1,134 Passengers. One Fog Bank. About 50 Died.

At 11:00 p.m., the Stockholm struck the Andrea Doria. The Doria had 1,134 passengers on board.

The area off Nantucket known as Times Square was often foggy due to warm currents colliding with frigid waters.

On the Stockholm, Carstens-Johannsen saw the Doria on radar. He thought the Doria was 12 miles away when it was actually 4 miles away.

Captain Calamai of the Andrea Doria was deliberately speeding in heavy fog, an admittedly common practice on passenger liners.

The impact opened a gaping hole in the Doria’s side. The ship was listing at a 45-degree angle and taking water by the minute.

Water flooded the compartment containing the main electric generators and short-circuited the generators and switchboards.

Rescue ships rushed in. The Île de France played the largest role in the rescue, taking on 753 survivors. Survivors were transferred to various rescue ships by 6:00 a.m.

One American sailor was rescued by the tanker Robert E. Hopkins.

Captain Calamai had at first refused to leave his ship. After he was persuaded by his officers, he agreed to step into a rescuing boat.

The Andrea Doria capsized eleven hours after the collision and was placed at a depth of 250 feet. In all, 1,663 passengers and crew were rescued. About fifty people were killed in the collision.

The Andrea Doria shipwreck of 1956 is still of interest to naval architects and historians. It pertains to the most catastrophic and the most recent collision in history between two ocean liners.

What the Record Shows

18 sourced claims in this story, resting on 5 sources. Numbers link to the bibliography below.

• The Stockholm struck the Doria at 11:00 p.m. - source: 1
• The Andrea Doria had 1,134 passengers on board. - source: 1
• The area off Nantucket known as Times Square was often foggy due to warm currents colliding with frigid waters. - source: 1
• Carstens-Johannsen saw the Doria on radar about five minutes later. - source: 1
• Carstens-Johannsen thought the Doria was 12 miles away when it was actually 4 miles away. - source: 1
• Captain Calamai of Andrea Doria was speeding in heavy fog. - source: 2
• The impact opened a gaping hole in the Doria’s side. - source: 1
• The ship was listing at a 45-degree angle and taking water by the minute. - source: 3
• Water flooded the compartment containing the main electric generators and short-circuited the generators and switchboards. - source: 3
• Île de France played the largest role in the rescue, taking on 753 survivors. - source: 2
• Survivors were transferred to various rescue ships by 6:00 a.m. - source: 1
• One American sailor was rescued by the tanker Robert E. Hopkins. - source: 2
• Captain Calamai initially refused to leave his ship but eventually agreed to step into a rescuing boat after being persuaded by his officers. - source: 4
• The Andrea Doria capsized eleven hours after the collision and was placed at a depth of 250 feet. - source: 4
• 1,663 passengers and crew were rescued from Andrea Doria. - source: 2
• About fifty people were killed in the collision. - source: 4
• The Andrea Doria shipwreck of 1956 is still of interest to naval architects and historians. - source: 5
• It pertains to the most catastrophic and the most recent collision in history between two ocean liners. - source: 5

Archival Evidence & Picture Credits

• SS Andrea Doria (Public domain, Unknown photographer) - Wikimedia Commons file page
• Andrea Doria sinking 2 (Public domain, Harry A. Trask) - Wikimedia Commons file page
• MS Stockholm bow damage after collision with SS Andrea Doria (Public domain, John Rooney) - Wikimedia Commons file page
• Andrea Doria sinks (Public domain, Harry A. Trask) - Wikimedia Commons file page
• Rescue from Andrea Doria (Public domain, Harry A. Trask) - Wikimedia Commons file page
• First Class Dining Room Andrea Doria (Public domain, Unknown author) - Wikimedia Commons file page

Verified Archival Sources & Bibliography

1. pbs.org
2. en.wikipedia.org
3. garemaritime.com
4. thegreatoceanliners.com
5. doi.org