Alive on the Andrea Doria The Greatest Sea Rescue in History [Paperback]

One half-century later, the catastrophic ramming of the MS Stockholm into the Italian luxury liner the SS Andrea Doria in 1956 is relived in this candid, heartrending account. Author Pierette Domenica Simpson, who, with her grandparents, survived the tragedy off the shoals of Nantucket, shares the human and technical aspects of what has become known as the greatest sea rescue in history. As only an eyewitness can do, the author presents survivors' recollections in dramatic vignettes that meticulously re-create a horrific event-one that could have been another Titanic. Both poor immigrants and wealthy travelers give their accounts of ultimate despair and infinite elation after staring at their own reflections in the black ocean that night and seeing death stare back. Equally dramatic are the revelations of new facts exposed by nautical experts from two continents facts that solve the mystery of who was to blame for this most improbable collision between two ships on the open seas.

It is difficult to constrain the fascinating and intricate story of the Andrea Doria tragedy within the pages of a book. But this has been done, thanks to Pierette Simpson. If you like mysteries, do not read this book, because she was there, and she'll tell you the untold truth, putting an end to the Andrea Doria mystery. A praiseworthy achievement -- Maurizio Eliseo Naval inspector, author, professor, historian