BOSTON, Massachusetts (11 July 2006) -- With the 50th anniversary of the Andrea Doria's sinking fast approaching, researcher and expert deep-sea diver David Bright set out to determine whether the ship's keel was breached when it collided with the Stockholm. "He was going to look for proof of that in his dive," said his friend Capt. Robert Meurn, who collaborated with Bright in efforts to reconstruct the collision that claimed 51 lives. "It would show the force of the collision." Bright, a resident of Raritan Township, died Saturday when he suffered a heart attack believed to be caused by decompression sickness when he resurfaced from a visit to the Andrea Doria 225 feet deep in the Atlantic Ocean. "He was doing a dive in preparation of the reunion of the Andrea Doria survivors on July 23," said Meurn. "It's a very strenuous dive. He hadn't done it in 14 years." Bright, 49, had made more than 120 dives on the Andrea Doria dur ing his 30-year fascination with the Italian liner, which sank on July 25, 1956, killing 51 people. "He really loved that ship," said Meurn, who planned to make presentations with Bright during the Andrea Doria survivors reunion at the United States Merchant Marine Academy at Kings Point, N.Y. "He was so knowledgeable," Meurn said. "He knew everything about the survivors. He knew everything about the ship. That's what we're really going to miss. He was brilliant." Bright had made thousands of dives on shipwrecks considered the most challenging and treacherous in the diving community, including the Andrea Doria and the Titanic. He founded the Nautical Research Group in 2003 and served as the corporation's president. He had been diving earlier this month on the Empress of Ireland in Canada's St. Lawrence River, according to a log he kept on his Web site. That trip had apparently been hampered by bad weather. The circumstances surrounding how such an experienced diver could succumb to decompression sickness, often called the bends, re mains unclear. The Andrea Doria is considered a particularly dangerous dive, in part because it's about 50 miles from land and medical care in case of an emergency. "We got the report about 7 p.m. Saturday -- he had been diving, re surfaces and had decompression sickness," said U.S. Coast Guard Petty Officer Luke Pinneo. "It's definitely a race against the clock." The Andrea Doria was headed from Genoa, Italy, to New York when it collided with the Swedish ship Stockholm on July 25, 1956, killing about 50 people. The Italian luxury liner lies at the bottom of the Atlantic in 200 feet of water, about 50 miles southeast of Nantucket. | | This undated photo provided by Nautical Research Group shows shipwreck historian and diver David Bright. Bright died Saturday, July 8, 2006, after resurfacing from a dive at the site of the wreck of the Andrea Doria off the coast of Nantucket, Mass. He was 49. (Nautical Research Group) By 7:50 p.m., Bright had been hoisted aboard a Coast Guard helicopter for the 30-minute flight back to Hyannis Port, Mass., where he was ferried by ambulance to Cape Cod Hospital. "We learned shortly after he was pronounced dead at the hospital," Pinneo said. "It's very sad." Bright joins more than a dozen divers who have died exploring the Andrea Doria wreck, sometimes referred to as the Mount Everest of dives. "He died involved in one of his passions, he loved what he did," said Meurn. "I chatted with him on the phone the day before he left. David will be truly missed. I still can't believe it. I'm in shock." Family and friends gathered at the Brights' Raritan Township home yesterday, where a small life preserver reading "Titanic" hung near the front door. Bright belonged to a "family of swimmers," with many of his siblings and children sharing a strong love of the water, said his brother, Michael Bright. "He was a great man. I'm going to miss him," Michael Bright said as he stood on the front porch. "I've been crying all morning." Bright said his brother's wife, Elaine, and their three children -- Michelle, 21, Matthew, 19, and Heather, 18 -- did not want to comment yesterday. Viewings for David Bright will be held tomorrow from 7 to 9 p.m., and Friday from 2 to 4 p.m. and 7 to 9 p.m., at the Holcombe-Fisher Funeral Home on Main Street in Flemington. His funeral will be in Lewistown, New York next Tues day. Meurn said the Andrea Doria survivors reunion later this month would be held as scheduled and dedicated in the memory of Bright's devotion to the ship and its history. SOURCE - Star-LedgerSCUBA FORUMDISCUSS THIS TOPIC - Dive in and have your say at Scuba Forum |
