N.Y. / Region

January 17, 2012, 6:10 PM

Cruise Ship Accident Stirs Thoughts of the Andrea Doria

By JAMES BARRON

Associated Press

The Andrea Doria after colliding with the Stockholm off the coast of Nantucket, July 25, 1956.

Gregorio Borgia/Associated Press

The Costa Concordia, which ran aground off the Tuscan island of Giglio, Italy, Sunday, Jan. 15, 2012.

First thing Saturday, Pierette Domenica Simpson’s boyfriend called and said, “Go online. You’ll be interested.”

She checked the headlines. Something about an Italian ocean liner in trouble. The way the ship was listing, the report that it was taking on water, the light from the cabins reflecting in the water, the passengers’ struggle to clamber into lifeboats — everything seemed so familiar. “I thought, ‘How can this be? It’s 56 years later,’ ” Ms. Simpson said.

For Ms. Simpson, the wreck of the Costa Concordia brought back memories of one of the most famous disasters in maritime history, an accident that she survived as a 9-year-old girl: The collision on July 25, 1956, that left the Italian ship Andrea Doria, bound for New York City, listing in the Atlantic after being struck by a Swedish ocean liner, the Stockholm.

“It was unreal and surreal, the fact that they were both leaning on the starboard side,” she said. “If you put the two photographs together of the night scene of the Concordia and the night scene of the Andrea Doria with the incline on the starboard side and the lights coming from the portholes, you cannot tell the difference.”

But there was a difference: “We were in the middle of the ocean. They were near shore, which was their demise. You’d think that would be their blessing.”

Crews pulled five more bodies from the wreckage of the Costa Concordia on Tuesday, bringing the death toll from that accident to at least 11. Prosecutors and the cruise line are blaming the captain for the wreck, saying he deviated from the ship’s plotted course, bringing it too close to the shoreline.

Ms. Simpson, who is 64 and lives in Novi, Mich., was immigrating with her grandparents, as she described in the book “Alive on the Andrea Doria! The Greatest Sea Rescue in History” (Morgan James Publishing, 2008). Even before the Concordia disaster, Ms. Simpson was working on a new book: “I Was Shipwrecked on the Andrea Doria! The Titanic of the 1950s.” “It’s a novel,” she said, and one of the characters is a 9-year-old girl.

Pierette Domenica Simpson recognized herself in film footage from the Ile de France, which rescued passengers from the Andrea Doria after it was hit by the Stockholm in the Atlantic in July 1956.

Ms. Simpson’s story was that she was rescued by the S.S. Ile de France, which sped to the scene and picked up more than 750 Andrea Doria passengers.

The Andrea Doria was on the next to the last day of a 10-day trip from Genoa, Italy, when it was hit. When it sank, nearly 11 hours later, a plane carrying a CBS News camera crew circled overhead. The correspondent Douglas Edwards, his nose against the window, described the Andrea Doria as “looking like a colorful but big and dead hippopotamus.”

The collision resulted in 51 deaths, 46 from the Andrea Doria and 5 from the Stockholm. Among the casualties on the Andrea Doria was Camille M. Cianfarra, a longtime foreign correspondent for The New York Times who was based in Madrid at the time. He was apparently thrown across his cabin, which was close to the Stockholm’s point of impact.

“When I hear the passengers from the Concordia talking about how they injured their legs just to crawl upward and get out,” Ms. Simpson said, “that’s what I found from interviewing my fellow survivors on the Andrea Doria and recalling what we had to do to get outside.”

“What seems to be different is we had an announcement shortly after the collision,” she said. “The captain ordered Officer Badano,” the second officer, “to make an announcement in English and Italian. It was such a staticky connection. We could only hear words like ‘calm’ and ‘life jackets.’ There was so much hysteria, we couldn’t really hear.”

Another difference, she said, was that the captain on the Andrea Doria sent out an S.O.S. almost immediately. “He ordered the lowering of the lifeboats,” she said, but the Andrea Doria was listing so badly that the lifeboats on the port side could not go down. Some passengers on the Concordia have described scenes of panic and confusion in their efforts to evacuate.

“The ones on the right side, they were out 20-some feet from the ship, so we could not board them,” she said. “They had to be dropped in the ocean, and we had to make our own way down there.”

