“Damn it, I said hard astarboard!” Nillson shouted, his voice hoarse.

Hansen began to turn the wheel. Nillson couldn’t believe his eyes. Hansen wasn’t rotating the wheel to starboard, which would have given them a chance, even a slight one, to avoid a collision. He spun it slowly and deliberately to the left.

The Stockholm’s bow swung into a deadly turn.

Nillson heard a foghorn, knew it must belong to the other ship.

The engine room was in chaos: The crew was frantically turning the wheel that would stop the starboard engine. They scrambled to open the valves that would reverse power and stop the port engine. The ship shuddered as braking took hold Too late. The Stockholm flew like an arrow at the unprotected ship.

In the port wing Nillson hung on grimly to the ship’s telegraph.

Like Nillson, Captain Calamai had watched the masthead, lights materialize, reverse themselves, saw the red portside light glowing like a ruby on back velvet. Realized the other ship had made a sharp right turn directly into the Doria’s path.

No warning. No foghorn or whistle.

Stopping was out of the question at this speed. The ship would need miles of room to skid to a halt.

Calamai had seconds to act. He could order a right turn,

directly toward the danger, hoping that the ships would brush each other. Maybe the speeding Maria could outrun the attacking ship..

Calamai made a desperate decision.

All left,” he barked.

A bridge officer called out. Did the captain want the engines shut down? Calamai shook his head. “Maintain full speed.” He knew the Doria turned better at higher velocity. .

In a blur of spokes the helmsman whipped the wheel around to port using both hands. The whistle shrieked twice to signal the left. turn. The big ship struggled against its forward momentum for a half mile before it heeled into the start of the turn.

The captain knew he was taking a big risk in exposing the Doria’s broad side. He prayed that the other vessel would bear off while there was still time. He still couldn’t believe the ships were on a collision course. The whole thing seemed like a dream.

A shout from one of his officers snapped him back to reality. “She’s coming right at us]”

The oncoming ship was pointed at the starboard wing where Calamai watched in horror. The sharp upturned bow seemed to be aimed directly at him..

The Doria’s skipper had a reputation for being tough and in control. But at that moment he did what any sane man would have done in his position. He ran for his life.

The Swedish ship’s reinforced bow pierced the metal skin of the speeding Andrea Doria as easily as a bayonet, penetrating almost a third of the liner’s ninetyfoot width before it came to rest.