naturalized United States citizen Light claimed to have found a large hole on Lusitania's port side, opposite of where the torpedo had struck, though later expeditions disproved his findings. °A well-preserved lifeboat davit and other artifacts are on the display at the Lusitania Museum and Memorial Garden on the Old Head of Kinsale, Co. Cork, Ireland, overlooking the site of the disaster: www.oldheadofkinsale.com. Perhaps it is fitting that this website’s 100th post should fall on the 100th anniversary of the Lusitania‘s last voyage. She was the fourth of six children (the youngest two born after the disaster) born to Major Frederic "Frank" Warren Pearl (26 August 1869 – 2 January 1952) and Amy Lea (née Duncan; 12 November 1880 – 1 February 1964). May 7, 1915. [18], Captain Turner, known as "Bowler Bill" for his favourite shoreside headgear, had returned to his old command of Lusitania. The decision was rendered on 23 August 1918. Most probably, Pierpoint, who survived the sinking,[22] would already have been informed about Leach. [39] In the days following the disaster, the Cunard line offered local fishermen and sea merchants a cash reward for the bodies floating all throughout the Irish Sea, some floating as far away as the Welsh coast. [21], Lusitania steamed out of New York at noon on 1 May, two hours behind schedule, because of a last-minute transfer of forty-one passengers and crew from the recently requisitioned Cameronia. [114][117], In 2007, marine forensic investigators considered that an explosion in the ship's steam-generating plant could be a plausible explanation for the second explosion. The Baudichon medal is in bronze, 54 millimetres (2.1 in) diameter and weighs 79.51 grams (2.805 oz). On 2 May, she had reached Peterhead and proceeded around the north of Scotland and Ireland, and then along the western and southern coasts of Ireland, to enter the Irish Sea from the south. RMS LUSITANIA World War I started in July of 1914 between the Allies comprised of the United Kingdom, France, and the Russian Empire and the Central Powers of Germany and Austria-Hungary. The original German medals can easily be distinguished from the English copies because the date is in German, i.e. His letter was published Monday 22 October 1917 on page 14 titled "A NEW THEORY OF THE LUSITANIA SINKING. This was used to prohibit discussion about the ship's cargo. Ref XFR See original listing. [2]:131–32, 445, As the liner steamed across the ocean, the British Admiralty had been tracking the movements of U-20, commanded by Kapitänleutnant Walther Schwieger, through wireless intercepts and radio direction finding. The Ship Sank in Eighteen Minutes. From February 18 onwards every enemy merchant vessel encountered in this zone will be destroyed, nor will it always be possible to avert the danger thereby threatened to the crew and passengers. victim They had probably been tasked with spying on Lusitania and her cargo. Dow had been instructed by his chairman, Alfred Booth, to take some leave, due to the stress of captaining the ship in U-boat infested sea lanes and for his protestations that the ship should not become an armed merchant cruiser, making her a prime target for German forces. The German restriction order of 9 September 1915 stated that attacks were allowed only on ships that were definitely British, while neutral ships were to be treated under the Prize Law rules, and no attacks on passenger liners were to be permitted at all. Lusitania was launched on 7 June … On the morning of 7 May, visibility was poor and Schwieger decided to head for home. Most of the sessions were public but two on 15 and 18 June were held in camera when evidence regarding navigation of the ship was presented. When the ships had closed to 2 miles (3.2 km) Lusitania turned away, Schwieger feared he had lost his target, but she turned again, this time onto a near ideal course to bring her into position for an attack. The Defence of the Realm Act was invoked so that British witnesses could not give evidence on any subject it covered. Water had flooded the ship's starboard longitudinal compartments, causing a 15-degree list to starboard. We are more humane. The tower roof provides breathtaking views from a panoramic viewing point. May 6, 2015 by hhulster. RMS Lusitania (German) Medal. [49], Statements were collected from all the crew. It was in response to this, and to the British Admiralty's order of 31 January 1915 that British merchant ships should fly neutral colours as a ruse de guerre,[110] that Admiral Hugo von Pohl, commander of the German High Seas Fleet, published a warning in the Deutscher Reichsanzeiger (Imperial German Gazette) on 4 February 1915: (1) The waters around Great Britain and Ireland, including the whole of the English Channel, are hereby declared to be a War Zone. Indeed, that he had since commanded another ship which was sunk while zig-zagging. [116] In the 1960s, American diver John Light dove repeatedly to the site of the shipwreck in efforts to prove the existence of contraband explosives aboard Lusitania's cargo hold, which had been ignited by the torpedo. RMS Lusitania (German) Medal. This first blast was enough to cause, on its own, serious off-centre flooding, although the sinking would possibly have been slower. Of the 139 US