One of the more triumphant rescues occurred at the site of the Andrea Doria in 1956. The Andrea Doria was a passenger ocean liner that was headed for New York harbor in 1956 when she was rammed in the side by a Swedish steamship, the Stockholm.
The two ships collided about 50 miles to the south of the island of Nantucket, and the Andrea Doria continued on for 11 hours before she finally sank in about 235 feet of water. At the time of the collision there were 1,700 people that were on board the Andrea Doria.
The efforts to rescue the passengers was dramatic, and very successful, of the 1,700 people that were on board the Andrea Doria, all but 52 were able to be rescued successfully. It stood out for many years as an example of the best of the human spirit, the rescue of the personnel and passengers on board the Andrea Doria that day.
The wreckage of the Andrea Doria is still largely intact. It lies in waters about 250 feet deep, and divers that have visited the site report that the wreckage is for the most part intact, with the vessel lying on the ocean bottom on its side. The ocean water is deep and cold, and dives to this site would be difficult but not impossible.
The Andrea Doria was thought to be one of the more seaworthy ships of her time, but following the harsh collision with the Swedish vessel Stockholm, it too succumbed to the ocean depths.