SS Andrea Doria
The SS Andrea Doria at home in port
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| History | |
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 Italy
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| Name: | Andrea Doria |
| Owner: | Italian Line |
| Port of registry: |
 Italy
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| Builder: | Ansaldo Shipyards of Genoa, Italy |
| Launched: | June 16, 1951 |
| Maiden voyage: | January 14, 1953 |
| In service: | June 16, 1951 |
| Out of service: | July 26, 1956 |
| Identification: |
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| Fate: | Capsized and sank on July 26, 1956, after colliding with the |
| Status: | Wrecked, lying on starboard side on the bottom |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type: | Andrea Doria class ocean liner |
| Tonnage: | 29,083 GRT |
| Length: | 213.80 m (701 ft 5 in) |
| Beam: | 27.50 m (90 ft 3 in) |
| Installed power: | Steam turbines |
| Propulsion: | Twin propellers |
| Speed: | 23 kn (42.60 km/h) |
| Capacity: | 1,241 passengers |
SS Andrea Doria, pronounced [anˈdrɛːa ˈdɔːrja], was an ocean liner for the Italian Line (Società di navigazione Italia) home ported in Genoa, Italy, most famous for her sinking in 1956, when 46 people were killed.
Named after the 16th-century Genoese admiral Andrea Doria, the ship had a gross register tonnage of 29,100 and a capacity of about 1,200 passengers and 500 crew. For a country attempting to rebuild its economy and reputation after World War II, Andrea Doria was an icon of Italian national pride. Of all Italy's ships at the time, Andrea Doria was the largest, fastest, and supposedly safest. Launched on June 16, 1951, the ship undertook its maiden voyage on January 14, 1953.
On July 25, 1956, while Andrea Doria was approaching the coast of Nantucket, Massachusetts, bound for New York City, the eastbound of the Swedish American Line collided with it in what became one of history's most infamous maritime disasters. Struck in the side, the top-heavy Andrea Doria immediately started to list severely to starboard, which left half of its lifeboats unusable. The consequent shortage of lifeboats could have resulted in significant loss of life, but the efficiency of the ship's technical design allowed it to stay afloat for over 11 hours after the ramming. The good behavior of the crew, improvements in communications, and the rapid response of other ships averted a disaster similar in scale to that of Titanic in 1912. While 1,660 passengers and crew were rescued and survived, 46 people died with the ship as a consequence of the collision. The evacuated luxury liner capsized and sank the following morning. This accident remains the worst maritime disaster to occur in United States waters since the sinking of the SS Eastland in 1915.
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Wikipedia