Archive for Andrea Doria shipwreck
On Monday, June 28, two lucky New Jersey divers discovered the historic Andrea Doria bell while exploring the “Grande Dame of the Sea.” Ernest Rookey, of Jackson, and Carl Bayer, of Hillsborough, were part of an expedition team diving on the wreck when they made the find 240 feet below the ocean’s surface. Both men were diving the Andrea Doria for the first time as last minute fill-ins on the expedition after two other crew members dropped out.
“All we hoped for was to get a little trinket to take home to remember our dive,” Rookey said. “I’m still stunned, the bell was totally unexpected. There’s just no way else to describe how we feel.”
The bell, which weighs about 75lbs and stands two feet tall, is one of the few artifacts which has the ship’s name engraved on it.
The Andrea Doria is one of the most luring wrecks, being reachable without submersibles, yet presenting extreme challenges: currents, fishing nets, collapsed decks, sharks, and poor visibility.
Expedition team leader, Joel Silverstein, commented with pride, “These were well-skilled divers who were in the right place at the right time,” “The Andrea Doria is one of the toughest, hardest dives you can do. Getting to it alone is challenging.”
The famous shipwreck, dubbed The Mount Everest of the Deep, once had another title: the floating art museum. Lying in 250 feet of water, partially buried in the ocean floor, it now has a new designation: the sunken gallery.
Divers are usually lured to the wreck by “china fever”; they hope to retrieve china, crystal or silverware from the Italian luxury liner which was rammed by the Swedish liner Stockholm nearly 54 years ago, 55 miles from Nantucket. Anything beyond that is considered significant.
Deep-sea diver John Moyer, who has salvage rights to the Andrea Doria, expressed his congratulations. “Congratulations to the two very lucky divers for a great find. This is the bridge bell that was mounted on the bulkhead directly above the center bridge window and not the ANDREA DORIA’s larger main bell that was in the bow. Several years ago, Steve Gatto and I discussed searching for the bridge bell, but there were other items on the wreck that we were more interested in. In fact, I intentionally did not include the bridge bell in my 1993 Admiralty Arrest because I had no plans to look for it. The section of the bridge that held the bell probably collapsed in the early 1970’s. It’s fortunate that the divers recovered the bell now because as the wreck continues to decay, it could have been covered with debris and never found.
Personally, I’m elated to see–and hear the melodic ringing–of a significant artifact from the Andrea Doria site! Being a survivor (and author of the event), it brings me a sense of satisfaction knowing that all is not lost from the disaster.
How peculiar that items once precious for their function, are now priceless art for their deterioration. That is the beauty of marine archealogy: a nostalgic journey to time capsules of civilization which express man’s search for identity.
For additional information and photographs:
http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2010/06/two_nj_divers_discover_histori.html
http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2010/06/nj_divers_discover_andrea_dori.html
http://www.csmonitor.com/Science/2010/0630/Wreck-Of-Andrea-Doria-bell-discovered
Filed under: Andrea Doria, Serving Our Seas | andrea doria bell, Andrea Doria shipwreck, Mt. Everest of the Deep, new jersey divers recover ship's bell|No Comments
I am sad to learn about the passing of one of my rescuers on the Atlantic ocean, July 26, 1956. As I struggled to enter a small window at the top of the French liner, Ile de France, Leonor McAlpine was there helping Andrea Doria shipwreck survivors.
I discovered her identity years later at Wayne State University. Profesora MccAlpine was my Spanish instructor. As I recounted my frightful story, she watched and listened intently; I thought she was impressed with my Spanish speaking abilities. Instead, when I had finished, Profesora McAlpine remarked, “I was one of the people who was pulling survivors into that little window on the Ile!”
I don’t know which one of us was more shocked. The proverbial “6° of separation” became 2° when I learned that she had taught at my high school some years earlier, and that she was living less than 2 miles from my home.
This encounter taught me that we are all interconnected and all in need of one another.
Gracias, Profesora McAlpine!
NB. The obituary reads:
Leonor E. McApline, age 91, November 5, 2009, a 91 year resident of Detroit. The fifth child of Dr. John Gordon and Luz Yrazabal. Leonor earned her BA and MA at Wayne State University. She taught Spanish at Pershing, Denby and Henry Ford High Schools. Professor of Spanish at W.S.U from 1965 – 1986. She leaves behind loving nieces, nephews, great nieces and great nephews. A private memorial service will be held. The family suggests contributions to the Detroit INstitute of Arts or the National Organization of Women.
Filed under: Andrea Doria, Serving Our Seas, Survivor Stories | Andrea Doria shipwreck, Ile de France, Leonor McAlpine, Pershing High School, Wayne State University|No Comments
My friend and naval architect extraordinaire, Bill Garzke, called me to report on his trip to London in September.
“It was even better than I expected,” were his first words about the voyage. “Good cuisine, smooth sailing, and I got a tour of the control room with the chief engineer. I learned that in their operational rules that no craft can get less than 2 miles from the Queen Mary. And, because it can travel at 29.5 per hour, it can outdo most pirate vessels; it also has a mechanism by which to defend against piracy—if absolutely needed.
Convincingly, Bill explained, “You would have felt very safe on this vessel. We’ve learned a lot since the Andrea Doria tragedy.”
The mariner/historian continued, “My presentation in London was extremely well received.” (At London’s Lloyd’s register for the joint Institute of Marine Engineers Science and Technology, and the Royal Institution of Naval Architects.)
Bill explained that he had to do the presentation on the Prince of Wales shipwreck alone; his co-presenter, diver Kevin Delay from Australia, was not able to attend. Since Bill frequently does presentations and draws experience from many years of teaching, the prestigious event was not a challenge.
Unexpectedly, he was asked to do a presentation at the end of the return voyage of the Queen Mary II. I teased, “I hope you didn’t talk about the Titanic!” He did indeed talk about the infamous shipwreck, of which she is an expert, but toward the end of the journey.
Then Bill suggested that we co-present on the Andrea Doria shipwreck, of which we’re both authorities. “Who knows, we may even get a free trip!” he said with glee. I agreed that it would be of great interest to me to return to the sea for my second cruise. My last one was in the winter of 2008, on Carnival’s “Ocean of Gratitude” voyage. http://www.oceanofgratitudecruise.com/
Filed under: Andrea Doria, Serving Our Seas, Survivor Stories | Andrea Doria shipwreck, Ocean of Gratitude Cruise, The Queen Mary II, Titanic shipwreck, William Garzke|No Comments
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