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Desperate Hours: The Epic Rescue of the Andrea Doria
A stupendous feat of reportage.
-Ron Powers, cowriter of Flags of Our Fathers
Praise for Desperate Hours
""Goldstein's book is packed with detail. . . . This description of the Doria's sinking is especially moving.""
-The New York Times
""A stupendous feat of reportage. Goldstein has virtually put us into lifeboats and sent us hurtling into the North Atlantic on the night of July 25, 1956.""
-Ron Powers, cowriter, Flags of Our Fathers, and author of Dangerous Water and Tom and Huck Don't Live Here Anymore
On an extraordinary summer's night in 1956, in a fog off Nantucket, the world-renowned ocean liner Andrea Doria collided with the Swedish liner Stockholm and, eleven hours later, tragically sank. But in that brief time the Doria became, after the Titanic, the most storied vessel of the century, as nearly 1,700 people were saved in an unforgettable rescue punctuated by countless acts of heroism amid confusion, terror, and even cowardice.
In the tradition of Walter Lord's A Night To Remember, Desperate Hours re-creates the ill-fated voyage, from the passengers' parting waves at Genoa, to their last evening highball in the Doria's lavish lounge, to the unbelievable realization that catastrophe was imminent. Richard Goldstein draws from dozens of interviews, court documents, memoirs, and reports that relate never-before-told stories. He also presents technical findings that shed light on the blame for the disaster. The result is a definitive history of a fateful day, a legendary liner, and a deadly shipwreck now considered by scuba divers to be the Mount Everest of the deep.
-Ron Powers, cowriter of Flags of Our Fathers
Praise for Desperate Hours
""Goldstein's book is packed with detail. . . . This description of the Doria's sinking is especially moving.""
-The New York Times
""A stupendous feat of reportage. Goldstein has virtually put us into lifeboats and sent us hurtling into the North Atlantic on the night of July 25, 1956.""
-Ron Powers, cowriter, Flags of Our Fathers, and author of Dangerous Water and Tom and Huck Don't Live Here Anymore
On an extraordinary summer's night in 1956, in a fog off Nantucket, the world-renowned ocean liner Andrea Doria collided with the Swedish liner Stockholm and, eleven hours later, tragically sank. But in that brief time the Doria became, after the Titanic, the most storied vessel of the century, as nearly 1,700 people were saved in an unforgettable rescue punctuated by countless acts of heroism amid confusion, terror, and even cowardice.
In the tradition of Walter Lord's A Night To Remember, Desperate Hours re-creates the ill-fated voyage, from the passengers' parting waves at Genoa, to their last evening highball in the Doria's lavish lounge, to the unbelievable realization that catastrophe was imminent. Richard Goldstein draws from dozens of interviews, court documents, memoirs, and reports that relate never-before-told stories. He also presents technical findings that shed light on the blame for the disaster. The result is a definitive history of a fateful day, a legendary liner, and a deadly shipwreck now considered by scuba divers to be the Mount Everest of the deep.
294 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 2001
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
April 23, 2020
"SOS here at 0320 GMT
LAT. 40.30 N 69.53W
NEED IMMEDIATE ASSISTANCE"
-- emergency radio transmission from the SS Andrea Doria, minutes after the collision
Goldstein's Desperate Hours sort of gives the disaster-movie treatment to the second worst maritime disaster occurring during peacetime in U.S. waters during the 20th century. In the middle of a fog-covered night on July 25, 1956 the New York City-bound cruise ship SS Andrea Doria collided with the smaller Sweden-bound ocean liner MS Stockholm, about forty-four miles from the northeast American coastline in the Atlantic Ocean. The Andrea Doria's hull was ripped open and the interior quickly began taking on water, causing the ship to severely list to one side - instantly rendering half of the lifeboats unusable - and begin sinking, which placed the 1,000+ occupants in great danger.
