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RMS Lusitania.
The Lusitania
Career British Blue Ensign
Nationality: British
Owners: Cunard Line
Builders: John Brown & Co. Ltd, Clydebank, Scotland
Port of registry: Liverpool, United Kingdom
Laid down: June 16, 1904
Launched: Thursday, June 7, 1906[1]
Christened: by Mary, Lady Inverclyde
Maiden voyage: September 7, 1907
Fate: Torpedoed by German U-boat U-20 on Friday May 7, 1915. Cunard Line is a British shipping company operator of the Ocean liners RMS ''Queen Elizabeth 2'' ( QE2) RMS ''Queen Mary 2'' ( John Brown and Company of Clydebank, West Dunbartonshire, Scotland, was a pre-eminent Shipbuilder, responsible for building many notable Clydebank is a town in West Dunbartonshire, in the Central Lowlands of Scotland Scotland ( Gaelic: Alba) is a Country in northwest Europethat occupies the northern third of the island of Great Britain. Liverpool ( is a City and Metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located Events 1487 - Battle of Stoke Field, the last dying breath of the Wars of the Roses. Year 1904 ( MCMIV) was a Leap year starting on Friday (link will display calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Leap year starting on Events 1099 - The First Crusade: The Siege of Jerusalem begins Year 1906 ( MCMVI) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year starting Events 1251 BC - A Solar eclipse on this date might mark the birth of legendary Heracles at Thebes Greece. Year 1907 ( MCMVII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year U-boat is the anglicized version of the German word, itself an abbreviation of Unterseeboot ( undersea boat) and refers Events 558 - In Constantinople, the dome of the Hagia Sophia collapses Year 1915 ( MCMXV) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year Wreck lies approximately 7 miles (11 km) off the Old Head of Kinsale Lighthouse in 450 feet (140 m) of water.
Specifications
Gross Tonnage: 31,550 gross register tons (GRT)
Displacement: 44,060 Long Tons
Length: 787 ft (239. Gross Register Tonnage (abbreviated variously as GRT, grt, gr 87 m)[2]
Beam: 87 ft 6 in (26. The beam of a ship is its width at the widest point or at the mid-point of its length 67 m)
Number of funnels: 4
Number of masts: 2
Construction: Steel
Power: 25 Scotch boilers. A fire-tube boiler is a type of boiler in which hot gases from the fire pass through one or more tubes within the boiler Four direct-acting Parsons steam turbines producing 76000hp. Parsons Marine Steam Turbine Company was a British Engineering company based in Wallsend, North England, on the River Tyne. A turbine is a rotary Engine that extracts Energy from a Fluid flow
Propulsion: Four triple blade propellers. A propeller is essentially a type of fan which transmits power by converting Rotational motion into Thrust for propulsion of a vehicle such as an (Quadruple blade propellers installed in 1909).
Service Speed: 25 knots (46. 3 km/h / 28. 8 mph) Top speed (single day's run): 26. 7 knots (49. 4 km/h) (March, 1914)
Passenger Accommodation (Designed): 552 first class, 460 second class, 1,186 third class. 2,198 total
Crew: 850

RMS Lusitania was a British luxury ocean liner owned by the Cunard Steamship Company and built by John Brown and Company of Clydebank, Scotland. See also Kingdom of Great Britain Great Britain (Breatainn Mhòr Prydain Fawr Breten Veur Graet Breetain is the larger of the two main islands An ocean liner is a ship designed to transport people from one Seaport to another along regular long-distance Maritime routes according to a schedule Cunard Line is a British shipping company operator of the Ocean liners RMS ''Queen Elizabeth 2'' ( QE2) RMS ''Queen Mary 2'' ( John Brown and Company of Clydebank, West Dunbartonshire, Scotland, was a pre-eminent Shipbuilder, responsible for building many notable Clydebank is a town in West Dunbartonshire, in the Central Lowlands of Scotland Scotland ( Gaelic: Alba) is a Country in northwest Europethat occupies the northern third of the island of Great Britain. Christened and launched on Thursday, June 7, 1906. Events 1099 - The First Crusade: The Siege of Jerusalem begins Year 1906 ( MCMVI) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year starting Lusitania met a disastrous end as a casualty of the First World War when she was torpedoed by the German submarine U-20 on May 7, 1915. World War I (abbreviated WWI; also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. A submarine is a Watercraft that can operate independently below water as distinct from a Submersible that has only limited underwater capability Events 558 - In Constantinople, the dome of the Hagia Sophia collapses Year 1915 ( MCMXV) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year The great ship sank in just 18 minutes, eight miles (15 km) off the Old Head of Kinsale, Ireland, killing 1,198 of the people aboard. The Old Head of Kinsale is a headland near Kinsale, County Cork, Ireland. Ireland (pronounced /ˈaɾlənd/ Éire) is the third largest island in Europe, and the twentieth-largest island in the world The sinking turned public opinion in many countries against Germany. It is often considered by historians to be the second most famous civilian passenger liner disaster after the sinking of Titanic. Construction The Titanic was a White Star Line ocean liner built at the Harland and Wolff shipyard in Belfast, Ireland

