One of our list members challenged the authenticity of my account of the behavior of the Andrea Doria's crew. At the time, NY newspapers and TV made a big deal about the crew getting into the lifeboats first. HOWEVER, it appears that was just what needed to be done to save the passengers. So the crew was following competent orders. The ship had taken on such a significant list that half the lifeboats could no be launched and the other half could not be safely lowered with passengers aboard - according to 50 year recollections of the incident. Save for those killed in the collision, all passengers and crew were saved. Three dies afterward from their injuries - one could have been the baby mentioned below. I like the latter story better. Please see excerpt below: "Because of the growing tilt of the ship, crew members had to put the rescue boats into the water before allowing people aboard. Improvising, they used fire hoses and swimming pool nets to lower passengers from the ship. The nets were slippery, so most people climbed barefoot, leaving their shoes on deck. "To this day, I don't know how I did it," Strobel said. "It's amazing what you can do when you have to." Parents tossed babies into the rescue boats, where they were caught with blankets. But one father, fearing a boat was about to leave, tossed his daughter before the crew was ready. She struck the side of the vessel and died. Many passengers, remembering the Titanic, which was featured in a movie three years earlier, thought they were going to die. Unlike that tragedy, however, the Doria's radio calls for help were answered by six ships. Passengers first realized they would be saved three hours after the wreck, as the black ocean sky erupted into a blizzard of lights spelling out, in big block letters, the name of their savior: "Ile de France." On Tuesday, survivors will mark the anniversary by holding a reunion at Kings Point, N.Y. The Doria, which lies 50 miles off the coast, remains a popular but dangerous site with divers. Ron Rogers

The imbeciles who work as "reporters" cannot discern the difference between busboys, waiters, etc., and real seamen. Ralph Salerno M/V ANCORA San Diego > "Because of the growing tilt of the ship, crew members had to put the rescue > boats into the water before allowing people aboard. > > Improvising, they used fire hoses and swimming pool nets to lower passengers > from the ship. > > The nets were slippery, so most people climbed barefoot, leaving their shoes > on deck. > > "To this day, I don't know how I did it," Strobel said. "It's amazing what > you can do when you have to." > > Parents tossed babies into the rescue boats, where they were caught with > blankets. > > But one father, fearing a boat was about to leave, tossed his daughter > before the crew was ready. She struck the side of the vessel and died. > > Many passengers, remembering the Titanic, which was featured in a movie > three years earlier, thought they were going to die. Unlike that tragedy, > however, the Doria's radio calls for help were answered by six ships. > > Passengers first realized they would be saved three hours after the wreck, > as the black ocean sky erupted into a blizzard of lights spelling out, in > big block letters, the name of their savior: "Ile de France." > > On Tuesday, survivors will mark the anniversary by holding a reunion at > Kings Point, N.Y. > > The Doria, which lies 50 miles off the coast, remains a popular but > dangerous site with divers. > > > > Ron Rogers > _______________________________________________ > http://lists.samurai.com/mailman/listinfo/trawlers-and-trawlering > > To unsubscribe send email to > trawlers-and-trawlering-request@lists.samurai.com with the word > UNSUBSCRIBE and nothing else in the subject or body of the message. > > Trawlers & Trawlering and T&T are trademarks of Water World > Productions. Unauthorized use is prohibited.