The author begins by providing background details on the ships' respective command crews and also many of the passengers. (Note: it can be slightly confusing with keeping all of the Italian and Swedish names in order.) This is effective because when the incident occurs - about a third of the way into the narrative - the readers are a little familiar with some of the involved personalities and how they will likely perform in the aftermath. While there are low moments - such as when many of the Andrea Doria's kitchen staff fled to their ship's lifeboats ahead of juvenile and female passengers - the book is best when illustrating humanity uniting and doing the right thing in the face of sudden calamity. Many private and/or U.S. Coast Guard watercraft of all shapes and sizes, upon hearing the SOS message, raced to the scene to successfully mount an extemporaneous rescue effort. That the list of fatalities only amounted to 46 persons (which is still a tragedy, of course) is sort of amazing.
LAT. 40.30 N 69.53W
NEED IMMEDIATE ASSISTANCE"
-- emergency radio transmission from the SS Andrea Doria, minutes after the collision
Goldstein's Desperate Hours sort of gives the disaster-movie treatment to the second worst maritime disaster occurring during peacetime in U.S. waters during the 20th century. In the middle of a fog-covered night on July 25, 1956 the New York City-bound cruise ship SS Andrea Doria collided with the smaller Sweden-bound ocean liner MS Stockholm, about forty-four miles from the northeast American coastline in the Atlantic Ocean. The Andrea Doria's hull was ripped open and the interior quickly began taking on water, causing the ship to severely list to one side - instantly rendering half of the lifeboats unusable - and begin sinking, which placed the 1,000+ occupants in great danger.
The author begins by providing background details on the ships' respective command crews and also many of the passengers. (Note: it can be slightly confusing with keeping all of the Italian and Swedish names in order.) This is effective because when the incident occurs - about a third of the way into the narrative - the readers are a little familiar with some of the involved personalities and how they will likely perform in the aftermath. While there are low moments - such as when many of the Andrea Doria's kitchen staff fled to their ship's lifeboats ahead of juvenile and female passengers - the book is best when illustrating humanity uniting and doing the right thing in the face of sudden calamity. Many private and/or U.S. Coast Guard watercraft of all shapes and sizes, upon hearing the SOS message, raced to the scene to successfully mount an extemporaneous rescue effort. That the list of fatalities only amounted to 46 persons (which is still a tragedy, of course) is sort of amazing.
September 11, 2018
Straightforward account of the disaster the night of July 25, 1956, when a Swedish ocean liner with a hardened, winterized prow, the Stockholm, plowed amidships into an Italian liner, the Andrea Doria, off the Massachusetts coast of the USA.
The Doria, thought to be one of the most beautiful passenger vessels ever built, was doomed from the get-go. This book focuses more on the human aspect of the disaster (for example, actress Ruth Roman was separated from her little boy) and rescue efforts, less on the technical aspects of the collision (ambiguous radar signals). Readable, but it helps if you're interested in ships -- and naval disasters.
The Doria, thought to be one of the most beautiful passenger vessels ever built, was doomed from the get-go. This book focuses more on the human aspect of the disaster (for example, actress Ruth Roman was separated from her little boy) and rescue efforts, less on the technical aspects of the collision (ambiguous radar signals). Readable, but it helps if you're interested in ships -- and naval disasters.
Publicity photo for the Andrea Doria.
The Stockholm, later restored to service and operating today after numerous name changes.
July 26, 2022
This is a good book if you want to know about Andrea Doria.The book itself could of been a bit shorter though as the first part of the book was just telling you about what celebrities were on the boat at the time it happened but I don't follow celebrities so I wasn't that bothered about that part but I still read and finished it though.
August 6, 2016
On a fog-laden night in 1956, the Italian luxury liner Andrea Doria collided with the Swedish ship Stockholm. While the Stockholm sustained only damage to her prow (and the death of five crewmen), the Andrea Doria was essentially t-boned, taking a mortal hit to her side. Over the next ten hours, the ship would develop and ever more pronounced list, and eventually capsize in a spectacular manner. All but a few dozen of her thousands of passengers would be rescued, and this is the story of the collision, the rescue, and the aftermath.