Contents

Construction and trials

Lusitania was owned by the Cunard Steamship Company, built by John Brown and Company of Clydebank, Scotland, and launched on Thursday, June 7, 1906. Cunard Line is a British shipping company operator of the Ocean liners RMS ''Queen Elizabeth 2'' ( QE2) RMS ''Queen Mary 2'' ( John Brown and Company of Clydebank, West Dunbartonshire, Scotland, was a pre-eminent Shipbuilder, responsible for building many notable Clydebank is a town in West Dunbartonshire, in the Central Lowlands of Scotland Scotland ( Gaelic: Alba) is a Country in northwest Europethat occupies the northern third of the island of Great Britain. Events 1099 - The First Crusade: The Siege of Jerusalem begins Year 1906 ( MCMVI) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year starting She was named after the ancient Roman province of Lusitania (present day Portugal south of the Douro river and Spanish Extremadura). In Ancient Rome, a province (Latin provincia, pl provinciae) was the basic and until the Tetrarchy (circa This article concerns the Roman province For the ship see RMS Lusitania. Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic (República Portuguesa is a country on the Iberian Peninsula. The Douro or Duero ( Latin: Durius, Spanish: Duero, Portuguese: Douro, pron. Spain () or the Kingdom of Spain (Reino de España is a country located mostly in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Extremadura is an autonomous community of western Spain whose capital city is Mérida. Lusitania sailed on her maiden voyage to New York City on September 7, 1907 arriving on September 13, 1907, thus taking back the Blue Riband. The City of New York Events 1251 BC - A Solar eclipse on this date might mark the birth of legendary Heracles at Thebes Greece. Year 1907 ( MCMVII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year Events 509 BC - The Temple of Jupiter on Rome 's Capitoline Hill is dedicated on the ides of September Year 1907 ( MCMVII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year For use of the related term "Blue Ribbon" see Blue ribbon (disambiguation.

Lusitania and her sister, Mauretania, were built during the time of a passenger liner race between shipping lines based in Germany and Great Britain, and were the fastest liners of their day. Beginning In 1897 the German liner became the largest and fastest ship in the world At the beginning of the twentieth century, the fastest Atlantic liners were German, and the British sought to win back the title. Simultaneously, American financier J.P. Morgan was planning to buy up all the North Atlantic shipping lines, including Britain's own White Star Line. John Pierpont Morgan ( April 17, 1837 &ndash March 31, 1913) was an American financier banker and art collector who The Oceanic Steam Navigation Company or White Star Line of Boston Packets, more commonly known as the White Star Line, was a prominent British Shipping In 1903, Cunard chairman Lord Inverclyde took these threats to his advantage and lobbied the Balfour administration for a loan of £2. Baron Inverclyde was a title created in the Peerage of the United Kingdom in 1897 for Sir John Burns of Castle Wemyss, Wemyss Bay, Inverclyde Arthur James Balfour 1st Earl of Balfour, KG, OM, PC (25 July 1848 - 19 March 1930 was a British Conservative politician and 6 million to construct Lusitania and Mauretania, providing they met Admiralty specifications and Cunard remained a wholly British company. The Admiralty was formerly the authority in the United Kingdom responsible for the command of the Royal Navy. The British Government also agreed to pay Cunard an annual subsidy of £150,000 for maintaining both ships in a state of war readiness, plus an additional £68,000 to carry Royal Mail. Royal Mail is the national postal service of the United Kingdom.

Lusitania's keel was laid at John Brown & Clydebank as Yard no. 367 on June 16, 1904. Events 1487 - Battle of Stoke Field, the last dying breath of the Wars of the Roses. Year 1904 ( MCMIV) was a Leap year starting on Friday (link will display calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Leap year starting on She was launched and christened by Mary, Lady Inverclyde, on Thursday, 7 June 1906. Events 1099 - The First Crusade: The Siege of Jerusalem begins Year 1906 ( MCMVI) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year starting [3][4] Lord Inverclyde(1861-1905) had died before this momentous occasion. Baron Inverclyde was a title created in the Peerage of the United Kingdom in 1897 for Sir John Burns of Castle Wemyss, Wemyss Bay, Inverclyde

Much of the trim on Lusitania was designed and constructed by the Bromsgrove Guild. The Bromsgrove Guild of Applied Arts (1898&ndash1966 was a company of Modern artists and designers associated with the Arts and Crafts Movement, founded by [5]

Starting on July 27, 1907, Lusitania underwent preliminary and formal acceptance trials. Events 1214 - Battle of Bouvines: In France, Philip II of France defeats John of England. Year 1907 ( MCMVII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year It was then she smashed all speed records ever set in the history of the shipping industry. Engineers discovered high speed caused violent vibrations in the stern, forcing the fitting of stronger bracing parts. After these physical alterations, she was finally delivered to Cunard on August 26. Events 1071 - Battle of Manzikert: The Seljuk Turks defeat the Byzantine Army at Manzikert.

Comparison with the Olympic class

Lusitania and Mauretania were smaller than White Star Line's Olympic class vessels, Olympic, Titanic, and Britannic but also the two Cunarders entered service five years earlier than the White Star ships. The Oceanic Steam Navigation Company or White Star Line of Boston Packets, more commonly known as the White Star Line, was a prominent British Shipping Fatalities History J Bruce Ismay, the chairman of White Star Line, and William Pirrie, the chairman of Harland and Wolff Shipyard Construction The Titanic was a White Star Line ocean liner built at the Harland and Wolff shipyard in Belfast, Ireland History Post- Titanic design changes Following the loss of the Titanic and the subsequent enquiries several design changes were made to the remaining Although significantly faster than the Olympics, they were not fast enough to allow Cunard to provide a weekly transatlantic departure schedule with just two vessels. Consequently Cunard would require a third ship to maintain a weekly service, and after White Star announced plans to build the Olympics, Cunard ordered a third ship, Aquitania. Origin The origins of Aquitania lay in the rivalry between the White Star Line and Cunard, Britain 's two leading shipping companies Like the White Star trio, Aquitania would be slower but larger and more luxurious than Lusitania and Mauretania.

