Nillson strode onto the left bridge wing and read the other ship’s lights. Two white pinpoints, one high, one low, glowed in darkness. Good. The position of the lights indicated that the ship would pass off to the left: The red portside light came into view, confirming that the ship was heading away from the Stockholm. The ships would pass porttoport. Radar put the distance at more than two miles. He glanced at,, the clock. It was 11:06 p.m.

From what the Andrea Doria’s captain could see on the radar screen, the ships should pass each other safely on the right. When the ships were less than three and a half miles apart, Calamai ordered a fourdegree turn to the left to open up the gap been them. Soon a spectral glow appeared in the fog, and gradually white running lights became visible. Captain Calamai expected to see the green light on the other ship’s starboard side. Any time now

One mile apart.

Nillson remembered how an observer said the Stockholm cold turn on a dime and give you eight cents change It was time to put that nimbleness to use.

“Starboard two points,” he ordered the helm. Like Calamai, h wanted more breathing room. `

Hansen brought the wheel two complete turns to the right.. The ship’s bow went twenty degrees to starboard: .

“Straighten out to midships and keep her steady”

The telephone rang on the wall. Nillson went over to answer it.

“Bridge,” Nillson said. Confident of a safe passing, he faced the wall, his back to the windows.

The crow’s nest lookout was calling. “Lights twenty degrees to port.

“Thank you,” Nillson replied, and hung up. He went over and checked the radar, unaware of the Doria’s new trajectory. The blips were now so dose to each other the reading didn’t make any sense to him. He went to the port wing and, without arty urgency, .raised his binoculars to his eyes and focused on the fights.

Calmness deserted him.

“My God.” He gasped, seeing the change in the masthead lights for the first time.

The high and low lights had reversed themselves: The ship no longer had its red portside light to him. The light was green. Starboard side. Since he’d last looked, the other ship seemed to have made a sharp turn to its left.

Now the blazing deck lights of a huge black ship loomed from the thick fog balk .that had kept it hidden and presented its right side directly in the path of the speeding Stockholm.

He shouted a course change. “Hard astarboard!”

Spinning around, he gripped the levers of the ship’s telegraph with both hands, yanked them to Stop, then all the way down as if he could bring the ship to a halt by sheer determination. An insane jangle filled the air.

Full Speed Astern.

Nillson turned back to the helm. Hansen stood there like a stone guardian outside a pagan temple.