MS Antonia Graza, was a fictional ocean liner[3] for the Italian Line, home ported in Genoa, Italy, most famous for her appearance in the 2002 film Ghost Ship.
Features[]
Amenities provided for her passengers ensured that they would enjoy unrivaled luxury during their stay at sea; when guests were not unwinding in their spacious staterooms, they could socialize in one of the stylish lounges, enjoy sports and relaxation atop the liner’s broad decks, or take a refreshing dip in the stately swimming pool. The centerpiece of the Antonia Graza was its opulent grand ballroom, where couples would dance the night away to the romantic strains of a live orchestra. Chefs labored night and day in the galley preparing superb Italian cuisine to be served in the ship’s elegant dining room, and attentive crew members were always available, eager to provide their guests with anything they should desire. It was truly the journey of a lifetime.
Description[]
Known for catering to the elite of Europe, the ship could carry 600 or more passengers, along with its 500-person Italian crew. The Graza couldn't compete for speed, so it excelled in luxury, it was a floating masterpiece.
The Antonia Graza was reported missing May 21, 1962, off the coast of Labrador, Canada. No alarm or announcement was ever given that the ship was in trouble. Trouble for the Graza begins when it assists the sinking vessel, SS Lorelei May 19, 1962. Only one survivor was pulled from the wreckage, but they did salvage many cases of unmarked gold bars. Madness ensued on deck when the Italian crew members divulged a plan to murder the guests and split the gold evenly. Some of the guests were poisoned, some were cut in half, and others shot, once the guests were dead the crew turned on each other. The ship drifted around until it was found by a tugboat in the Bering Strait. The ship, within the week prior had collided with Bowers Ridge peak which tore into the port collision bulkhead. Resulting with a breach in the hull about 10x20. All of the salvage crew disappeared aside from one person who survived the final sinking of the ship.
In the film the MS Antonia Graza is based off the SS Andrea Doria which sunk off the coast of Nantucket.[4][5]
Crew[]
On its final voyage, the Antonia Graza had around 500 crew members on board, all Italian. Among the missing crew, included Italian cabaret singer Francesca who performed the night the vessel vanished.
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- The Antonia Graza was insured by Lloyds of London.[6]
- Some of the actors while in interviews stated the Antonia Graza is the sister ship of the Andrea Doria.
- Murphy's remark about the Antonia Graza being "built for luxury, not speed", was based on the passenger liners that the Italian shipbuilders built for Italy's main and only transatlantic shipping company, the Italian Line from the start of the 20th century to the late 1950s. During this period known as the Golden Age of the Ocean Liners, the Italian Line was facing some fierce competition from other transatlantic passenger shipping companies from France, Germany, the United Kingdom, and the United States, competing for the unofficial accolade known as the Blue Riband that is given to passenger liners that completed the transatlantic crossing in the fastest time possible.
- The only Italian passenger liner that had completed the fastest crossing across the Atlantic was the SS Rex, arriving in New York from the British territory of Gibraltar on the 16th August 1933, taking four days, 13 hours and 58 minutes. The Rex's arrival into New York had shattered the record held by the German Norddeutscher Lloyd passenger liner, SS Bremen that had completed the journey from Cherbourg on the 2nd July 1933, after taking four days, 16 hours and 48 minutes. The Rex's record was later shattered by the French CGT passenger liner, the SS Normandie, arriving in New York on the 3rd June 1935, taking four days, three hours and two minutes. The Normandie's record was later shattered by the British Cunard passenger liner, the RMS Queen Mary, arriving in New York on the 24th August 1936, beating the Normandie by two hours and 32 minutes.
- Queen Mary's record run had prompted a rivalry between the French and the British, with the Normandie regaining the title, arriving in New York on the 2nd August 1937, taking three days, 23 hours and two minutes, and then followed by the Queen Mary, arriving in New York on the 8th August 1938, taking three days, 21 hours and 48 minutes, narrowly beating the Normandie by one hour and 14 minutes.
