Legendary Shipwreck SS Andrea Doria gets 60th Anniversary Docudrama

Filming has begun in Detroit this week for a new docudrama about the legendary shipwreck SS Andrea Doria. The 2016 film release is scheduled to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the sinking.

SS Andrea Doria was an ocean liner for the Italian Line (Società di navigazione Italia) home ported in Genoa, Italy, most famous for her sinking in 1956, when 52 people were killed (51 from immediate impact).

(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SS_Andrea_Doria)

Bound for New York, the Andrea Doria was struck by the MS Stockholm. Some 46 people were killed in the initial impact, and the listing of the stricken ship made half of the lifeboats unusable. Only the bravery of the well-trained crew prevented a catastrophic loss of life among the many passengers. Overall, 1,660 passengers and crew were saved, though the accident is still considered the worst marine disaster within US Waters since 1915.

Now resting in 240 feet of water, the shipwreck is considered the “Mount Everest” of scuba diving–with a tragic death toll to boot. At least sixteen scuba divers have lost their lives due to the strong currents, heavy sedimentation, fishing nets, and the collapsing chambers.

Most of the remaining filming will take place in Italy based on a screenplay written by Pierette Domenica Simpson, author and Andrea Doria shipwreck survivor. (http://www.pierettesimpson.com)

From the film’s Facebook page:

The first movie written by a real shipwreck survivor, Pierette Simpson, to honor the memory of Captain Piero Calamai and the Andrea Doria crew. Pierette, who survived the Andrea Doria-Stockholm sea tragedy as a 9-year-old immigrating to America with her grandparents, returns to Italy six decades later to vindicate the unjustly accused Captain Calamai who safely brought her to America to meet her mother. Directed by Luca Guardabascio.

This looks like a great project about one of the most famous shipwrecks of the US East Coast – can’t wait!