SS Andrea Doria was a luxury transatlantic ocean liner of the Italian Line, launched on 16 June 1951 and entered service on 14 January 1953. Named after the 16th-century Genoese admiral Andrea Doria, she was a symbol of post-war Italian recovery and national pride, built at Ansaldo Shipyards in Genoa. Measuring 213.8 meters (701 ft 5 in) in length and with a gross register tonnage of 29,083 GRT, she could carry 1,241 passengers and 560 crew. The ship was renowned for its luxury, featuring three outdoor swimming pools, extensive artwork, and modern safety systems including 11 watertight compartments and early-warning radar.
On 25 July 1956, while en route from Genoa to New York, the SS Andrea Doria collided with the Swedish-American Line’s MS Stockholm in dense fog off Nantucket, Massachusetts. The impact caused severe damage to her starboard side, leading to a dangerous list that rendered half of her lifeboats unusable. Despite this, the ship remained afloat for over 11 hours, allowing for the successful rescue of 1,660 of the 1,706 people on board. 51 people died in the disaster, which remains the worst maritime disaster in U.S. waters since 1915.
The ship capsized and sank on 26 July 1956, resting at a depth of approximately 240 feet (73 meters) in the Atlantic Ocean. The wreck has since become a popular site for deep-sea divers and a subject of historical interest. The cause of the collision was never officially determined due to a confidential settlement, though both ships' navigational decisions were scrutinized. The Andrea Doria is remembered as a masterpiece of mid-century design and a tragic example of how human error can override advanced safety technology.