Missing Andrea Doria Diver Presumed Dead, Coast Guard Says

The Coast Guard has suspended its search for a man who went missing Tuesday after he dove for a shipwreck off the coast of Nantucket, Mass.

The Coast Guard says Wednesday crews searched more than 30 hours southeast of Nantucket.

An HC-144 Casa air crew out of Air Station Cape Cod was immediately diverted and on scene within three minutes of the initial report, the release said.

“The primary goal of every man and woman who serves in the Coast Guard is to rescue those in need and save lives”, said Marcus Gherardi, chief of response at Coast Guard Sector Southeastern New England.

The Coast Guard advises boaters and divers to file float plans and make their intentions clear, according to spokesman Ross Ruddell said, but there’s nothing preventing qualified divers from exploring the Andrea Doria or other wrecks. The lost diver has not yet been identified. At least 51 people died.

The final resting place of the Italian liner is located at a depth of 240 feet after it collided with the Stockholm amid foggy condition in a rush to stay on schedule.

The wreckage of the Andrea Doria, as seen in 1956.

According to the website New Jersey Scuba Diving, the wreck of the Andrea Doria is a hazardous landscape, fraught with deterioration and ever-changing underwater weather.