I trust that 2012 has begun with gusto and prosperity for you and your organization.

It  has certainly been an eventful beginning for me,  especially in light of the recent sea tragedy of the CostaConcordia. It appears that  the topic of safety (or lack of) on our seas  has resurfaced and is the buzz  in the media,  online,  and at social gatherings.  For me,  it has become a  renewed mission.  I am following closely details surrounding the shipwreck off the  coast of Italy,  and plan to address it at all my speaking venues.  I have the great fortune  of processing the event with  the top maritime societies in the U.S. In fact,  in 2011,  I became a member of the national marine forensics committee of the  Society of Naval architects and Marine engineers.  They have invited me to speak at the Inaugural Marine Forensics Symposium in Washington DC in April.  Film producer James Cameron is one of our featured speakers.

I have also been invited to release my new book at the symposium.   It is a young adult novel  called I Was Shipwrecked on the Andrea Doria!  The Titanic of the 1950s (cover attached). As if destiny had a hand in it,  the last paragraph of the book (completed in December),  states that I am seeking to inspire a new generation of marine scientists to enhance safety on our seas.  It all seems so serendipitous!

The media  has given me very generous opportunities to express my experience of surviving the Andrea Doria shipwreck and what the Costa  Concordia means to me.  It appears that being an author/authority of my own shipwreck gives me the “go-to-expert” designation. For complete my media coverage in the  New York Times, TV, and radio, visit http://www.pierettesimpson.com/press/costa-concorida/ While on my website,  you’ll want to peruse the section on speaking events: http://www.pierettesimpson.com/speaking-events/

If your group is  looking for a  timely and relevant topic, this one may fit the bill.  Along with any of the topics you may choose from below,  I can also discuss with authority the  Costa Concordia event,  whether in a Q&A,  and informal discussion, or  as it relates to the  Titanic and Andrea Doria.  It is said that history repeats itself;  unfortunately,  the three shipwrecks are evidence of this.

I look forward to  discussing your group’s needs with you,  especially during this 100 anniversary year of the Titanic disaster.  For your convenience,  I have attached my biography.  Please feel free to contact me for  inquiries or booking events.  I’m confident that we can  explore possibilities that meet your budget. For more affordability,  I have a special offer: Book an event before March 11,  and you will receive 20% off my fee.

Warm regards,

Pierette Simpson

Ps. It would be appreciated if you could share this email with other event planners who may be interested. Thank you!

Topic 4: Especially for the classroom

I Survived a Shipwreck to Tell about It: The Andrea Doria- Stockholm Collision Ms. Simpson’s personal account was published in Cricket Magazine, October 2009.  In addition to the  author’s personal experience, topics across the curriculum can be addressed:  writing a novel, immigration, grand parenting,  survival, gratitude for our experiences, character education, etc. Ms. Simpson can deliver presentations in French and Italian as well. Critical thinking skills will be suggested in pre-reading, discussion, and follow-up activities. Having taught pre-K3 to AP 12, the author will adjust the presentation for suitability at all grade levels.

Topic 5:

Transcending a Shipwreck and Other Life Crises After having survived the calamitous Andrea Doria shipwreck, Ms. Simpson faced a plethora of other challenges: family traumas, immigration, poverty, widowhood, illness, and divorce. By bravely revealing her experiences and how she was able to overcome them, Simpson emphatically inspires students to realize that tough times don’?t last—tough people do; and most of all, that education provides the tools to navigate to a path of success. Ms. Simpson?s message is powerful and clear:education is the key to liberation. (appropriate for students at all levels, as well as parents, staff) Note: the message can be altered to target various audiences.

Topic 6: The Treasures of the Andrea Doria: Before and after the Tragedy

Presentation is accompanied by a large collection of photographs about the opulent Life and tragic demise of the Andrea Doria. This topic can be either presented alone or with John Moyer, diver/salver/collector extraordinaire of the Andrea Doria.  Moyer has recovered some of the most precious artwork from thewreck: gigantic ceramic wall panels, statues, etc. He even owns part of theAdmiral Andrea Doria statue. We have discussed this and think that a survivor/author and diver/salver/collector would create a most dynamic and unique combination.

