The 'Mount Everest' of Shipwreck Diving
The Andrea Doria now lies in 225 feet of absinthe-green water, about 50 miles south of Nantucket.
U.S. shipwreck diver David Bright described the wreckage as the "Mount Everest of wreck diving." Bright, who had logged over 120 dives to the ship, died of decompression sickness while diving to the wreck on July 8, 2006.
The Doria presents many dangers even to experienced divers because of treacherous currents, sharks, wires and cables hanging like spiderwebs, and the risk of getting lost while entering the wreck.
"The wreck is in very fragile condition," Bright told Discovery News just a few days before his ill-fated dive. Bright was the 15th person to perish while diving to the wreck.
"Over the years, the ship has gone through quite a bit of deterioration and decay," Bright said. "The bridge, the lido desks, all the promenade, some of the upper deck, down toward the foyer, have started to collapse and are lying on the bottom.
"As it stands right now, the Doria is in a very tenuous state, with only her hall being exposed and many areas around starting to crack as well."
In 1993, American diver John Moyer was awarded exclusive rights to the artifacts because of his archaeological documentation of the wreck.
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He has retrieved hundreds of items, such as glassware, porcelain, silver from the dining room, and several intact massive tiled panels with ceramic sculptures from a first-class lounge. The sculptures were created by Guido Gambone, an artist heavily influenced by Picasso.
David Bright owned an extensive personal collection of artifacts, including the only two known Andrea Doria lifeboats used in the rescue.
Many of these artifacts are now on display at the Nantucket Lifesaving Museum in Massachusetts.
Despite the perils involved in reaching the ship's remains, the once-glorious Andrea Doria and her valuable cargo remain a magnet for daredevil divers.