citizens aboard Lusitania, 128 lost their lives, and there was massive outrage in Britain and America, The Nation calling it "a deed for which a Hun would blush, a Turk be ashamed, and a Barbary pirate apologize"[67] and the British felt that the Americans had to declare war on Germany. [71], In January 1917 the German Government announced it would now conduct full unrestricted submarine warfare. It then failed to get off a shot at the 16,000 ton liner Arabic, because although she kept a straight course the liner was too fast, but then sank another 6,000 ton British cargo ship flying no flag, Centurion, all in the region of the Coningbeg light ship. The track of Lusitania. The British luxury passenger liner RMS Lusitania was torpedoed a century ago. Turned international opinion against Germany. "[78], The Goetz medal attracted so much attention that Lord Newton, who was in charge of Propaganda at the Foreign Office in 1916, decided to develop the anti-German feelings aroused by it for propaganda purposes and asked department store entrepreneur Harry Gordon Selfridge to reproduce the medal again. Critics of the 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 seawater flowing through the damaged hull plates. Two days after he closed the inquiry, Lord Mersey waived his fees for the case and formally resigned. Assistant Manager of the Cunard Line, Herman Winter, denied the charge that she carried munitions: She had aboard 4,200 cases of cartridges, but they were cartridges for small arms, packed in separate cases... they certainly do not come under the classification of ammunition. They were also very distinctive; so smaller liners were used as transports instead. Doomed: A contemporary view of the sinking of the Lusitania off Ireland in May 1915. California Even so, she was the fastest first-class passenger liner left in commercial service. When Lusitania was built, her construction and operating expenses were subsidized by the British government, with the provision that she could be converted to an Armed Merchant Cruiser if need be. Of those killed, 123 were Americans. We will pursue the captain without check". He argued that up until the time of the sinking he had no reason to think that zig-zagging in a fast ship would help. Over the years various other copies have been made.[82]. Watch later. Giving evidence to the tribunal he was not asked about torpedoes. At the time she was sunk, she was carrying over 4 million rounds of small-arms ammunition (.303 caliber), almost 5,000 shrapnel shell casings (for a total of some 50 tons), and 3,240 brass percussion fuses, in addition to 1,266 passengers and a crew of 696. The Lusitania Museum/Old Head Signal Tower group of Kinsale, Ireland, the new owners of RMS Lusitania, are at an advanced stage in the design process of their planned state-of-the-art museum. Johnston died on 11 January 2011. Her name was picked out in gilt, her funnels were repainted in their usual Cunard livery, and her superstructure was painted white again. By the days' end, 764 passengers and crew from Lusitania had been rescued and landed at Queenstown. Exploded off the coast in Ireland in a part of the ocean that Germany declared a war zone. The sinking of RMS Lusitania occurred on May 7, 1915, during World War I (1914-1918). He testified that the second explosion had sounded to him like the rattling of machine gun fire and appeared to be below the second class dining room at the rear of the ship where he had been seated. [2] The rifle cartridges carried by Lusitania were mentioned during the case, Lord Mersey stating that "the 5,000 cases of ammunition on board were 50 yards away from where the torpedo struck the ship". The coroner brought in a verdict that the deceased had drowned following an attack on an unarmed non-combatant vessel contrary to international law. Barbara's mother died on 22 March 1917 at the age of 28. [26] On 6 May U-20 sank the 6,000 ton steamer Candidate. Legend: Ultrix America Juris, 1917 U.S.A 1918 (America avenger of right). Captain Turner gave evidence in Britain and now gave a more spirited defence of his actions. A cash bonus had been offered for any that were sunk, though the advice was carefully worded so as not to amount to an order to ram. Log first published in, Thomas A. Bailey/Paul B. Ryan: The Lusitania Disaster: An Episode in Modern Warfare and Diplomacy., Free Press/Collier Macmillan, New York/London 1975. [2]:367–69, Captain Turner, the Cunard Company, and the Royal Navy were absolved of any negligence, and all blame was placed on the German government. She and her brother Stuart (age 5) were saved by their British nursemaid Alice Maud Lines, then 18 years old, who jumped off the boat deck and escaped in a lifeboat. (2) Neutral vessels also will run a risk in the War Zone, because in view of the hazards of sea warfare and the British authorization of January 31 of the misuse of neutral flags, it may not always be possible to prevent attacks on enemy ships from harming neutral ships.