——————————————

Testimonials:

Thank you for such an informative and interesting talk last night at the Friends of the Plymouth District Library Annual Meeting. The audience was completely wowed (including me)! Even though I had already read the book, I was fascinated by hearing you tell the story. Ela Rybicka from Schoolcraft College had told me that the audience would be positively mesmerized by you and she was absolutely right? Perhaps the highest praise came from one otherwise grumpy gentleman, whom I’ve never heard give anyone a compliment, who thanked me for booking such a great speaker! You exceeded our already high expectations for entertainment and education. ~~~ Deborah Tarachuk, Librarian, Plymouth District Library (Michigan)

Thank you for your wonderful lecture! It was enthralling and everyone that attended sat spell-bound to their seats as you told your amazing story? everyone loved you! Your presentation was emotional and from the heart but it was also extraordinarily informative. I’ve heard much of the story of the Andrea Doria, but never in such a riveting and exciting way. ~~~ Will Roseman, Co-chairman ?Sea Stories?, Explorers Club of Manhattan, NY

The ultimate author experience occurred in March, 2008 at Schoolcraft College in Livonia, Michigan. Ms. Pierette Domenica Simpson visited Pageturners, our college book club, and interacted with over 150 members of the audience. We were all impressed with her captivating presentation style, her warmth, and her sincere interest in our students. Ms. Simpson took us on the unforgettable Andrea Doria voyage, bringing text to life with deep insight, profound honesty, and clarity of thought. I, along with the rest of audience, was riveted by the account of her experience. Our students, faculty, and staff are still talking about her visit. Mr. Simpson, thank you for coming to our college. ElzbietaRybicka, ~~~ Pageturners Coordinator, Assistant Professor, English, Schoolcraft College

Outstanding presentation! Pierette’s explicit recount of that horrifying night and
her determination to survive, gave the audience a bone chilling, hair raising
experience that will not be forgotten. ~~~ Ronald A. DiBartolomeo President,
Italian American Chamber of Commerce of Michigan

…in awe… as someone interested in the Doria, I’m impressed at your eloquent
and fascinating testimonial to that event. I hope to hear you speak again. ~~~ Chuck Moss, State Representative

