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Rating: 
Summary: Diving and Dieing on the Doria
Review:
She was once the pride of an entire nation. She was a post WW2 Transatlantic Liner with the most beautiful lines that only Italy can produce. Launched in 1951 and completed in 1952, the Andrea Doria went into service in early 1953. She displaced 29,083 tons and measured 656·5 feet x 90·2 feet with a draught of 45·4 feet. There were 10 decks, 11 watertight compartments and accommodation for 1,241 passengers and 575 crew. She was powered by 2 turbine engines capable of generating 50,000 hp and fitted with 2 propellers both of which weighed 16 tons. She was completely fireproof and every last detail was one of supreme luxury. As the flagship of the entire Italian fleet, with her went the hopes and aspirations of her country as it emerged from the turmoil and confusion of those dark years of WW2.
On the evening of 25 July 1956 the Doria (as she will always be affectionately known) was approaching New York just as the Swedish Liner Stockholm was heading in the opposite direction. After a series of errors by the officer of the watch on board the Stockholm, it was almost midnight when the Andrea Doria was rammed by that ship which sliced deep into her starboard side. It was a mortal blow and, in a manner reminiscent of the loss of the Titanic, the point of impact could not have been in a worse place. As the Stockholm backed away a large deep gash was revealed through which the Atlantic Sea was already pouring. The Doria took on an immediate 30 degree list to starboard - a list which would slowly increase until she was finally lost. That inexorable process took over 11 hours and the Andrea Doria sank at 10:09 am 26 July 1956.
Today, the Andrea Doria will feature heavily on any scuba diver's list of top ten shipwrecks of the world. Fortunately for the ship, she rests at a depth of 235 feet (99M). I say "Fortunately" because that depth restricts the number of divers who have the necessary deep diving skills to visit such a wreck. Consequently, much of her collectable brass and other fittings will remain uncollected - simply because there isn't the time at that depth for divers to get to work. Unfortunately for many scuba divers who do insists on visiting this immense and very deep shipwreck, however, they appear intent on looting her contents and in this way this shipwreck continues to claim far too many lives. Some of those who have been lost to this wreck (not all of whom are mentioned in this book) were amongst the most qualified and experienced of scuba divers.
Deep Descent is a story of diving and looting this wreck and of some of those who lost their lives. It is not a story for the faint-hearted diver. It is, however, a cautionary tale for all scuba divers - from all over the world, whether they have any intention of diving this wreck or not. Whilst it is an excellent read, one cannot easily condone the underlying gung-ho attitudes of those involved.
NM
Rating: 
Summary: Essential Reading
Review: Essential reading for any budding deep or wreck diver. This book is not a technical diving manual, but rather an account of what not to do when you go diving. The book is well written and you will have difficulty in putting it down. Well worth the money and essential reading for any diver with intermediate experience.
Rating: 
Summary: Not what I expected
Review: I agree with the other reviewers in that this was a light read and I could not put it down. However, I was disappointed in that it wasn't quite what I was looking for. It's basically a chronicle of how several divers died on the Doria and of the various back-biting among Doria divers and boat captains. I was looking for more "touristy" stuff, like what the author saw during his dives. McMurray is not overly desciptive in that department, choosing instead to go for the more morbid aspects of an obviously very dangerous sport. The first few body recoveries made for interesting reading, but then I got tired of it. I would recommend Gary Gentile's Dive to an Era for much more interesting reading about conditions on the wreck and what the author saw and did (and Gentile did a lot on the Doria). I'll never visit any of these wrecks, so I can only travel to them vicariously through these authors. Also, Dan Lenihan's book Submerged is a great read on historical diving as well as any of Bob Ballard's books.
Rating: 
Summary: Deep Descent: Could've been much better
Review: I got so confused trying to cope with the subject of this book. I had to do several read backs to understand the chapters because the author jumps from one story to another. I think this book was poorly written and I would not recommend it to those looking for a good read on the Andrea Doria dives. I guess it's okay for "light reading".
Rating:
Summary: McMurray Hits A Homer!