[111]. Information about Marechal's background was sought out by the British government and leaked to the press so as to discredit him. Of the 1,959 men, women, and children on board, 1,195 perished, including 123 Americans. First Sea Lord Fisher noted on one document submitted by Webb for review: "As the Cunard company would not have employed an incompetent man its a certainty that Captain Turner is not a fool but a knave. With joyful pride we contemplate this latest deed of our Navy. The sinking of the Cunard ocean liner RMS Lusitania occurred on Friday, 7 May 1915 during the First World War, as Germany waged submarine warfare against the United Kingdom which had implemented a naval blockade of Germany. There was panic and disorder on the decks. During the ship's first eastbound crossing after the war started, she was painted in a drab grey colour scheme in an attempt to mask her identity and make her more difficult to detect visually. What types of wood was Lusitania built from – similar to Titanic? Among the most recognizable of these liners, some were eventually used as troop transports, while others became hospital ships. Thirty-three witnesses who could not travel to the US gave statements in England to Commissioner R. V. Wynne. To the point that the Germans put an ad in the New York City papers warning potential passengers on the Lusitania that they were subject to being sunk as a legitimate war target. British subject The third note, of 21 July, issued an ultimatum, to the effect that the US would regard any subsequent sinkings as "deliberately unfriendly". [52], Turner stated that he had discussed the matter of what course the ship should take with his two most senior officers, Captain Anderson and Chief Officer Piper, neither of whom survived. D Deck He was commodore of the Cunard Line and a highly experienced master mariner, and had relieved Daniel Dow, the ship's regular captain. Lancashire The head of the Lusitania Souvenir Medal Committee later estimated that 250,000 were sold, proceeds being given to the Red Cross and St. Dunstan's Blinded Soldiers and Sailors Hostel. Mixed Claims Commission ", "Detective-Inspector William John Pierpoint", "Wreck Commissioner's Inquiry - The torpedoing of the ship - The launching of the life-boats", The Sinking of the Lusitania: Terror at Sea, "Miss Kathleen Kaye (Hannah Ermine Kathleen Kirschbaum)", http://www.rmslusitania.info/people/saloon/albert-hopkins/, "Sinking Justified, Says Dr. Dernburg; Lusitania a "War Vessel," Known to be Carrying Contraband, Hence Search Was Not Necessary", "A NEW THEORY OF THE LUSITANIA SINKING. 1, would probably have sunk the ship without a second explosion. Christened by Mary, Lady Inverclyde, Lusitania was, With the world in lockdown mode and all of us being unable to gather on site in either Liverpool, England, or at the Old Head of Kinsale, Ireland, the Merseyside Maritime Museum and the Old Head of, Lusitania propeller at the Merseyside Maritime Museum, Liverpool. Captain Dow, apparently suffering from stress from operating his ship in the war zone, and after a significant "false flag" controversy[further explanation needed] left the ship; Cunard later explained that he was "tired and really ill."[15] He was replaced with a new commander, Captain William Thomas Turner, who had previously commanded Lusitania, Mauretania, and Aquitania in the years before the war. Radio signals continued on emergency batteries, but electric lifts failed, trapping passengers and crew; bulkhead doors, that were closed as a precaution before the attack, could not be reopened to release trapped men.[2]:238–40. Behind her the sun is breaking through clouds and six ships are steaming. Many witnesses testified that portholes across the ship had been open at the time of the sinking, and an expert witness confirmed that such a porthole three feet under water would let in four tons of water per minute. Despite being relatively close to shore, it took several hours for help to arrive from the Irish coast. United States residence London [79] The replica medals were produced in an attractive case and were an exact copy of the German medal, and were sold for a shilling apiece. Not only COULD the Germans know that the Lusitania was carrying munitions; the Germans KNEW that the Lusitania was carrying munitions. At the outbreak of hostilities, fears for the safety of Lusitania and other great liners ran high. Shortly afterward he transmitted the ship's position, 10 miles (16 km) south of the Old Head of Kinsale. Half an hour after the inquest had concluded and its results given to the press, the Crown Solicitor for Cork, Harry Wynne, arrived with instructions to halt it. From Wikimedia Commons. At the time, most attributed it to a second torpedo attack from the U-boat. The ship was identified and torpedoed by the German U-boat U-20, took on a heavy starboard list, and sank in 18 minutes. The bodies of many of the victims were buried at either Queenstown, where 148 bodies were interred in the Old Church Cemetery,[40] or the Church of St. Multose in Kinsale, but the bodies of the remaining 885 victims were never recovered. The nature of the official cargo was considered, but experts considered that under no conditions could the cargo have exploded. In the midst of chaos, Barbara was separated from her mother and loaded into Lifeboat No. She was also secretly loaded with munitions for Britain for the war. However, the United States would not declare war on Germany and enter World War I until April 1917. [41] This feat would be accomplished only once during the