Pierette

Pierette@PieretteSimpson.com

248-349-8557

www.PieretteSimpson.com

www.PieretteSimpson.com/blog

FEBRUARY 12, 2012 0 comments Survivor of European cruise shipwreck thankful to be alive NERISSA YOUNG (contact) FEBRUARY 11, 2012 8:20:00 PMShe got a brief phone call from her son before she started watching the tragedy unfold on the news. Eventually, Lillian Evans, of Columbus, just turned the TV off. “The not knowing …” she said Wednesday, “it was upsetting.” Justin Evans was aboard the Costa Concordia on Jan. 13 when it sank off the isle of Giglio, Italy. The 2003 graduate of New Hope High School lost his wallet, passport, computer, cellphone, keys, camera and clothing. The luxury cruise ship with 4,200 passengers and crew aboard ran aground and struck a rock that ripped open the ship’s hull. Seventeen people were killed, and 15 remain missing. “I’m thankful to be alive,” Justin Evans said from Atlanta, where he works as a dancer, dance teacher and aerialist. He had boarded the ship Jan. 13, hoping for a few days of relaxation on a Mediterranean cruise after working in Rome with dance photographer Keiko Guest on a photo shoot. “We had just boarded the ship,” he said. It was 4:30 p.m. local time. He and Guest got separated in Rome and boarded the ship separately. They found each other and enjoyed a few moments to relax before dinner. They shared a table with two Americans. Justin Evans said they decided to take in the post-dinner entertainment — a magic show. About seven to 10 minutes into the show, they felt a violent jolt. A news release from Carnival Corp., the ship’s owner, said it ran aground at 10 p.m. local time. Justin Evans said trash was flying all over the place and he heard a loud crash in the kitchen. He didn’t know what was happening. “We saw that the boat was tilting,” he said. A public address announcement told passengers the ship was experiencing “technical difficulties” and directed them to their rooms. He and Guest returned to their room. He said she had been on a dozen cruises, so he took his cues from her. They remained calm, put on their life vests and waited. Another public address announcement informed them the ship’s generator was having problems. The lights went off, came on briefly and then went off again. Justin Evans said a third announcement directed passengers to lifeboats. On deck, he saw lots of families. People were trying to manage children and older folks. “People were just running in panic.” He and Guest made it to the fourth lifeboat station and realized they were on the wrong side. They were on the high end of the listing ship. He realized any lifeboats launched would hit the side of the vessel. The pair maneuvered to the other side of the ship and were in the fourth group of lifeboats to leave. The lifeboat free fell for a few feet, he said, before the cables caught to lower it into the water. As the boat descended, they saw the full hulk of the ship looming over them at a 45-degree angle.   “All we could do was pray,” Justin Evans said.   Back on land Once they arrived at Giglio, authorities opened a school for the passengers. They had only a concrete floor for a bed, so passengers gathered life vests to make mattresses. Some of the older passengers had been wakened from their sleep to board lifeboats. They had no shoes, so they cut shoes from the foam in the life vests. From there, they traveled to another small island and then to Savona, where police issued them statements verifying they were passengers on the ship and asking for expedited passports from the U.S. consulate. “He called me Saturday, but it was Friday there,” said Lillian Evans, who owns Evans Christian Child Care in Columbus. “I didn’t know how bad it was. He said it was bad … He said he was wet, cold, (and) they were trying to find a place for them stay.” Justin Evans said they traveled on to Milan and found the consulate closed — in observance of Martin Luther King Day. The next day they got passports and boarded a plane for the U.S. with just 30 minutes to spare.   Putting the pieces together “I’m still calculating everything I’ve lost,” he said. He’s been in his home only two or three days. Justin Evans said he’s been keeping a full schedule of work and classes to recoup his losses. The cruise line has offered some compensation, he said, and he’s heard rumors of a class-action lawsuit. He is still evaluating his options. Meanwhile, he questions why passengers didn’t receive instructions on how to evacuate the ship. Although they had boarded that day, Justin Evans said he talked to passengers who had been on the ship up to two days before the crash. They hadn’t received instructions, either. He thanks his faith and his martial arts training for keeping him and Guest safe. “I was praying the entire time.” The thought he would die never entered his mind, he said. He and Guest kept readjusting escape plans. They considered jumping off the ship into the rocks. “We were making plans throughout the whole event. “It was very, very scary in moments.” He’s had bad dreams about the experience and is seeing a counselor, “just trying to get back on track with my life.” One thing he learned about the experience was the way people helped one another. That level of unity should happen every day, he said, not just during a catastrophe. Taking another cruise is not on his immediate priority list, he said, but he would consider it. He doesn’t want fear to beat him. And he encouraged his mother and father, Charlie Evans, to take the same position. “He said, ‘Mom, I know you and dad were planning on going on a cruise. Don’t let this stop you from going,’” Lillian Evans said.   back to top

Read more:http://www.cdispatch.com/news/article.asp?aid=15609#ixzz1mBWbtPDI

Marine Forensic Process Questions

Regardless of whether it is a recent wreck investigated by the national authorities or an old ship being studied by amateurs, the Marine Forensic Process has the same elements:

A. Determine How the Ship was Constructed

- Design rules in force at delivery – IMO and RINA

1. Use of longitudinal bulkheads in passenger ships (lists, raking damage)

- General Arrangement plans of the vessel,

- Structural plans

1. Continuity of structure

- Machinery plans

1.  Separation and location of machinery and electrical spaces.

2.  Component permeability

- Tankage plans plus data

-  Lines plan

-  Lifeboats

1. Design has not changed much in 100 years

2. Location

3. Crew (are there enough to man with reduced crew mentality)

4. Simplified Evacuation Plan for ships

- Securing of the furnishings.

B.  Establish Departure Condition

-  What was the documented liquid loading of Concordia prior to the incident?

- The condition of the tankage upon departure (possible free-surface effects)

- What were the stores loading prior to sailing?

- Drafts fore and aft, list and trim

- What was the vessel’s GM and location of KG at time of sailing (Trim and

Stability  Booklet)?

-       Where were the loading instructions of the vessel and were they followed?

C.  Voyage Conditions

- Were there any propulsion, electrical, or auxiliaries systems or components that

were non-functional before the incident?

