Remembering the Andrea Doria Tragedy
On Friday, survivors of the tragic 1956 Andrea Doria sinking came together to mark the anniversary of the disaster. They celebrated at the Italian-American Museum in Little Italy, where a new exhibition showcased various precious items recovered from the ship.
Among those present were four survivors, including a young mother who had traveled with her infant. The event commemorated the 69th anniversary of the accident that changed their lives forever.
“I remember it vividly. There was this loud crash, people screaming, tables flying around… and I thought, ‘Oh no, I must have hit an iceberg!’” recalled Pierette Dominica Simpson, who was just nine years old and traveling with her grandparents at the time of the disaster.
Simpson shared how she was excitedly moving to the U.S. for a fresh start. “It was supposed to be a new life for us,” she said, now reflecting on her role as a historian.
The Andrea Doria left Genoa, Italy, heading for New York City on July 25, 1956, when it collided with the passenger liner Stockholm in dense fog near Nantucket, Massachusetts.
The tragic collision led to the deaths of 46 passengers on the Andrea Doria, then regarded as Italy’s largest, fastest, and safest ship. Another five lost their lives on the Stockholm.
Of the 1,706 passengers on the Andrea Doria, rescuers managed to save 1,660, many of whom were children.
Now much older, some survivors attending the memorial expressed a mix of emotions. Ranging in age from 69 to 92, they felt both gratitude for their survival and sorrow reflecting on the event.
“I’m really grateful to be here, to be alive,” said Sophia Sena, who arrived in the U.S. at the young age of 20 when the ship sank.
Delfina Cadoria, at 92, recounted her harrowing experience as a 23-year-old traveling alone with her baby. “It was around 10 PM. I was on deck with another woman, gazing at the water when I suddenly heard a sharp crack,” she recalled. Cadoria had to climb down the ship’s rope while tightly holding onto her child.
Simpson described how she felt tied to a rope and suddenly dropped onto a lifeboat, separated from her grandparents amidst the chaos.
“I thought I was being thrown into the ocean because I just couldn’t see it,” she said, reflecting on the panic of the moment.
The new exhibit at the museum features enticing artifacts from the ship, including items that passengers stored and those retrieved by divers. Guests can view impressive items such as 140-pound brass bells from the auxiliary steering station, deck chairs, and various artworks.
“This exhibition is about valuing life itself,” explained museum curator Janine Coyne. “For those who were immigrants, it represents the hope for a better life as they came here.”