Olympics differed from Lusitania and Mauretania in the subdivision of underwater compartments. The Olympics were divided by transverse watertight bulkheads. A bulkhead is an upright wall within the hull of a Ship. Other kinds of partition elements within a ship are decks and Deckheads Etymology Lusitania also had transverse bulkheads, but in addition she had longitudinal bulkheads on each side, between the boiler and engine rooms and the coal bunkers on the outside of the vessel. The British commission that investigated the Titanic disaster heard testimony stating that the flooding of bunkers outside of longitudinal bulkheads over a considerable length could increase the ship's list and "make the lowering of the boats on the other side impracticable" — exactly what happened with Lusitania. [6]

Career

The Lusitania being escorted by tug boats
The Lusitania being escorted by tug boats

Lusitania departed Liverpool for her maiden voyage on September 7, 1907 under the command of commodore James Watt of the Cunard Line and arrived in New York City on September 13. Liverpool ( is a City and Metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary Maiden Voyage is the fifth Album led by Jazz musician Herbie Hancock, and was recorded by Rudy Van Gelder in 1965 for Blue Note Events 1251 BC - A Solar eclipse on this date might mark the birth of legendary Heracles at Thebes Greece. Year 1907 ( MCMVII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year Cunard Line is a British shipping company operator of the Ocean liners RMS ''Queen Elizabeth 2'' ( QE2) RMS ''Queen Mary 2'' ( The City of New York Events 509 BC - The Temple of Jupiter on Rome 's Capitoline Hill is dedicated on the ides of September At the time she was the largest ocean liner in service and would continue to be until the introduction of her sister Mauretania in November that year. During her eight-year service, she made a total of 202 crossings on the Cunard Line's Liverpool-New York Route.

In October 1907, Lusitania took the Blue Riband from Kaiser Wilhelm II of the North German Lloyd, ending Germany's 10-year dominance of the Atlantic. For use of the related term "Blue Ribbon" see Blue ribbon (disambiguation. German career Designed for high speed Trans-Atlantic service she won the Blue Riband for the fastest eastbound crossing in 1904 Hapag-Lloyd is a German transportation company comprising a cargo container Shipping line Hapag-Lloyd Container Line, and a cruise Lusitania averaged 23. 99 knots (44. 4 km/h) westbound and 23. 61 knots (43. 7 km/h) eastbound.

With the introduction of Mauretania in November 1907, Lusitania and Mauretania continued to swap the Blue Riband. Lusitania made her fastest westbound crossing in 1909, averaging 25. 85 knots (47. 9 km/h). In September of that same year, she lost it permanently to Mauretania.

Hudson Fulton celebration

Lusitania and other ships participated in the Hudson Fulton celebration in New York City from the end of September to early October 1909. This was in celebration of the 300th anniversary of Henry Hudson's trip up the river that bears his name and the 100th anniversary of Robert Fulton's steamboat, Clermont. Henry Hudson' (1570 &ndash 1611 was an English Sea explorer and Navigator in the early 17th century Robert Fulton ( November 14, 1765 &ndash February 24, 1815) was a U The celebration also was a display of the different modes of transportation then in existence, Lusitania representing the newest advancement in steamship technology. A newer mode of travel was the aeroplane. Overview Fixed-wing aircraft range from small training and recreational aircraft to Wide-body aircraft and military cargo aircraft. Wilbur Wright had brought a Flyer to Governors Island and proceeded to make demonstration flights before millions of New Yorkers who had never seen an airplane. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout This article is about Governors Island in New York For other uses see Governors Island (disambiguation Governors Island is a 172- Acre (69 ha island Some of Wright's trips were directly over Lusitania and passengers on the liner marveled up at the newer technology of the airplane which in 40 years time would supersede the ocean liner as the primary mode of Trans-Atlantic passenger travel. A few interesting photographs of Lusitania still exist from that week.

War

The Lusitania in a 1907 painting, described as an "Auxiliary Cruiser in Warfare".
The Lusitania in a 1907 painting, described as an "Auxiliary Cruiser in Warfare".
The official warning issued by the Imperial German Embassy about travelling on the Lusitania.
The official warning issued by the Imperial German Embassy about travelling on the Lusitania.

Lusitania, like a number of liners of the era, was part of a subsidy scheme meant to convert ships into armed merchant cruisers if requisitioned by the government. Armed Merchantmen has come to mean merchant ships equipped with guns usually for defensive purposes either by design or after the fact This involved structural provisions for mounting deck guns.

At the onset of World War I, the British Admiralty considered Lusitania for requisition as an armed merchant cruiser; however, large liners such as Lusitania consumed too much coal, presented too large a target, and put at risk large crews and were therefore deemed inappropriate for the role. World War I (abbreviated WWI; also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All The Admiralty was formerly the authority in the United Kingdom responsible for the command of the Royal Navy. They were also very distinctive. Smaller liners were used as transports, instead.

