach the wreck via a submersible vehicle, 547 00:33:54,920 --> 00:33:57,880 Speaker 2: and one of the companies to do this was ocean Gate. 548 00:33:58,040 --> 00:34:03,120 Speaker 2: In twenty sixteen, Argus Expeditions had contracted Oceangate for a 549 00:34:03,160 --> 00:34:07,240 Speaker 2: two day mission aboard its Cyclops one to capture two 550 00:34:07,320 --> 00:34:10,319 Speaker 2: D and three D sonar scans of the wreck, as 551 00:34:10,320 --> 00:34:12,480 Speaker 2: well as video and photographs. 552 00:34:12,960 --> 00:34:13,960 Speaker 1: They were able to. 553 00:34:14,000 --> 00:34:18,080 Speaker 2: Complete only three out of a planned ten dives because 554 00:34:18,120 --> 00:34:22,560 Speaker 2: of very treacherous seas and thick fog, but this still 555 00:34:22,600 --> 00:34:26,000 Speaker 2: allowed a more thorough look at the wreck than had 556 00:34:26,000 --> 00:34:30,799 Speaker 2: been possible before. Of course, Oceangate is more widely known 557 00:34:30,840 --> 00:34:34,279 Speaker 2: today for the disaster that took place aboard its Cyclops two, 558 00:34:34,560 --> 00:34:38,720 Speaker 2: renamed the Titan, which imploded on June eighteenth, twenty twenty three, 559 00:34:39,160 --> 00:34:43,960 Speaker 2: during an expedition to the Titanic. On that note, Yeah, 560 00:34:44,080 --> 00:34:46,560 Speaker 2: how do you feel about listener mail? I have listener 561 00:34:46,640 --> 00:34:51,920 Speaker 2: mail that is from Claire uh. Claire wrote and said, 562 00:34:52,440 --> 00:34:55,200 Speaker 2: Hi Holly and Tracy. First, thanks a million for all 563 00:34:55,200 --> 00:34:57,759 Speaker 2: the diligent care you put into the podcast. I've been 564 00:34:57,880 --> 00:35:01,239 Speaker 2: enjoying the fruits of your labor for ye. I have 565 00:35:01,360 --> 00:35:04,799 Speaker 2: just finished listening to the Spring twenty twenty four Unearthed episode. 566 00:35:04,960 --> 00:35:06,879 Speaker 2: Toward the end of part one, there was a mention 567 00:35:07,080 --> 00:35:10,239 Speaker 2: of the addition of a Guinness Archive to the Ancestry 568 00:35:10,280 --> 00:35:13,480 Speaker 2: Catalog to help bridge a gap by the destruction of 569 00:35:13,520 --> 00:35:16,760 Speaker 2: the Irish National Archive during the Civil War here in Ireland. 570 00:35:17,160 --> 00:35:19,600 Speaker 2: This is a lovely gesture, but it's a pity that 571 00:35:19,640 --> 00:35:22,720 Speaker 2: it's now behind a paywall. Luckily, there is a free 572 00:35:22,760 --> 00:35:26,320 Speaker 2: alternative which was funded by the Irish government as part 573 00:35:26,400 --> 00:35:30,000 Speaker 2: of the founding of the state's centenary commemorations and celebrations. 574 00:35:30,440 --> 00:35:33,759 Speaker 2: A project called Beyond twenty twenty two was undertaken to 575 00:35:34,080 --> 00:35:39,400 Speaker 2: digitally reconstitute the lost Treasury archives by leveraging a host 576 00:35:39,440 --> 00:35:43,680 Speaker 2: of archives which have duplicate information across the globe. I 577 00:35:43,719 --> 00:35:47,080 Speaker 2: was lucky enough to work alongside the multidisciplinary team who 578 00:35:47,120 --> 00:35:50,600 Speaker 2: created this archive. It is available here. That is a 579 00:35:51,040 --> 00:35:55,840 Speaker 2: virtual Treasury dot Ie. Not only can the archive be 580 00:35:55,920 --> 00:35:59,000 Speaker 2: searched for