Explorers plan June mission to Andrea Doria shipwreck

BOSTON (AP) — Nearly six decades after 46 people died when the Andrea Doria sank to the sea floor following a violent collision with another ocean liner south of Nantucket, Massachusetts, explorers are preparing to do what 16 people have lost their lives attempting: get a good look at the wreckage.

Everett, Washington-based OceanGate will use its five-man submersible Cyclops I next month to get high-definition video and 3-D sonar images of the shipwreck, technology never before used to study one of the nation's most famous maritime disasters.

Visibility at that depth is poor, currents are unpredictable and plenty of protrusions can snag a diver, he said.

Because of its depth, divers can only spend about 20 minutes exploring the wreck.