The large liners were either not requisitioned, or were used for troop transport or as hospital ships. A hospital ship is a Ship designated for primary function as a medical treatment facility or Hospital; most are operated by the Military Mauretania became a troop transport while Lusitania continued in her role as a luxury liner built to convey people between Great Britain and the United States. For economic reasons, Lusitania's transatlantic crossings were reduced to once a month and boiler room Number 4 was shut down. Maximum speed was reduced to 21 knots (39 km/h), but even then, Lusitania was the fastest passenger liner on the North Atlantic in commercial service, and 10 knots (18. 5 km/h) faster than submarines.

On February 4, 1915, Germany declared the seas around the British Isles a war zone. Events 211 - Roman Emperor Septimius Severus dies leaving the Roman Empire in the hands of his two quarrelsome sons Year 1915 ( MCMXV) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year Effective as of February 18, Allied ships in the area would be sunk without warning. Events 3102 BC - Epoch (origin of the Kali Yuga. 1229 - The Sixth Crusade: Frederick II Holy This was not wholly unrestricted submarine warfare, since efforts would be taken to avoid sinking neutral ships. Unrestricted submarine warfare is a type of Naval warfare in which Submarines sink merchant ships without warning as opposed to attacks per prize regulations [7]

Lusitania was scheduled to arrive in Liverpool on March 6, 1915. Events 1079 - Omar Khayyám completes the Iranian calendar. 1454 - Thirteen Years' War: Delegates of Year 1915 ( MCMXV) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year The Admiralty issued her specific instructions on how to avoid submarines. Despite a severe shortage of destroyers, Admiral Henry Oliver ordered HMS ships Louis and Laverock to escort Lusitania, and took the further precaution of sending the Q ship Lyons to patrol Liverpool Bay. In naval terminology a destroyer is a fast and maneuverable yet long-endurance Warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, Convoy Sir Henry Francis Oliver, GCB ( January 22, 1865 – October 15, 1965) served as Admiral of the Fleet from 1928 to 1929 Mystery Ship redirects here For the 1917 film serial see The Mystery Ship. Captain Dow of Lusitania, not knowing whether Laverock and Louis were actual Admiralty escorts or a trap by the German navy, evaded the escorts and arrived in Liverpool without incident. [8]

On April 17, 1915, Lusitania left Liverpool on her 201st transatlantic voyage, arriving in New York on April 24. Events 69 - After the First Battle of Bedriacum, Vitellius becomes Roman Emperor. Year 1915 ( MCMXV) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year Events 1479 BC - Thutmose III ascends to the throne of Egypt, although power effectively shifts to Hatshepsut (according to A group of German–Americans, hoping to avoid controversy if Lusitania were attacked by a U-boat, discussed their concerns with a representative of the German embassy. The embassy decided to warn passengers not to sail aboard Lusitania before her next crossing.

The Imperial German embassy placed a warning advertisement in American newspapers, including those in New York.

Last voyage and sinking

Last departure

Lusitania departed Pier 54 in New York on 1 May 1915. Pier 54 in New York City is a former Cunard Line pier that is associated with the 1915 RMS ''Lusitania'' maritime The German Embassy in Washington had issued this warning on 22 April. Events 1500 - Portuguese Navigator Pedro Álvares Cabral becomes the first European to sight Brazil. [9]

NOTICE!
TRAVELLERS intending to embark on the Atlantic voyage are reminded that a state of war exists between Germany and her allies and Great Britain and her allies; that the zone of war includes the waters adjacent to the British Isles; that, in accordance with formal notice given by the Imperial German Government, vessels flying the flag of Great Britain, or any of her allies, are liable to destruction in those waters and that travellers sailing in the war zone on the ships of Great Britain or her allies do so at their own risk.
IMPERIAL GERMAN EMBASSY,
Washington, D.C. April 22, 1915

This warning was printed right next to an advertisement for Lusitania's return voyage. Washington DC ( formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, the District, or simply D

The warning led to some agitation in the press and worried the ship's passengers and crew. The captain, an experienced 58-year old sailor and master named William "Bowler Bill" Turner, tried to calm the passengers by explaining that the ship's speed made it safe from attack by submarine. Lusitania steamed out of New York at noon that day, two hours behind schedule due to a transfer of passengers and crew from the recently requisitioned Cameronia. Shortly after departure, three German spies were found on board, arrested, and detained below decks.

The Lusitania at end of the first leg of her maiden voyage, New York City, September 1907. (*photo taken with a panoramic lens.)
The Lusitania at end of the first leg of her maiden voyage, New York City, September 1907. (*photo taken with a panoramic lens. Panoramic photography is a format of Photography that aims to create images with exceptionally wide fields of view, but has also come to refer to any photograph that )

Passengers

Lusitania carried 1,959 passengers on her last voyage. Those aboard included a large number of illustrous and renowned people such as:

