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Nantucket Shipwrecks - Part 2

© Dina Ely

SS Andrea Doria

One of the most famous wrecks in existence, the SS Andrea Doria, sunk in circumstances very similar to those of the Republic, in 1956. She was also a passenger liner of Italian origin. The vessel that rammed her was a Swedish liner, the SS Stockholm.

At 11:11pm in fog on July 25, 1956, the Andrea Doria was on course near Nantucket with approximately 1700 people on board. Strong currents had drifted the Stockholm off course, and while both ships were equipped with radar and knew of each other's whereabouts, errors in calculation on the part of the Stockholm's crew put her closer to Andrea Doria than they had realized. The collision was unavoidable, given the error.

The Andrea Doria was damaged beyond repair, but the Stockholm survived the impact. Thanks to a truly massive rescue effort, only 52 lives on the Andrea Doria were lost.

What makes the Andrea Doria wreck so famous is that she sank in a time when cameras and media were readily available to capture the tragedy. Images of the Andrea Doria listing and finally succumbing to the sea were seen worldwide. The wreck itself lies very deep on the ocean floor (appx. 235 feet down) and is a dangerous dive. Many people have lost their lives trying to dive the wreck and, as a result, legends of the wreck being cursed have arisen.

For a tremendous accounting of the collision and related information, written and maintained by a survivor, check out www.AndreaDoria.org.

Alice B. Lawrence

One wreck of the countless wrecks sunk on Nantucket's shoals is the Alice B. Lawrence. She was a 6-masted schooner of wood construction, powered by sails. Truly a beautiful ship! On December 5, 1914, she grounded on Tuckernuck Shoal. No lives were lost. Though her story is not dramatic, it is quite common. Hers is just one of the many wrecks littering the shoals.

In 1885 the Tuckernuck Shoal also claimed the French Van Gilder, another schooner carrying granite paving stones.

Edward E. Briry

Another beautiful schooner lost on the Nantucket Shoals was the Edward E. Briry. A four-masted, wooden sailboat carrying coal, she sunk on December 15th, 1917. She foundered in gale winds, and can be found on the Little Round Shoal. No lives were lost during her dramatic sinking.

The Argo Merchant

The Argo Merchant has the infamous distinction of being one of the worst oil-spill disasters in United States history. She was a 640-foot steel tanker driven by diesel and carrying 7.6 million gallons of fuel oil. On December 15, 1976, she grounded on Fishing Rip Shoal and broke up. In the process, she spilled her precious cargo into the sea, creating an ecological disaster. The story of her wrecking was common, like the Alice B. Lawrence, but her cargo was not. No lives were lost in the wreck.