- Weather and current conditions

-  Geological analysis of rock imbedded in ship (igneous, metamorphic,

sedimentary)

- Type of and contents of the navigation system

1. Contour of seabed where ship rests (Accuracy of charts)

2. Global Positioning System (GPS)

D. Establish the Incident Timeline.

- Was the ship accelerating it speed in area of collision (squat phenomenon)?

- Survivor testimony (especially technical crew members)

- Black Box recovery (modern vessels are required to carry these)

-  Damage control team (if it existed) actions

-  A full survey of the vessel to determine the damage – port and starboard

1. Need to sort out initial damage, hitting bottom-after-capsize damage,

salvage and  rescue cuts, and follow on damage due to wind/tides

E. Analysis and report

- Access to start-of-art analysis tools

- Access to specialist experts

- Prepare report

- Recommend changes to design process, rules or operating procedures

This may be the only way to really make change happen– by hitting the cruise industry where it hurts:  their pocketbooks.

“Eaves (the attorney) said he will lobby Italian and European politicians, as well as international maritime authorities, to tighten regulations and laws to increase safety, to press for better training of crew members, and to develop and implement new safety-oriented technology.”

http://www.newsday.com/news/lawyer-cruise-ship-survivors-to-push-for-change-1.3514540

=============================

Watch

Play

0:00 / 0:51

Scrubber

mute

Share

Fullscreen

Divers search stricken cruise ship

Divers search for bodies underwater around the Costa Concordia, the cruise ship that sank off the Italian coast on January 13. Rough cut (n…

29 January 2012Reuters

WATCH MORE VIDEO

Watch

Play

0:00 / 1:38

Scrubber

mute

Share

Fullscreen

Brother of missing passenger hopes for a miracle

Divers hurled deck chairs aside as they did a room by room search for missing passengers from the Costa Concordia. Deborah Gembara reports.

29 January 2012Reuters

WATCH MORE VIDEO

Ms Faehrmann, 23, and a friend, were sitting down for dinner on their last night of a six night cruise on the luxury ship when it struck rocks off the island of Giglio on Friday, January 13, Adelaide Now reports.

“We were on deck three at the back of the boat in a restaurant,” Ms Faehrmann said yesterday, as she shared her story publicly for the first time since returning from the doomed voyage.

“There was a sudden stop and it felt like (the captain) had put the ship in reverse.

“A few plates smashed and then you could sense the ship tipping … tables rattled and then I saw a rack of plates fall towards a waiter.

“I remember turning to (my friend) and saying, we have to get out of here.

“It was chaos. Our priority was to get to our room and get life jackets and then get on to the deck.” Ms Faehrmann said she saw none of the ship’s crew or officials throughout the terrifying minutes that followed but the pair were helped by staff from the shops and restaurants on the ship.

The women ignored orders to return to their cabin – an order now considered to have cost some passengers their lives. Yesterday, retrieval crews recovered the body of a 17th victim.

“The ship had started to tip and they didn’t deploy the lifeboats for ages,” Ms Faehrmann said. “As soon as they started loading people into the lifeboats, we were just pushed back.

“You could hear screams and crashes and bangs … they were piling into the lifeboats so quickly and overloading them (so) the ropes were snapping.”

The women missed out on being rescued in the first wave of life rafts and were forced to cling to rails as the ship tipped further. They were ushered to a lower deck as the lifeboats returned.

“The cabin staff made a human chain to help us to the lifeboats,” she said.

“When we got to them, the railing on Deck 3 was underwater.”

However Ms Faehrmann said the ordeal was not over.

“The boat got hooked up on the ship as the ship was sinking and I thought that was going to be the end for us,” she said.

Her parents, Roger and Julie Faehrmann, had an anxious wait for news their daughter was safe after seeing the news and contacting the Australian Embassy.

“It was just surreal,” Mr Faehrmann said.

“I was watching the cricket and it broke to the news … It was a frantic two hours, then we got the call to say that she was safe and warm.”

Read more: http://www.news.com.au/travel/woman-relives-chaos-aboard-doomed-ship/story-e6frfq7r-1226256885038#ixzz1lYzcAJae

Read More http://www.birminghammail.net/news/birmingham-news/2012/01/16/costa-concordia-sinking-birmingham-survivor-s-ancestor-was-violinist-on-the-titanic-97319-30134344/#ixzz1lHfgWEUh