ALIVE on the Andrea Doria! The Greatest Sea Rescue in History
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POD CAST | TALKING POINTS | PHOTOS FOR MEDIA USE |
ALIVE
on the Andrea Doria!
Talking
Points for the Media
- The ramming of the Swedish liner, Stockholm, into the Italian luxury liner, Andrea Doria July 25, 1956, was the only large collision between two passenger liners in the 20th century. The results could have been similar to the Titanic.
- The collision took place 45 miles SW of Nantucket Island.
- The Andrea Doria was actually a larger vessel than the Stockholm.
- There were 1706 people on board: 46 died on the Doria, 5 on the Stockholm.
- The Doria sank 11 hours after the collision.
- The Stockholm did not sink and carried over 500 survivors to New York.
- The French liner, Ile de France, reversed direction and rescued over 700 survivors.
- The Coast Guard and ships of various nationalities were involved in the rescue.
Pierette’s and Other Survivor’s Stories
- This is the first book on the subject written by a survivor.
- The author is the gate-keeper of survivor stories
- It is a collection of survivors’ accounts, including an autobiographical one.
- 9-year-old Piera was immigrating to America with her grandparents.
- Piera had been separated from her mother for over 8 years and was en route to reunite with her mother.
- The book contains the complete list of passengers and crew (never-before published).
- Mike Stoller, of the legendary composing team of Stoller and Leiber, learned when he docked in NYC that one of his songs, “Hound Dog” had been sold to the relatively unknown Elvis Presley while he was at sea.
Mysterious Hearing/Investigation of How the Collision Happened
- The book offers a scientific documentation and analysis (investigation) of the collision and sinking as explained by nautical experts (both American and Italian)
- It opens a cold case and proposes a resolution to a very controversial subject. These facts have never been published.
- The case never went to trial, so the settlement was based on limited liability: survivors shared just $6 million in compensation. Lloyd’s of London was the insurer for both ships and the case was settled out of court 4 months after the tragedy.
- The results of the investigation, based on survivor accounts and scientific data, leads the reader to a conclusion of who was at fault for the collision.
Diving the Doria
- The diving the Doria chapter unveils many facts about the shipwreck: the depth (265 feet), the remains, and the fatalities of reaching the “Mt. Everest of the Deep.”
Recent Updates about the Andrea Doria
- Of the14 divers who have died while exploring the Doria, the last casualty occurred on July 8, 2006. David Bright suffered an embolism after filming the wreck for the 50th anniversary reunion.
- Dozens of dives were made to the shipwreck during the summer of 2006.
- The New York Times
reported the docking
of the cruise ship Athena,
formerly the Stockholm, in New York harbor on September 23, 2008.
A man died on board during a storm at sea. The Times calls the Athena
“the death ship”.
Recent
Highlights Surrounding
the Book and the Author
. Movie
option rights have been
secured in Italy for L'Ultima
Notte dell'Andrea
Doria (Italian
version, available thru
the author).
. Two documentaries
in Italy and the
U.S. were based
on Alive
on the
Andrea Doria.
. Alive
on the Andrea Doria has
been recommended by the national
chairman of marine
forensic science (SNAME) to
be used for shipwreck
research.
. Alive
on the Andrea
Doria has
chosen 'Book of
the Month' in
the U.K.
by its premier maritime
journal.
. The
Order of the Sons
of italian Americans
( the largest
Italian-American
sociaty) gave Alive
on the Andrea Doria its
highest endorsement.
. An
inspirational
story called "Thank
God I Had a Catastrophe:
Surviving
the Andrea Doria
Shipwreck" is being published
in the book series Thank
God I ....
©2006 Pierette Simpson, All Rights Reserved. | website: www.mcnpublishing.com
pierette@pierettesimpson.com
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