Eastbound

Lusitania's landfall on the return leg of her transatlantic circuit was Fastnet Rock, off the southern tip of Ireland. West Orange is a township in central Essex County, New Jersey, United States. Andrew Carnegie (properly kɑrˈneɪgi but commonly /ˈkɑrnɨgi/ or /kɑrˈnɛgi/ (25 November 1835 – 11 August 1919 was a Scottish -born American Industrialist Fastnet Rock ( is a small Clay - Slate island with Quartz veins and the most southerly point of Ireland, 6 As the liner steamed across the ocean, the British Admiralty, by means of wireless intercepts, was tracking the movements of U-20, commanded by Kapitänleutnant Walther Schwieger and operating along the west coast of Ireland and moving south. Captain Lieutenant or Captain-Lieutenant is a military rank In particular the term Captain Lieutenant may refer to a rank in the Russian Navy, Lieutenant Walther Schwieger ( April 7, 1885, Berlin - September 5, 1917, North Sea) was a German

On 5 May and 6 May, U-20 sank three vessels in the area of Fastnet Rock, and the Royal Navy sent a warning to all British ships: "Submarines active off the south coast of Ireland". Events 553 - The Second Council of Constantinople begins 1215 - Rebel Barons renounce their allegiance to King John Events 1527 - Spanish and German troops sack Rome; some consider this the end of the Renaissance. Captain Turner of Lusitania was given the message twice on the evening of the 6th, and took what he felt were prudent precautions. He closed watertight doors, posted double lookouts, ordered a black-out, and had the lifeboats swung out on their davits so they could be quickly put into the water if need be. That same evening, a Seamen's Charities fund concert took place in the first class lounge.

At about 11:00, on Friday, May 7, the Admiralty radioed another warning, and Turner adjusted his heading northeast, apparently thinking submarines would be more likely to keep to the open sea and so Lusitania would be safer close to land. Events 558 - In Constantinople, the dome of the Hagia Sophia collapses

U-20 was low on fuel and only had three torpedoes left, and Schwieger had decided to head for home. She was moving at top speed on the surface at 13:00 when Schwieger spotted a vessel on the horizon. He ordered U-20 to dive and to take battle stations.

Sinking

Lusitania was at approximately 30 miles (48 km) from Cape Clear Island when she encountered fog, and reduced speed to 18 knots. Cape Clear Island, (official name Cléire and sometimes also referred to in Irish as ' Oileán Chléire') lies south west of County Cork in Ireland Fog is a cloud that is in contact with the ground Stratus clouds are usually the only clouds that touch the ground [10] She was making for the port of Queenstown (now Cobh), Ireland, 70 kilometers (43. Cobh (pronounced /koːv/ "cove" An Cóbh is a sheltered seaport town on the south coast of County Cork, Ireland. 5 miles) from the Old Head of Kinsale when the liner crossed in front of U-20 at 14:10.

One story states that when Schwieger gave the order to fire, his quartermaster, Charles Voegele, would not take part in an attack on women and children, and refused to pass on the order to the torpedo room — a decision for which he was court-martialed and served three years in prison at Kiel,[11] although this story may be apocryphal. A court-martial (plural courts-martial) is a Military court. These military courts can determine Punishments for members of the Military subject For the city in the United States, see Kiel Wisconsin. For the name see Kiel (name. The torpedo hit under the bridge, and was followed by a much larger secondary explosion in the starboard bow. Schwieger's own log entries attest he only fired one torpedo. Some doubt the validity of this claim, contending the German government subsequently doctored Schwieger's log, but accounts from other U-20 crew members confirm it. The torpedo struck just forward of the bridge, sending a plume of debris, steel plating and water upward and knocking Lifeboat #5 off its davits. Lusitania's wireless operator sent out an immediate SOS and Captain Turner gave the order to abandon ship. Early developments Before the development of radio communication in the early 1890s seagoing vessels had already adopted a wide variety of visual and audio distress signals using

Water flooded the ship's starboard longitudinal compartments, causing an immediate 15 degrees starboard list. Captain Turner tried turning the ship toward the Irish coast in the hope of beaching her, but the helm would not respond. The torpedo had knocked out the steam lines to the rudder, rendering the controls useless. The ship's propellers continued to drive the ship at 18 knots (33 km/h), forcing water into her hull.

Lusitania's severe starboard list complicated the launch of her lifeboats — those to starboard swung out too far to conveniently step aboard. [12] While it was still possible to board the lifeboats on the port side, lowering them presented a different problem. As was typical for the period, the hull plates of the Lusitania were riveted. A rivet is a mechanical Fastener. Before it is installed it consists of a smooth cylindrical shaft with a head on one end As the lifeboats were lowered, they dragged on these rivets, which threatened to seriously damage the boats before they landed in the water. Many lifeboats overturned while loading or lowering, spilling passengers into the sea; others were overturned by the ship's motion when they hit the water. It has been claimed that some boats, by the negligence of some officers, crashed down onto the deck, crushing other passengers, and sliding down towards the bridge. This has been refuted in various articles and by passenger and crew testimony. Lusitania had 48 lifeboats, more than enough for all the crew and passengers, but only six were successfully lowered, all from the starboard side.

Despite Turner's efforts to beach the liner and reduce her speed, Lusitania no longer answered the helm. There was panic and disorder on the decks. Schwieger had been observing this through U-20's periscope, and by 14:25, he dropped the periscope and headed out to sea. A periscope is an instrument for observation from a concealed position

Within six minutes, Lusitania's forecastle began to go underwater. Forecastle, also spelled fo'c's'le (ˈfoʊksəl originally meant the upper deck of a Sailing ship, forward of the Foremast. Her list continued to worsen and 10 minutes after the torpedoing, she had slowed enough to start putting boats in the water. On the port side, people panicked and got into the boats, even though they were swinging far in from the rails. On the starboard side, the boats were hanging several feet away from the sides. Crewmen would lose their grip on the lifeboat while trying to lower the boats into the ocean, and this caused the passengers from the boat to "spill into the sea like rag dolls. " Others would tip on launch as some panicking people jumped into the boat. Very few lifeboats made it into the water safely.

