SS Andrea Doria
Ocean Liner · Italy · Lost 1956 · Cape Cod & Nantucket Shoals
The Italian luxury liner Andrea Doria sank after colliding with the Stockholm in fog off Nantucket in 1956, in one of the most documented maritime disasters of the 20th century.
Lennie Leary
See Shipwreck on Map
The Vessel and Her Loss
The Andrea Doria was the flagship of Italy's postwar merchant marine, prized for her modern design and art collections. On the foggy night of July 25, 1956, she collided with the Swedish liner Stockholm south of Nantucket while approaching New York. Listing severely, she stayed afloat for about eleven hours, allowing nearby ships to rescue the great majority of those aboard before she rolled over and sank. The wreck now lies on its side in about 160 feet of water and remains one of the most visited deep technical dive sites in the world.
Vessel
- 1951
- Ansaldo
- Sestri Ponente, Genoa, Italy
- Steel
- 700 ft
- Not established
- Not established
- Steam turbine, twin screw
- Italian Line
Loss
- July 26, 1956
- Collision
- South of Nantucket Island, Massachusetts
- Atlantic Ocean
- Genoa, Italy → New York, United States
- Not established
- 1706
- 46
- Piero Calamai
The Wreck Today
- 160 ft
- Lying on her starboard side; the hull has progressively deteriorated and partially collapsed over decades of exposure.
- On her starboard side
- 1956
- Not established
Position
- 40.492° N 69.850° W
- Surveyed position
- Nantucket Island, Massachusetts
Evidence
Overall confidence: Well documented (92/100)
Collision narrative and casualty figures.
Journal of Navigation, Cambridge University Press
Technical analysis of the collision.