After reading enough of these books, I am beginning to figure out what makes a good account and what indicates a bad one. Unfortunately, Desperate Hours: The Epic Story of the Rescue of the Andrea Doria by Richard Goldstein is not one of the better books I've read in this literary series. It's unfortunate, because since it took place in 1956--comparatively recently, as far as the books I've read go--there should be a lot more available information. However, Goldstein doesn't seem to have done any real digging of his own, and the information he does have seems to be poorly arranged. The narrative never truly congeals, and never seems to become more than a recounting of facts. Too many names and dates, not enough character or detail. The only thing to recommend this particular book is the abundance of photos, maps, and drawings that allow the reader to get a better sense of what he or she is reading about.
On the whole, I found this a disappointment.
After reading enough of these books, I am beginning to figure out what makes a good account and what indicates a bad one. Unfortunately, Desperate Hours: The Epic Story of the Rescue of the Andrea Doria by Richard Goldstein is not one of the better books I've read in this literary series. It's unfortunate, because since it took place in 1956--comparatively recently, as far as the books I've read go--there should be a lot more available information. However, Goldstein doesn't seem to have done any real digging of his own, and the information he does have seems to be poorly arranged. The narrative never truly congeals, and never seems to become more than a recounting of facts. Too many names and dates, not enough character or detail. The only thing to recommend this particular book is the abundance of photos, maps, and drawings that allow the reader to get a better sense of what he or she is reading about.
On the whole, I found this a disappointment.
June 6, 2024
Despite having radar and radio, in 1956 the ocean liners Stockholm and Andria Doria collided in fog off the northeast coast of the United States. Stockholm took the blow bow on, and despite having 75 feet or more of her bow crushed, was able to be stabilized and slowly sail back to New York. The Italian luxury liner Andria Doria was quite another story. With a huge hole torn in her side she immediately developed a steep list that could not be corrected and that meant her certain sinking. Due to the list, half the ship's lifeboats could not be lowered and with more than 1600 people onboard a Titanic like disaster loomed.
However, with the advent of modern radio communications, being much closer to land than the Titanic was, and with other vessels nearby a rapid rescue ensued. The Stockholm itself was able to take on several hundred of the Doria's passengers and the captain of the famous French liner Ile de France sped his liner to the scene and saved hundreds more. Several other vessels also arrived on scene. Over 1600 people were saved, but about 56 died, mostly on the Doria, from the collision and a handful of others during the evacuation.
All efforts to save the Doria failed and as the list continued she capsized and sank 11 hours later. Almost immediately questions were raised. Blame was never legally established but the best take is that the officers directing both ships both made serious errors in judgment. While the Third Officer of the Stockholm was new to his role, the seasoned Captain of the Andria Doria should never have made the errors he did. There were also many allegations that the crew of the Andria Doria didn't do such a good job of organizing, informing and evacuating the passengers. The reality though is almost every passenger on the Doria not killed or trapped in the collision was in fact saved.
This book does a fine job explaining what happened that night, providing some experiences of various passengers, the investigations and lawsuits after, and the later explorations of the sunken Doria. I have read several books on the disaster and this one is one of the better ones.
The book does have some shortcomings: the pictures are few and not of very great quality which is a shame because many pictures were taken of the sinking Doria. The book is now over 20 years old and the information on the condition of the sunken ship is out of date--the Doria is now badly decayed with its superstructure in a state of collapse, for example.
But otherwise this is a well-written, unbiased comprehensive account of one of the great ship disasters in modern history.
However, with the advent of modern radio communications, being much closer to land than the Titanic was, and with other vessels nearby a rapid rescue ensued. The Stockholm itself was able to take on several hundred of the Doria's passengers and the captain of the famous French liner Ile de France sped his liner to the scene and saved hundreds more. Several other vessels also arrived on scene. Over 1600 people were saved, but about 56 died, mostly on the Doria, from the collision and a handful of others during the evacuation.
All efforts to save the Doria failed and as the list continued she capsized and sank 11 hours later. Almost immediately questions were raised. Blame was never legally established but the best take is that the officers directing both ships both made serious errors in judgment. While the Third Officer of the Stockholm was new to his role, the seasoned Captain of the Andria Doria should never have made the errors he did. There were also many allegations that the crew of the Andria Doria didn't do such a good job of organizing, informing and evacuating the passengers. The reality though is almost every passenger on the Doria not killed or trapped in the collision was in fact saved.
