As part of this national revival, the Italian Line commissioned the construction of two world-class cruise liners: The Andrea Doria and the Cristoforo Colombo, which was named after Christopher Columbus. The ship was a gleaming, high-tech testament to Italy’s renewed confidence after losing World War II.Īfter fascist Italy’s crushing loss in World War II and the subsequent devastation of its economy, Italians desperately scrambled to regain a sense of national pride. Doria fought heroically for Italy in several bloody maritime battles and is also credited with being the first mariner to invent a method for sailing against the wind. The ship was named after a 16th-century Italian admiral who was known as “the father of his country.”Īn Italian historical icon, Andrea Doria (1468-1560) is often referred to as “the father of his country” much like George Washington is in the United States. Here’s the story of the only collision between two ocean liners in world history. But nearly 1,200 passengers were safely rescued. Forty-six people died in the initial impact and an additional five died later. However, the Andrea Doria eventually sank to the ocean’s bottom, where it continues to decay (and lure adventurous divers) to this day. Like the Titanic, the Andrea Doria had been described as “unsinkable.” By the next morning, the badly damaged Stockholm had returned to New York Harbor, while the Andrea Doria had sunk to the bottom of the ocean. In the middle of an intensely foggy summer night on July 25, 1956-a little over 40 years after the infamous sinking of the Titanic-the giant Italian cruise ship SS Andrea Doria was slammed in the side by the SS Stockholm, ripping a six-story gash in the Doria‘s side. By Jerome London Updated December 24, 2020

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