war by a commercial vessel when in 1918 the White Star Liner RMS Olympic, sister ship to the Titanic, rammed into SM U-103 in the English Channel, sinking the submarine. Cruisers protecting merchant ships were warned not to use the code to give directions to shipping because it could just as easily attract enemy submarines as steer ships away from them. [2]:216[30], On the morning of 6 May, Lusitania was 750 miles (1,210 km) west of southern Ireland. Feature Articles - RMS Lusitania: The Fateful Voyage On April 30 th 1915, the Lusitania was at New York, being loaded with meat, medical supplies, copper, cheese, oil and machinery, but she was also secretly being loaded with munitions for Britain for the war. Ballard tried to confirm John Light's findings of a large hole on the port side of the wreck, and he didn't find anything. As was typical for the period, the hull plates of Lusitania were riveted, and as the lifeboats were lowered they dragged on the inch high rivets, which threatened to seriously damage the boats before they landed in the water. After her bow sank completely, Lusitania's stern rose out of the water, enough for her propellers to be seen, and went under. [28] Turner adjusted his heading northeast, not knowing that this report related to events of the previous day and apparently thinking submarines would be more likely to keep to the open sea, so that Lusitania would be safer close to land. This site is dedicated to the RMS Lusitaniaand all those who built and those who sailed on her. Despite a severe shortage of destroyers, Admiral Henry Oliver ordered HMS Louis and Laverock to escort Lusitania, and took the further precaution of sending the Q ship Lyons to patrol Liverpool Bay. RMS Lusitania was a British ship that a German submarine sank in WW1 causing a major diplomatic uproar. He was assisted by four assessors, Admiral Sir Frederick Samuel Inglefield, Lieutenant Commander Hearn and two merchant navy captains, D. Davies and J. Spedding. Learn how and when to remove this template message, Margaret Haig Thomas, 2nd Viscountess Rhondda, United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, Dead Wake: The Last Crossing of the Lusitania, List by death toll of ships sunk by submarines, "The Lusitania Resource: Lusitania Passengers & Crew, Facts & History", "Remembering the Sinking of the RMS Lusitania", "Memorandum to War Cabinet on trade blockade", https://fas.org/irp/ops/ci/docs/ci1/notice.jpg, "Why Was the Snking of the Lusitania Important? [35] While it was still possible to board the lifeboats on the port side, lowering them presented a different problem. At the time Dernburg was recognised as the official spokesman of the Imperial German government in the United States. [7], The British established a naval blockade of Germany immediately on the outbreak of war in August 1914, issuing a comprehensive list of contraband that included even foodstuffs, and in early November 1914 Britain declared the North Sea to be a war zone, with any ships entering the North Sea doing so at their own risk. These were all written out for presentation to the inquiry on standard forms in identical handwriting with similar phrasing. In retaliation, Germany declared the waters surrounding the British Isles a war zone and sent U-boats to patrol the area. Charles E. Ives: Memos. He ruled that further claims for compensation should be addressed to the German government (which eventually paid $2.5 million in 1925). [73], Emile Henry Lacombe wrote a letter to the New York Times advancing a conspiracy theory about the German sinking of the Lusitania in 1915. London: Calder & Boyars. Captain Daniel Dow of Lusitania refused to give his own position except in code, and since he was, in any case, some distance from the positions he gave, continued to Liverpool unescorted. Given the extreme vulnerability of a submarine to ramming or even small-caliber shellfire, a U-boat that surfaced and gave warning against a merchantman which had been given such instructions was putting itself in great danger. At the outbreak of the First World War, the British Admiralty considered her for requisition as an armed merchant cruiser, and she was put on the official list of AMCs. The conventions had been drawn up in a time before the invention of the submarine and took no account of the severe risk a small vessel, such as a submarine, faced if it gave up the advantage of a surprise attack. While a large number of small children and infants helped reduce the squeeze into the limited number of two- and four-berth cabins, the situation was ultimately rectified by allowing some Second Class passengers to occupy empty First Class cabins. On May 7, 1915, the British ocean liner RMS Lusitania was in route from New York City to Liverpool, England when it was torpedoed and sunk by a German U-boat.Over 1100 civilians died as a result of this attack, including more than 120 American citizens. Post was not sent - check your email addresses! The disaster set off a chain of events that led to the U.S. entering World War I. Mai". Kirkpatrick, John (1973). The deficiencies of the ship's original watertight bulkhead design exacerbated the situation, as did the many portholes which had been left open for ventilation. 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