Captain Turner remained on the bridge until the water rushed upward and destroyed the sliding door, washing him overboard into the sea. He took the ship's logbook and charts with him. A Logbook was originally a book for recording readings from the log, and is used to determine the distance a ship traveled within a certain amount of time A nautical chart is a graphic representation of a maritime area and adjacent Coastal regions He managed to escape the rapidly sinking Lusitania and find a chair floating in the water which he clung to. This article concerns the Roman province For the ship see RMS Lusitania. He was pulled unconscious from the water but miraculously survived after spending 3 hours in the water. Lusitania's bow slammed into the bottom about 100 m (300 ft) below at a shallow angle, given her forward momentum as she sank. Along the way, some boilers exploded, including one that caused the third funnel to collapse, with the remaining funnels proceeding to snap off soon after. A boiler is a closed vessel in which Water or other Fluid is heated Captain Turner's last navigational fix had been only two minutes before the torpedoing, and he was able to remember the ship's speed and bearing at the moment of sinking. Speed is the rate of motion, or equivalently the rate of change in position often expressed as Distance d traveled per unit of In Navigation, a bearing is the direction one object is from another object This was accurate enough to locate the wreck after the war. The ship travelled about two miles (3 km) from the time of the torpedoing to her final resting place, leaving a trail of debris and people behind.

Lusitania sank in 18 minutes, 8 miles (13 km) off the Old Head of Kinsale. 1,198 people died with her, including almost a hundred children. [13] The bodies of many of the victims were buried at either Lusitania's destination, Queenstown, or the Church of St. Multose in Kinsale, but many other bodies were never recovered and remain entombed in the wreck.

Political consequences

A medal recognizing the sinking of the Lusitania.
A medal recognizing the sinking of the Lusitania.

Schwieger was condemned in the Allied press as a war criminal. War crimes are "violations of the laws or customs of war" including but not limited to "murder the ill-treatment or deportation of civilian residents of an occupied Had he survived the war he would have undoubtedly been placed on trial as a war criminal at the Allies' insistence.

Of the 139 Americans aboard, 128 lost their lives. There was massive outrage in Britain and America. The British felt the Americans had to declare war on Germany. U.S. Secretary of State William Jennings Bryan, fearing the US would declare war, resigned from the Cabinet in protest; however, President Woodrow Wilson still did not want the country to get involved in a European dispute because the American population (many of whom were German-American) did not want to be involved in a war nor were they ready -- no matter how outraged they were. The United States Secretary of State (commonly abbreviated as SecState) is the head of the United States Department of State, concerned with Foreign affairs For other persons of the same name see William Bryan and William Jennings. The United States Cabinet (usually simplified as "the Cabinet" is composed of the most senior appointed officers of the Executive branch of the Federal government Thomas Woodrow Wilson (December 28 1856—February 3 1924 was the twenty-eighth President of the United States. Instead of declaring war, he sent a formal protest to Germany. Wilson was bitterly criticised in Britain as a coward. In the trenches a shell that did not explode was called a "Wilson. "

Although unrestricted submarine warfare continued at a varying pace into the summer, on August 19 U-24 sank the White Star liner Arabic, with the loss of 44 passengers and crew. Events 43 BC - Octavian, later known as Augustus compels the Roman Senate to elect him Consul. Three of the dead were Americans, and President Wilson angrily protested through German diplomatic channels.

On August 27, the Kaiser imposed severe restrictions on U‐boats attacks against large passenger vessels. Events 479 BC - Greco-Persian Wars: Persian forces led by Mardonius are routed by Pausanias, the Spartan On September 18, 1915, he called off unrestricted submarine warfare completely. Events 96 - Nerva is proclaimed Roman Emperor after Domitian is assassinated Year 1915 ( MCMXV) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year

Munich metalworker Karl Goetz struck commemorative medallions in August 1915 to satirize what he saw as the greed of the Cunard Line and the foolishness of contraband he suspected was being smuggled with the help of US neutrality. Munich (München; Minga is the capital city of Bavaria, Germany. One side of the medal showed a scene of the sinking Lusitania (incorrectly depicted sinking stern first), whilst the other shows a skeleton selling Cunard tickets with the message 'Profit über alles'- 'Profit Above All'. An animated skeleton is a type of physically manifested Undead often found in Fantasy, gothic and Horror fiction, and mythical The original medal has the incorrect date of 5 May 1915 on it. Events 553 - The Second Council of Constantinople begins 1215 - Rebel Barons renounce their allegiance to King John Year 1915 ( MCMXV) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year Some time thereafter British intelligence obtained a copy and saw a propaganda opportunity as the medal apparently celebrated the sinking as a premeditated crime. The incorrect date was taken as proof of this theory and combined with possibly apocryphal German press reports touting the triumph. British propagandists precommissioned Selfridges of London to make 250–300,000 copies of the medal in an attractive case claiming to be an exact copy of the German medal, which then were sold for a shilling to benefit the British Red Cross and other charities. Propaganda is a concerted set of messages aimed at influencing the opinions or behaviors of large numbers of people Selfridges is a chain of Department stores in the United Kingdom. London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom. The British Red Cross Society is a prominent part of the largest impartial Humanitarian organisation in the world – the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement Belatedly realizing his mistake Goetz issued a corrected medal with the date of 7 May. Events 558 - In Constantinople, the dome of the Hagia Sophia collapses The Bavarian government suppressed the medal and ordered their confiscation in April 1917. The original German medals (fewer than 500 were struck) can most easily be distinguished from the English copies because the date is in German; the English version spells 'May' rather than 'Mai'. After the war Goetz expressed his regret his work had been the cause of increasing anti‐German feelings, but it remains one of the most celebrated propaganda acts of all time.