This book does a fine job explaining what happened that night, providing some experiences of various passengers, the investigations and lawsuits after, and the later explorations of the sunken Doria. I have read several books on the disaster and this one is one of the better ones.
The book does have some shortcomings: the pictures are few and not of very great quality which is a shame because many pictures were taken of the sinking Doria. The book is now over 20 years old and the information on the condition of the sunken ship is out of date--the Doria is now badly decayed with its superstructure in a state of collapse, for example.
But otherwise this is a well-written, unbiased comprehensive account of one of the great ship disasters in modern history.
May 17, 2017
A little slow at first but then it takes off. Reading about the experiences of so many different people makes you feel as if you were on one of the ships, watching them for yourself. The trauma, the heartache, the joy of discovering a loved one is still alive, the despair of discovering they are gone, and the aftermath of it all, remind us that a ships sinking is not something to be romanticized by Hollywood. This is history, real life horror, and should be seen as examples of what not to do when sailing the seas.
November 15, 2023
This is the story of the Andrea Doriaocean liner built in 1951, who was taking passengers on a cruise in 1956 when it was hit by the Swedish ship Stockholm during a dense fog and tells the aftermath of the disaster. Goldstein relates the ship's history, the sinking of the ship and the stories of the passengers on board. The collision killed 51 people—46 from the Andrea Doria and 5 from the Stockholm. Very interesting!
July 26, 2024
I learned a lot about the Andrea Doria from this book. It's a shame it's not as famous as the Titanic. I am amazed at how quickly it sank and how many people survived.
March 5, 2015
This boat wreck story is too easily told in a brief few chapters: both captains were cavalier about their duties transporting thousands of passengers through a crowded shipping lane in less-than-perfect weather. The author takes a step-by-step approach to the actions at the helms of the ships as they slid toward one another in the night, but distracts the reader frequently with too many details of passengers' mundane evening activities. In fact, far too many small details about passengers are included in the story, slowing it and detracting from the overall narrative (Cary Grant becomes a frequent reference although his wife-- not he-- was aboard). Perhaps the book could have been improved by establishing a couple key passengers as touchpoints and delving deeper into their details rather than skimming the passenger list and including tiny, insignificant information about so many. Parts of the story are fascinating for the way they signify the period of the collision: no ship-to-ship communication, little ship-to-shore communication, and for the way passengers and family members scrambled about the docks in New York hoping to find loved ones as the gangplanks of the rescue ships were lowered.
August 22, 2015
A very compelling and straight forward account of the Andrea Doria disaster. I read this book almost immediately after reading Moscow's Collision Course, and found it to be a great companion (I'd recommend reading both). I especially enjoyed this book's thorough treatment of the disaster from the passengers' respective experiences, as well as well written coverage of the aftermath of the disaster and the "where are they now?" chapters found later in the book. Highly recommended, especially when read in conjunction with Collision Course, as each book supplements weaknesses found in the other (Desperate Hours' technical coverage of the ships, radar and collision is not as detailed as Collision Course's, but Collision Course's coverage of individual passengers' stories is not as detailed as Desperate Hours'). 4.5/5 stars!
June 27, 2014
If the sinking of the Titanic signaled an end of an era and way of life, then the Andrea Doria’s demise was a bookend to that, bringing ocean liner travel to a close and ushering in the heyday of airlines and trans-Atlantic flight. I’m fascinated by shipwrecks and didn’t know much about the Andrea Doria, so it was interesting to see similarities and differences between the two accidents. Although it seems that not a thing was left out of this account, the personal stories of the passengers, where they were and what happened to them, felt a bit rushed through by the author. It was somewhat disjointed as he leapt from one to the next, especially in the first two parts.
November 13, 2013
An informative read as well as absorbing. Goldstein entwines passenger and crew dialogue to create an exciting and sad tale.
May 14, 2016
A very thorough story of the event. Many interviews with survivors, crew and others. Also much background on many of the people involved. A step by step account of how everything played out.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews