Posted on Wednesday, June 30, 2010 by Peter Knego
ANDREA DORIA post card.
New Jersey based divers, Ernest Rookey and Carl Bayer, have retrieved the bridge bell from the wreck of the ANDREA DORIA, 240 feet below the Atlantic surface, 55 miles off Nantucket. This is the second of two bells recovered from the wreck, following the discovery of the stern bell in 1985 by renowned DORIA diver Gary Gentile. The Italian Line flagship ANDREA DORIA sank with a loss of 52 lives after being hit by the Swedish American liner STOCKHOLM on July 25, 1956.
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David
June 30, 2010 at 1:06 pm
Would love to see underwater photo’s of the wreck like those of Soviet Liner “MIKHAIL LERMONTOV” . Which sank in the early 80′s off New Zealand.
Glenn L
June 30, 2010 at 3:45 pm
The Doria had three bells, one was mounted on the foc’sle near her breakwater. It can be seen in her maiden arrival photos in NYC. The aft bell was mounted near her aft steering station, after it was found it fell off the back of a pick up truck and cracked in two. it had to be brazed to marry the top and bottom halves back together again.
Corey
June 30, 2010 at 7:12 pm
A great book about diving is called shadow divers about new jersey divers finding a german sub off new jersey.
Kevin
June 30, 2010 at 8:57 pm
The bridge bell had to be an incredible project to find. The bridge peeled away years ago and I had thought buried beneath what later fell off the superstructure. Gary Gentile documented the stern bell retrieval and didn’t another Doria bell surface in Marshfield Massachusetts, possibly in his book as well? Very little of her bridge equipment was salvaged over the years…if they can find her bridge bell then her builder’s plate can’t be impossible.
Greg
June 30, 2010 at 9:03 pm
Any idea what happened to the other two bells?
AJ
July 1, 2010 at 1:49 am
Personally I am against the removal of any artefact from a shipwreck, especially a passenger vessel where people died. They are graves and should be treated with respect, not plundered.
Dive to the wreck, take photo’s of the wreck…but don’t touch or remove anything from that wreck.
Sorry but I just feel that it is wrong.
Dan Scott
July 1, 2010 at 6:44 am
“MIKHAIL LERMONTOV” There is an awesome website with amazing photos of the interiors (such as lounges, etc.) of the Lermontov underwater. If you had ever seen the interiors of the Lermontov before she sank you will probably think that look BETTER underwater! As for her bell it was almost immediately recovered after the sinking by divers working for the Soviet Russia gov. and is I think back in Russia today.
David Walker
July 1, 2010 at 12:51 pm
A recent artist impression of what she currently looks like on the bottom of the ocean, Her upper decks (and bridge) have all but collapsed and slid off onto the floor of the ocean resting in a pile of debris.
http://www.neaq.org/education_and_activities/blogs_webcams_videos_and_more/blogs/giant_ocean_tank_blog/uploaded_images/ADmarschall-728760.jpg
Glenn L
July 1, 2010 at 1:01 pm
To correct my own post about the bell falling off the P/u truck, this was not the one that cracked. It was in fact another Andrea Doria 1953 bell that was in someones garage as Gentile mentions in his book Dive to an Era, there is a photo of this mystery bell. According to Gentile, it’s owner died with the story behind it. The stern bell survived the fall and was restored beautifully.
Kevin
July 1, 2010 at 6:42 pm
Where on the bridge was the bell originally housed?
FXVA
July 1, 2010 at 10:00 pm
Did all the bells just say “Andrea Doria,” or was their other designs on the other bells.