While the American public and leadership was not ready for war, the path to an eventual declaration of war had been set as a result of the sinking of the Lusitania.

According to French newspapers, the opening of the Paris Peace Conference, which resulted in the Treaty of Versailles, coincided deliberately with the anniversary of the sinking of the Lusitania. The Treaty of Versailles was one of the peace treaties at the end of World War I.

Last living survivor

Audrey Lawson-Johnston (nee Pearl) born February 1915 is the last living survivor of the RMS Lusitania sinking. Audrey Lawson-Johnston, born Audrey Warren Pearl (born February 5, 1915) is the last living survivor of the sinking of the RMS Lusitania She presently resides in Bedfordshire, England. Bedfordshire (abbreviated Beds) is a County in England that forms part of the East of England region. [2] Audrey became the last living survivor following the death of Barbara McDermott (nee Anderson) on April 12, 2008. Barbara McDermott ( June 15, 1912 &ndash April 12, 2008) was the last American survivor of the sinking of the RMS Lusitania Events 467 - Anthemius is elevated to Emperor of the Western Roman Empire. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common [3]

Controversies

Contraband and second explosion

The telegraph on the wreck of Lusitania
The telegraph on the wreck of Lusitania

Lusitania was carrying small arms ammunition, which would not have been explosive. [14] Under the "cruiser rules", the Germans could sink a civilian vessel only after guaranteeing the safety of all the passengers. Since Lusitania (like all British merchantmen) was under instructions from the British Admiralty to report the sighting of a German submarine, and indeed to attempt to ram the ship if it surfaced to board and inspect her, she was acting as a naval auxiliary, and was thus exempt from this requirement and a legitimate military target. By international law, the presence (or absence) of military cargo was irrelevant.

Recent expeditions to the wreck have shown her holds are intact and show no evidence of internal explosion. The question remains, however: if ammunition and alleged "secret" cargo did not cause the violent second explosion, what did?

In 1993, Dr Robert Ballard, famous explorer who discovered Titanic, conducted an in-depth exploration of the wreck of Lusitania. Robert Duane Ballard (born June 30, 1942 in Wichita Kansas) is an oceanographer most noted for his work in underwater Archaeology Ballard found Light had been mistaken in his identification of a gaping hole in the ship's side. To explain the second explosion, Ballard advanced the theory of a coal-dust explosion. He believed dust in the bunkers would have been thrown into the air by the vibration from the explosion; the resulting cloud would have been ignited by a spark, causing the second explosion. In the years since he first advanced this theory, it has been argued this is a near-impossibility.

Critics of this theory say coal dust would have been too damp to have been stirred into the air by the torpedo impact in explosive concentrations; additionally, the coal bunker where the torpedo struck would have been flooded almost immediately by the influx of seawater which poured through the damaged hull plates. Coal dust is a fine powdered form of Coal, which is created by the crushing grinding or pulverizing of coal

More recently, marine forensic investigators have become convinced an explosion in the ship's steam-generating plant is a far more plausible explanation for the second explosion. There were very few survivors from the forward two boiler rooms, but they did report the ship's boilers did not explode; they were also under extreme duress in those moments after the torpedo's impact, however. Leading Fireman Albert Martin later testified he thought the torpedo actually entered the boiler room and exploded between a group of boilers, which was a physical impossibility. It is also known the forward boiler room filled with steam, and steam pressure feeding the turbines dropped dramatically following the second explosion. These point toward a failure, of one sort or another, in the ship's steam-generating plant. It is possible the failure came, not directly from one of the Scotch boilers in boiler room no. 1, but rather in the high-pressure steam lines to the turbines.

In any case, most researchers and historians agree a steam explosion is far more likely than clandestine high-explosives as the reason for the second explosion. It must be noted, however, it is quite likely the original torpedo damage alone, striking the ship on the starboard coal bunker of boiler room no. 1, would have sent the ship to the bottom without the aid of the second explosion. This first blast was able to cause, on its own, off-center flooding of a serious nature. The deficiencies of the ship's original watertight bulkhead design exacerbated the situation, as did the many portholes which had been left open to aid in ventilation.

