The Last Voyage of the Andrea Doria by Greg King

In 1956, a stunned world watched as the famous Italian ocean liner Andrea Doria sank after being struck by a Swedish vessel off the coast of Nantucket. King and Wilson deliver another superb read and I highly recommend this The Last Voyage of the Andrea Doria.Tag Archive: The Last Voyage of the Andrea Doria The Sinking of the World’s Most Glamorous Ship Posted on J5:08 pm Published by hradmin Leave your thoughts Additional information, such as subsequent treatment of the event in various media along with straightforwardly addressing the changing perceptions around blame for the tragedy, are handled skillfully. The logical structure as well helps the reader relate to the overall story arc. The Andrea Doria remains the backdrop for a well temporally contextualised series of human experiences. I say this as I was conscious of the vast cast, but remained quite riveted to their stories. Instead, the tales are captivating and balanced and the entire volume feels satisfying, informative and never fails to engage. There is no sense of repetition of systematisation which could all too easily happen. Managing the parallel experience of an extensive number of passengers and crew, the authors have done a superb job of finding just the right volume of information tying it together in a colourful tapestry of experience. Sources are extensive and this has been well-travelled territory since the 1950’s. The authors have clearly done extensive research as part of their homework. What marks this book apart if the measured delivery of the vast amount of material that was collected for this volume. The general structure is logical and as one would expect – a brief history of Atlantic cruise liners, the context of the particular ship, embarkation, collision, resue and inquest.

Subsequently, the rescue, the inquest and the lives of the of surviving passengers and crew along with subsequent recovery efforts and dives to the wreck over the next 50 years. The shock and suddenness of the collision with the Stockholm is captured in detail from various perspectives and the ensuing chaos are all too well related. We appreciate the elegant ship through their various eyes and experiences and tour the Andrea Doria as it embarks on its 101st voyage in 1956. Much like that volume, the authors introduce us to the characters as they board the ship at various embarkation points. I will admit to being very pleasantly surprised to discover that this writing team were also behind Twighlight of Empire (very highly recommended as well) which I thoroughly enjoyed a decade or two ago. The Last Voyage of the Andrea Doria: The Sinking of the World’s Most Glamorous Ship delivers and engaging, atmospheric, and intimate look at the people who experienced the tragedy along with considerations of the outcomes and continuing reverberations of the event.

The Last Voyage of the Andrea Doria by Greg King