Review: I thoroughly enjoyed reading 'Deep Descent'. Read it almost non-stop in an afternoon. I am very interested in wreck diving and especially thrilled by the deeper stuff. Since, I don't yet have the credentials to dive the 'Doria'..the next best thing is reading this book. The accounts of diver deaths, the heroic acts of those who tried to save them and the super-human like attributes of guys like Gary Gentile and Billy Deans were awe inspiring. I also was entertained by the friction of the various dive-boat captains who catered to the deep dive crowd. In all, an especially appealing book which read well, informed and entertained. For divers interested in such fare, this one is a winner.
Rating:
Summary: Great Read!!
Review: Kevin has captured the suspense of the Empress and put the reader right into the action, both in the tragic sinking of the ship and the later searches of the wreck. I found my self breathing deeply as if I was trying to suck air from a regulator. The book draws the reader into the adventure much like the book The Perfet Storm. Hard to put down.
Rating:
Summary: Diving and Dieing on the Doria.
Review: She was once the pride of an entire nation. She was a post WW2 Transatlantic Liner with the most beautiful lines that only Italy can produce. Launched in 1951 and completed in 1952, the Andrea Doria went into service in early 1953. She displaced 29,083 tons and measured 656·5 feet x 90·2 feet with a draught of 45·4 feet. There were 10 decks, 11 watertight compartments and accommodation for 1,241 passengers and 575 crew. She was powered by 2 turbine engines capable of generating 50,000 hp and fitted with 2 propellers both of which weighed 16 tons. She was completely fireproof and every last detail was one of supreme luxury. As the flagship of the entire Italian fleet, with her went the hopes and aspirations of her country as it emerged from the turmoil and confusion of those dark years of WW2.On the evening of 25 July 1956 the Doria (as she will always be affectionately known) was approaching New York just as the Swedish Liner Stockholm was heading in the opposite direction. After a series of errors by the officer of the watch on board the Stockholm, it was almost midnight when the Andrea Doria was rammed by that ship which sliced deep into her starboard side. It was a mortal blow and, in a manner reminiscent of the loss of the Titanic, the point of impact could not have been in a worse place. As the Stockholm backed away a large deep gash was revealed through which the Atlantic Sea was already pouring. The Doria took on an immediate 30 degree list to starboard - a list which would slowly increase until she was finally lost. That inexorable process took over 11 hours and the Andrea Doria sank at 10:09 am 26 July 1956. Today, the Andrea Doria will feature heavily on any scuba diver's list of top ten shipwrecks of the world. Fortunately for the ship, she rests at a depth of 235 feet (99M). I say "Fortunately" because that depth restricts the number of divers who have the necessary deep diving skills to visit such a wreck. Consequently, much of her collectable brass and other fittings will remain uncollected - simply because there isn't the time at that depth for divers to get to work. Unfortunately for many scuba divers who do insists on visiting this immense and very deep shipwreck, however, they appear intent on looting her contents and in this way this shipwreck continues to claim far too many lives. Some of those who have been lost to this wreck (not all of whom are mentioned in this book) were amongst the most qualified and experienced of scuba divers. Deep Descent is a story of diving and looting this wreck and of some of those who lost their lives. It is not a story for the faint-hearted diver. It is, however, a cautionary tale for all scuba divers - from all over the world, whether they have any intention of diving this wreck or not. Whilst it is an excellent read, one cannot easily condone the underlying gung-ho attitudes of those involved. NM
Rating:
Summary: Great read - Couldn't put it down
Review: This book is an excellent and easy read. There are no "dull" spots and will be interesting for anyone who likes diving, shipwrecks or the sea. This 300 page book is organized very well and the chapters are very focused on the details and dynamics of deep diving or the Andrea Doria wreck. All divers will relate to the author in his explanation of the diving experience. Insight and tribute are paid to some of the leaders in deep diving without being opinionated or biased. Great book. Will read more by this author. Very interesting.
Rating:
Summary: Fantastic read for divers and non-divers alike!!!
Review: this book made me totally aware of the dangers faced by the deep wreck divers and the top one percent of the tech diving community. i could not put the book down as it described in detail the last moments of numerous divers on the Doria wreck and what led to their demise. it also gave great insite into tech diving techniques and wreck diving. many misunderstandings and many questions i had before i read this book have been resolved. i have learned from the authors experiences and those of the people in the book.this book is a must for any diver.
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