Ocean Liner Art Print of the Italian Lines ships Andrea Doria and Saturnia by Artist John Stewart

Two of Italian Lines most loved ships are seen together off the coast of Naples. The motorship Saturnia and her sister, Vulcania, were built in 1927 and 1928 respectively and are fondly remembered for the number of people they ferried to a new life in America in careers longer than many of the most famous liners (Saturnia was retired in 1965, Vulcania in 1974). 

Andrea Doria was to be the flagship of the line with her stunning beauty and lavish interior but was obviously to have a career cut short by a collision off the coast of Nantucket which caused the ship to sink on July 25th 1956.

Built at the Ansaldo yard in Genoa and launched in June 1951, Andrea Doria made her maiden voyage to New York in January 1953. Presented as an icon of Italian design, style and cuisine, the ship proved immediately popular and for her short career was always full to capacity.

Despite being billed by her owners as one of the largest and safest ships afloat, Andrea Doria suffered from inherent stability problems, first shown up when, after being hit by a large wave, she began to list badly. In spite of this mishap, the ship continued on its route until July 1956.

Off the coast of Nantucket, New Jersey on the night of 26 July 1953 Andrea Doria collided with the smaller MS Stockholm and immediately took on a severe list that rendered half her lifeboats inoperable. Despite this, major improvements in damage control and safety equipment since the sinking of Titanic allowed 1600 people to be saved while 46 people were killed in the initial collision.

The film “Ghost Ship” is set aboard the fictional ‘Antonia Graza’, an Italian Lines liner that bares a striking resemblance to the ill-fated Andrea Doria.

In Robert Lloyd’s Marine Ocean Liner Art Print, the graceful lines of Andrea Doria are shown to good effect as she passes the Mediterranean island of Sardinia.