Explorers plan June mission to Andrea Doria shipwreck

Published 11:08 am Wednesday, May 18, 2016

BOSTON — Nearly six decades after 46 people died when the Andrea Doria sank to the sea floor following a violent collision with another ocean liner south of Nantucket, Massachusetts, explorers are preparing to do what 16 people have lost their lives attempting: get a good look at the wreckage.

A Washington state-based ocean exploration company is planning the first manned submersible expedition to the wreck in 20 years.

Everett, Washington-based OceanGate will use its five-man submersible Cyclops I next month to get high-definition video and 3-D sonar images of the shipwreck, technology never before used to study one of the nation’s most famous maritime disasters.

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“The Andrea Doria stands out as the premier shipwreck in American waters,” said Stockton Rush, the company’s co-founder and chief executive officer.