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Maritime Madness: Lusitania
Posted by Raven on May 2nd, 2005
On May 1st, 1915, the Lusitania embarked on its 202nd crossing of the Atlantic with 1257 passengers, plus a crew of 702. It was under the command of Captain William Turner. While 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. Before the voyage, it was decided that only 19 of the 25 boilers would be utilised for the voyage because of the enormous consumption of coal, so boiler room 4 was shut down. This limited the Lusitania’s speed to 21 knots, still much faster than a U-boat submarine’s top speed of 13 knots.
The Germans had placed warning ads in the NYT…they did this often so that people would know that an ocean liner was a target of war. This ad was placed on April 22 1915 and specifically targeted this crossing. The ad was placed right next to Cunard Liners’ announcement of the crossing.
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 ships of Great Britain or her allies do so at their own risk.
IMPERIAL GERMAN EMBASSY WASHINGTON, D.C., APRIL 22, 1915.
May 2nd, 2005 at 10:15 pm
I believe I read somewhere that the Lusitania was thought to be carrying munitions because of the way it exploded when the torpedo hit it. But the story went on to say that the cause of the explosion was most likely coal dust in air below decks. Apparently there was some doubt about the presence of munitions on board.
May 3rd, 2005 at 6:57 am
When they did some research on the sunken remains of the Lucy, they could not get into the hull to see if there were any muntitions aboard. The ship landed on it’s side, the side that got blown out. So no one really knows for sure.