The Collision of the Andrea Doria

I remember listening to the radio reports of the collision of the Andrea Doria and the Stockholm. To a teenager, this was exciting stuff and for three days I joined the rest of the world in following the progress of this remarkable disaster at sea. One of the major movie stars of that time--Ruth Roman--had been a passenger on the Andrea Doria and it seemed as if there was more concern for her safety than for any of the other 1,706 passengers. No matter, this was the biggest thing since the Titanic and we were hooked on the story. Surprisingly, apart from a long-forgotten TV movie, there has been little information on what actually happened on that foggy July night in 1956 near the coast of Nantucket Island. This video interviews survivors from both ships as well as contemporary maritime experts who use computers to create a picture of what took place. The results contradict conventional history and remove the shadow of controversy that hung over the Andrea Doria's captain, a highly experienced commander who was forced to end his career in disgrace. The video suffers a bit from sonorous narration, relatively long ‘blackouts' between scenes, and fuzzy footage of the ship as it looks today at the bottom of the Atlantic. Apart from that, this is a story that will interest anyone who would like to know what really happened, as well as those younger viewers intrigued by stories of disaster at sea. Recommended. Aud: P. (J. Carlson)