Author Kevin F. McMurry shares the tragic story of Italy’s Maritime pride, Andrea Doria when most ocean liners were competing to see who could cross the Atlantic the fastest. Andrea Doria was meant to be her time’s more extravagant ocean liner. With commissions for painting and mosaic, the Andrea Dorie was said to be one of the most beautiful liners built.
In heavy fog on the night of July 25, 1956, through miscalculations and human blunders, Doria met her fate when the Stockholm struck her, a double-hulled ocean liner designed as an ice breaker for the north sea mortally wounded the Doria. The Doria took 11 hours to sink, allowing 1660 passengers and crew to be rescued, with 46 people on the ship perishing. This is where the book takes the reader on a nail-biting drama and history of diving the Doria, what many consider the Mount Everest of diving.
As the exciting Clive Cussler said, “ a compelling masterwork of the greatest shipwreck killer in maritime history. McMurry involves you in the life-and-death drama as if you’re actually diving in the depths.”
From stories of life and death heroism to “china fever,” the allure of the Doria continues to grip divers worldwide. Author Kevin McMurray doesn’t spare the reader any of the details of the dive culture that was Dead sets on exploring the Doria and bringing back artifacts that could prove a diver’s prowess or, as some would put it, a diver’s death wish, none of the details are spared.
If you are a diver, this book must be on your must-read list. If you are not a diver, this book is an excellent look into the early days of technical diving on the East Coast of the USA, the courage or the craziness required to explore the wrecks of the East Coast in the early days of diving.
This book easily gets 4 out of 5 stars. If you’re already a diver, the explanations of technical diving will be eye-opening as to how far we have come in safety. If you’re not a diver, this book will give you a good window into the early days of technical diving on one of the most legendary wrecks that have been dove.