Difference between revisions of "RMS Lusitania"
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| − | [[Image: | + | {{Ship |
| + | | name=R.M.S. ''Lusitania'' | ||
| + | | image=070729221526 RMS Lusitania LG.jpg | ||
| + | | flag=[[Image:UK Civil Ensign.png|22pxx20px]] Merchant Navy (UK) | ||
| + | | port=[[Liverpool]], [[England]] | ||
| + | | owner=Cunard | ||
| + | | built=John Brown & Co. Ltd, Clydebank, Scotland | ||
| + | | launched=June 7, 1906 | ||
| + | | retired= | ||
| + | | status=Sunk, May 7, 1915 | ||
| + | | type=Ocean liner | ||
| + | | displ=44,060 long tons | ||
| + | | length=787 ft. | ||
| + | | beam=87 ft 6 in | ||
| + | | draft= | ||
| + | | speed=cruising:25 knots <br>max:26.7 knots | ||
| + | | test= | ||
| + | | armament= | ||
| + | | crew=850 | ||
| + | | pass=2,198 total <br>First-class: 552<br>Second-class: 460<br>Third-class: 1,186 | ||
| + | |}} | ||
[[Image:NYT01May1915.jpg|200px|right|thumb|Advertisement and shipping news page for the ''New York Times'', 01 May 1915, detailing the schedules of the various ocean liners and other ships due to sail. Below and to the right of the Cunard Line's notice of the departure dates for RMS ''Lusitania'' is the notice from the Imperial German Embassy in Washington, D.C. stating that all such vessels departing for Great Britain would enter a war zone at their own risk. Six days after this paper was printed, ''Lusitania'' was torpedoed and sunk off Ireland.]] | [[Image:NYT01May1915.jpg|200px|right|thumb|Advertisement and shipping news page for the ''New York Times'', 01 May 1915, detailing the schedules of the various ocean liners and other ships due to sail. Below and to the right of the Cunard Line's notice of the departure dates for RMS ''Lusitania'' is the notice from the Imperial German Embassy in Washington, D.C. stating that all such vessels departing for Great Britain would enter a war zone at their own risk. Six days after this paper was printed, ''Lusitania'' was torpedoed and sunk off Ireland.]] | ||
On May 7, 1915, still relatively early in World War I, a German [[U-boat]] sunk a massive [[British]] passenger liner known as the '''RMS Lusitania''' off the coast of [[Ireland]]. This one sinking killed 1,198 people, including 128 U.S. citizens. A member of the prominent Vanderbilt family, known for its railroad empire, was among the fatalities. The overall number of casualties was only a few hundred less than those who died on the [[Titanic]] when it hit an iceberg in 1912. | On May 7, 1915, still relatively early in World War I, a German [[U-boat]] sunk a massive [[British]] passenger liner known as the '''RMS Lusitania''' off the coast of [[Ireland]]. This one sinking killed 1,198 people, including 128 U.S. citizens. A member of the prominent Vanderbilt family, known for its railroad empire, was among the fatalities. The overall number of casualties was only a few hundred less than those who died on the [[Titanic]] when it hit an iceberg in 1912. | ||
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The sinking of the Lusitania was extensively used in British [[propaganda]] to promote recruitment for the armed forces in the war against Germany, and to promote anti-German sentiment in the still-neutral United States. | The sinking of the Lusitania was extensively used in British [[propaganda]] to promote recruitment for the armed forces in the war against Germany, and to promote anti-German sentiment in the still-neutral United States. | ||
| + | [[Image:Lusitania.jpg|left|thumb|300px|Poster about the Lusitania]] | ||
[[Category:Ships]] | [[Category:Ships]] | ||
Revision as of 21:40, May 16, 2008
| R.M.S. Lusitania | |
|---|---|
| |
| Career | |
| Flag | [[image: Merchant Navy (UK)|50px|center]]
|
| Owner | Cunard |
| Home port | Liverpool, England |
| Shipyard | John Brown & Co. Ltd, Clydebank, Scotland |
| Type | Ocean liner |
| Launched | June 7, 1906 |
| Status | Sunk, May 7, 1915 |
| Characteristics | |
| Displacement | 44,060 long tons |
| Length | 787 ft. |
| Beam | 87 ft 6 in |
| Speed | cruising:25 knots max:26.7 knots |
| Crew | 850 |
| Passengers | 2,198 total First-class: 552 Second-class: 460 Third-class: 1,186 |
On May 7, 1915, still relatively early in World War I, a German U-boat sunk a massive British passenger liner known as the RMS Lusitania off the coast of Ireland. This one sinking killed 1,198 people, including 128 U.S. citizens. A member of the prominent Vanderbilt family, known for its railroad empire, was among the fatalities. The overall number of casualties was only a few hundred less than those who died on the Titanic when it hit an iceberg in 1912.
On April 30th, 1915, the Lusitania was being loaded in New York with supplies, and was secretly being loaded with ammunition. Over on the other side of the world, in Germany, on the same day, Kapitänleutnant Walter Schwieger was ordered to take his U-boat-20 German submarine to take patrol of part of the Atlantic. The Lusitania started its trip across the Atlantic to Great Britain on May 1st, 1915, carrying 1257 passengers and 702 crew members under the command of Captain William Turner. On May 7th, the Lusitania and the German Submarine entered the Irish Channel. The Submarine had been sinking other ships before the Lusitania.
Running low on fuel Kapitänleutnant Schwieger decided to turn back. On his way back he ran into several ships, and sunk them. When he met up with the Lusitania, he submerged and fired one torpedo. The torpedo was noticed, but nothing was able to be done about it. Right after it hit, it triggered a secondary explosion within the ship (the leading theory is this was a coal dust explosion; the Lusitania burned coal for fuel, and by this late stage of the crossing her bunkers were nearly empty. The theory states that the detonation of the torpedo stirred up this dust and simultaneously ignited it.) Due to the list (tilt to one side) of the ship, it was impossible to launch half of her lifeboats. A distress signal was sent out and picked up at Queenstown (now called Cobh, Ireland. The Lusitania sank 18 minutes after the torpedo hit.
Queenstown sent out several boats to see what they could do. They arrived at the scene two hours after the sinking, and were able to rescue 761 people from the wreckage. The total number of deaths was 1,198.
The sinking of the Lusitania was extensively used in British propaganda to promote recruitment for the armed forces in the war against Germany, and to promote anti-German sentiment in the still-neutral United States.