Recent developments

The wreck is owned by New Mexico diver and businessman F. Gregg Bemis Jr, who bought it in 1968 from former business partners, one of whom had previously bought it in 1967 for £1000 from the Liverpool & London War Risks Insurance Association. [15][16]

The Irish Government in 1995 declared the wreck a heritage site under the National Monuments Act. The Government of Ireland (Rialtas na hÉireann n̪ˠə ˈheːɾʲən̪ˠ is the Cabinet that exercises executive authority in Ireland. A National Monument in the Republic of Ireland is a monument considered by the State to be of "national importance" This protects the wreck for 100 years. One reason for this is attributed to the presumed presence of art treasures in lead containers located in the hold believed to have been carried by Sir Hugh Lane. Sir Hugh Percy Lane ( 9 November 1875 in County Cork, Ireland – 7 May 1915) is best known for establishing Dublin

In June 2005, Bemis won a High Court challenge with the Irish State and is now in a position to legally inspect and carry out a $2 million research expedition on the wreck. Bemis intends to send divers down to prove his theory the second explosion was caused by munitions being carried. The Supreme Court upheld the High Court's decision in a judgment delivered on March 27, 2007. Events 196 BC - Ptolemy V ascends to the throne of Egypt. 1309 - Pope Clement V excommunicates Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century.

A dive team from Cork Sub Aqua Club, under license, made the first known discovery of munitions aboard in 2006. These include 15,000 rounds of 0. 303 (7. 7×56mmR) caliber rifle ammunition in boxes in the bow section of the ship. The 0. 303 round was used by the British army in all of their battlefield rifles and machine guns. The find was photographed but left in situ under the terms of the license. In situ (ɪn siːˈtuː is a Latin phrase meaning in the place.

Bemis also hopes to salvage components from the wreck for display in museums. Any fine art recovered, such as the Rubens rumoured to be on board, will remain in the ownership of the Irish Government.

On March 28, 2007, the Irish Times reported the Irish Government would grant Bemis a licence to carry out research on the vessel, but the Supreme Court's decision makes it clear a further licence application would be required by Bemis. Events 37 - Roman Emperor Caligula accepts the titles of the Principate, entitled to him by the Senate. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century.

References

Notes

  1. ^ Atlantic Liners.
  2. ^ The ship's overall length if often mis-quoted at either 785 or 790 feet. Please see http://www.atlanticliners.com/lusitania_home.htm#Anchor-Lusitani-33651 for further information.
  3. ^ Lusitania, Atlantic Liner.
  4. ^ Lost Liners.
  5. ^ The Bromsgrove Society [1]
  6. ^ Inquiry.
  7. ^ Germany's second submarine campaign against the Allies during World War One was unrestricted in scope, as was submarine warfare during the Second World War.
  8. ^ Patrick Beesly, Room 40: British Naval Intelligence 1914–1918 (1982) p. 95; Preston (2002), pp76–77
  9. ^ http://www.fas.org/irp/ops/ci/docs/ci1/notice.jpg
  10. ^ Lusitania (1907-1915), The Great Ocean Liners.
  11. ^ Des Hickey and Gus Smith, Seven Days to Disaster: The Sinking of the Lusitania, 1981, William Collins, ISBN 0-00-216882-0. However, Diana Preston writes in her book cited in the list of sources for this article that "the details of what really happened remain tantalisingly obscure. None of the surviving crew members of the U-20 seems ever to have referred to the incident. There is no trace of his court martial papers. " However, "his story is currently being researched in Strasbourg for inclusion in a dictionary of Alsatian biographies". Preston also writes that Voegele was an electrician on board U20 and not a quartermaster.
  12. ^ Report.
  13. ^ Robert Ballard, Exploring the Lusitania. This number is cited, probably to include the German spies detained below decks. The Cunard Steamship Company announced the official death toll of 1,195 on March 1, 1916. Events 86 BC - Lucius Cornelius Sulla, at the head of a Roman Republic army enters in Athens, removing the Tyrant Year 1916 ( MCMXVI) was a Leap year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Leap year
  14. ^ Included in this cargo were 4,200,000 rounds of Remington 0. 303 rifle cartridges, 1250 cases of 3 inch (76 mm) fragmentation shells, and eighteen cases of fuses. (All were listed on the ship's two-page manifest, filed with U. S. Customs after she had departed New York on May 1. Events 305 - Diocletian and Maximian retire from the office of Roman Emperor. ) However, the materials listed on the cargo manifest were small arms and the physical size of this cargo would have been quite small. These munitions were also proven to be non-explosive in bulk, and were clearly marked as such. It was perfectly legal under American shipping regulations for her to carry these; experts agreed they were not to blame for the second explosion. Allegations the ship was carrying more controversial cargo, such as fine aluminium powder, concealed as cheese on her cargo manifests, have never been proven.
  15. ^ How deep is his love, Class Notes, Stanford Magazine, March/April 2005
  16. ^ Millionaire diver wins right to explore wreck of the Lusitania, David Sharrock, The Times, London, Apr 2 2007

Further reading

External links

Records
Preceded by
Kaiserin Auguste Victoria		 World's largest passenger ship
1907		 Succeeded by
Mauretania
Preceded by
Deutschland		 Holder of the Blue Riband (Westbound)
1907 – 1909
Preceded by
Kaiser Wilhelm II		 Holder of the Blue Riband (Eastbound)
1907

WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout A passenger ship is a Ship whose primary function is to carry passengers Beginning In 1897 the German liner became the largest and fastest ship in the world As the transatlantic liner Deutschland Launched in 1900 she won the Blue Riband from the Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse of the North For use of the related term "Blue Ribbon" see Blue ribbon (disambiguation. German career Designed for high speed Trans-Atlantic service she won the Blue Riband for the fastest eastbound crossing in 1904 For use of the related term "Blue Ribbon" see Blue ribbon (disambiguation.
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