- The last passenger liner to claim the Blue Riband was the American United States Lines passenger liner, SS United States, first arriving at Bishop Rock, off the coast of Cornwall in Britain on the 7th July 1952, taking three days, ten hours and 40 minutes, followed by the return trip, arriving back in New York on the 15th July 1952, taking three days, 12 hours and 12 minutes.
- After the United States's record run, the period known as the Golden Age of the Ocean Liners started to come to an end. Two months before the United States's record run, on the 2nd May 1952, the British built de Havilland DH106 Comet entered service as the first commercial passenger jet airliner. The success of the Comet had saw the increase in commercial air travel and further jet airliners entering commercial service throughout the 1950s with the introduction of other jet airliners such as the Boeing 707 and the first transatlantic air route between Paris and New York offered by the 707's main operator, Pan Am on the 26th October 1958. With the introduction of further international air routes, by the 1960s, all remaining transatlantic ocean liners were either scrapped or were converted to other roles - e.g., Museum ships, Hotel ships. etc.
- As of 2023, the oldest passenger liner that is still in service is the MV Astoria, built in 1946 and entering commercial service on the 21st February 1948 for the Swedish American Line as the MS Stockholm. As the Stockholm, the liner was involved in the collision with the Andrea Doria on the night of the 25th July 1956 in the Atlantic, off the island of Nantucket, with the Andrea Doria sinking the following day. In the years since the collision with the Andrea Doria, the Astoria had been operating under a number of different names with the different companies. In 1989, the Astoria was converted to a modern cruise ship. In 2020, the Astoria was detained by officers of the British Maritime & Coastguard Agency for attempting to leave port without arranging the repatriation of Astoria's foreign crew members stranded in Britain by COVID-19 restrictions. After Astoria's operators, Cruise & Maritime Voyages entered administration in 2020, the Astoria was moved to Rotterdam where it was purchased by former American child actor and businessman, Brock Pierce in July 2021 with plans for the ship to reenter commercial service but was instead put back up for sale.
- After the United States's record run, the period known as the Golden Age of the Ocean Liners started to come to an end. Two months before the United States's record run, on the 2nd May 1952, the British built de Havilland DH106 Comet entered service as the first commercial passenger jet airliner. The success of the Comet had saw the increase in commercial air travel and further jet airliners entering commercial service throughout the 1950s with the introduction of other jet airliners such as the Boeing 707 and the first transatlantic air route between Paris and New York offered by the 707's main operator, Pan Am on the 26th October 1958. With the introduction of further international air routes, by the 1960s, all remaining transatlantic ocean liners were either scrapped or were converted to other roles - e.g., Museum ships, Hotel ships. etc.
- The only Italian passenger liner that had completed the fastest crossing across the Atlantic was the SS Rex, arriving in New York from the British territory of Gibraltar on the 16th August 1933, taking four days, 13 hours and 58 minutes. The Rex's arrival into New York had shattered the record held by the German Norddeutscher Lloyd passenger liner, SS Bremen that had completed the journey from Cherbourg on the 2nd July 1933, after taking four days, 16 hours and 48 minutes. The Rex's record was later shattered by the French CGT passenger liner, the SS Normandie, arriving in New York on the 3rd June 1935, taking four days, three hours and two minutes. The Normandie's record was later shattered by the British Cunard passenger liner, the RMS Queen Mary, arriving in New York on the 24th August 1936, beating the Normandie by two hours and 32 minutes.
- The Jaguar XK150 in the Antonio Graza's cargo hold is loosely inspired by the Chrysler Norseman Concept Vehicle that was in the cargo hold of the Andrea Doria when it sunk.
- Antonia Graza's homeport of Genoa was the home base for the Italian Line and their passenger ships until the company folded in 2002.
References[]
- ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20030416202426/http://ghostshipmovie.warnerbros.com/story.html
- ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20021005074525/http://ghostshipmovie.warnerbros.com/story.html
- ↑ http://www.supershipsworld.com/movie-stars/antonia-graza
- ↑ http://humanechoes.com/ghost-ship-five-facts/
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jutobJOrPWI
- ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20021005074525/http://ghostshipmovie.warnerbros.com/story.html
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