Desperate Hours: The Epic Story of the Rescue of the Andrea Doria - Hardcover

Goldstein, Richard

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 047138934X ISBN 13: 9780471389347

Publisher: Trade Paper Press, 2001

Synopsis

"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.

About this title

About the Author

RICHARD GOLDSTEIN is an editor and writer for the New York Times, where he has worked since 1980. He is the author of America at D-Day and Mine Eyes Have Seen: A First-Person History of the Events That Shaped America, which was an alternate selection of the Literary Guild. He lives in White Plains, New York.

From the Back Cover

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. Eleven hours later, the gorgeous ship that employed the finest maritime technology of her day, and was hailed as "a floating art gallery," 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.

Launched in 1951, the Andrea Doria proudly marked the resurgence of Italian maritime service. Her loss not only foreshadowed the end of the era of elegant liners, but reasserted the fragility of life for the millions still recovering from the war?s destruction. In this fascinating book, Richard Goldstein 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 final, unbelievable realization that catastrophe was imminent.

Goldstein draws from dozens of interviews that relate never-before-told stories, as well as court documents, memoirs, and reports by psychiatrists who examined survivors. And he presents technical findings that shed light on the blame for this disaster at sea. 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.

Launched in 1951, the Andrea Doria proudly marked the resurgence of Italian maritime service. Her loss not only foreshadowed the end of the era of elegant liners, but reasserted the fragility of life for the millions still recovering from the war?s destruction. In this fascinating book, Richard Goldstein 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 final, unbelievable realization that catastrophe was imminent.

Goldstein draws from dozens of interviews that relate never-before-told stories, as well as court documents, memoirs, and reports by psychiatrists who examined survivors. And he presents technical findings that shed light on the blame for this disaster at sea. 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.

Reviews

On July 25, 1956, the modern Swedish liner Stockholm collided with the equally modern Italian luxury liner Andrea Doria. The sea was foggy but calm, and both vessels had radar and experienced bridge crews. Eleven hours later, the Doria was lying on the bottom of the Atlantic, having lost 46 of its 1700 passengers; five lives were lost on the Stockholm. An editor and writer for the New York Times and author of Mine Eyes Have Seen, Goldstein focuses on the stories of the people, with just enough attention to the technical issues and the various legal battles to round out the account. Following the story from ship to ship, deck to deck, he clearly dissects the rescue of the passengers and crew. As often in large disasters, some committed acts of heroism, some cowardice; others just muddled through. The causes of the accident have never been fully adjudicated. The collision may have been the result of a concatenation of minor mistakes in judgment, but, as Goldstein demonstrates, the rescue was the result of a number of organizations, ships, and people who cooperated smoothly under extreme pressure. Recommended for most public libraries. Edwin B. Burgess, U.S. Army Combined Arms Research Lib., Fort Leavenworth, KS
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Edition details

• Publisher: Trade Paper Press
• Publication date: 2001
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 047138934X
• ISBN 13: 9780471389347
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 288