Gimbel's Grail

Diving to the Andrea Doria

"As we swam down . . . we were stunned and awestruck at the immensity of the ship as she took form beneath us."—Peter Gimbel, 1956

So began an obsession that ended last week when a ship's rusty safe was consigned to the shark tank of the New York Aquarium. Twenty-five years ago, on July 26, 1956, only eleven hours after colliding with the Swedish liner Stockholm, the Andrea Doria, flagship of the Italian Line, sank some 250 ft. down to the continental shelf. Fifty lives were lost. The next day Department Store Heir Peter Gimbel, then...