free, but you can even explore a three 581 00:35:59,080 --> 00:36:02,000 Speaker 2: D model of the destroyed Treasury building too. 582 00:36:02,160 --> 00:36:05,000 Speaker 1: Please spread the word for pet Tax. 583 00:36:05,040 --> 00:36:07,319 Speaker 2: I've attached photos of my three and a half year 584 00:36:07,360 --> 00:36:11,839 Speaker 2: old Scottish terrier called I should have looked up how 585 00:36:11,840 --> 00:36:16,600 Speaker 2: to say this in Irish. I'm just gonna try it, 586 00:36:17,120 --> 00:36:22,120 Speaker 2: and I apologize if I do it very badly. Sona Shasta. 587 00:36:22,800 --> 00:36:27,000 Speaker 2: This is Irish for contented happiness. He is basically his name. 588 00:36:27,160 --> 00:36:29,759 Speaker 2: How sweet. Thanks again for all your work. I never 589 00:36:29,840 --> 00:36:34,960 Speaker 2: miss an episode. So this was again from Claire. Thank 590 00:36:35,000 --> 00:36:35,800 Speaker 2: you so much, Claire. 591 00:36:36,880 --> 00:36:42,120 Speaker 1: I don't remember if this archive was something that I 592 00:36:42,200 --> 00:36:45,440 Speaker 1: stumbled across while doing research for Unearthed back in twenty 593 00:36:45,480 --> 00:36:47,880 Speaker 1: twenty two, that would have been a logical fit to include. 594 00:36:47,880 --> 00:36:50,239 Speaker 1: If I did, it was for sure not mentioned in 595 00:36:50,280 --> 00:36:54,480 Speaker 1: the news coverage about Guinness, which was, of course, you know, 596 00:36:55,200 --> 00:36:59,879 Speaker 1: a lot of it released by Guinness. But yeah, that's 597 00:37:00,480 --> 00:37:02,200 Speaker 1: and it makes a lot of sense that a lot 598 00:37:02,239 --> 00:37:05,280 Speaker 1: of the records that were destroyed there during the Civil 599 00:37:05,320 --> 00:37:09,200 Speaker 1: War would have also had counterparts in other parts of 600 00:37:09,320 --> 00:37:12,640 Speaker 1: Ireland and elsewhere, so that is really cool that so 601 00:37:12,760 --> 00:37:17,000 Speaker 1: much of that has been brought together. Also, man a 602 00:37:17,080 --> 00:37:21,479 Speaker 1: Scottish terrier. Scottish terriers are so cute to me, They're 603 00:37:21,520 --> 00:37:22,240 Speaker 1: so cute. 604 00:37:23,320 --> 00:37:27,719 Speaker 2: And this, this particular one, super duper cute, shown in 605 00:37:27,800 --> 00:37:32,080 Speaker 2: the last picture with a like a blue and yellow 606 00:37:32,080 --> 00:37:37,440 Speaker 2: tennis ball, tongue out panting very happily. I'm very sorry 607 00:37:37,480 --> 00:37:41,959 Speaker 2: if I mangled this dog's name by having not tried 608 00:37:42,000 --> 00:37:45,480 Speaker 2: to find pronunciations before getting into doing listener meals today. 609 00:37:46,000 --> 00:37:47,719 Speaker 2: If you'd like to send us a note, we're at 610 00:37:47,760 --> 00:37:51,680 Speaker 2: History Podcasts at iHeartRadio dot com and you can subscribe 611 00:37:51,680 --> 00:37:54,560 Speaker 2: to our show on the iHeartRadio app or wherever else 612 00:37:54,640 --> 00:38:02,600 Speaker 2: you'd like to get your podcasts. Stuff you missed in 613 00:38:02,680 --> 00:38:06,360 Speaker 2: History Class is a production of iHeartRadio. For more podcasts 614 00:38:06,360 --> 00:38:10,520 Speaker 2: from iHeartRadio, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever 615 00:38:10,600 --> 00:38:12,080 Speaker 2: you listen to your favorite shows.