See stock news footage of the sinking SS Andrea Doria. On July 25, 1956, while Andrea Doria was approaching the coast of Nantucket Island in Massachusetts, the New York City bound shipped was struck by the eastbound MS Stockholm 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 were 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.[2] The evacuated luxury liner capsized and sank the following morning. This accident remains the worst maritiem disaster to occur in United States waters since the sinking of the SS Eastland in 1915.
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