What comes to mind when I say "shipwreck?" Probably the Titanic, right? But there have been so many more horrific shipwrecks that have been much worse than the Titanic. In my opinion, one of the worst was probably the Lusitania.
The Lusitania took off from New York City, New York on May 1, 1915 and headed off to Liverpool, Great Britain. It was a beautiful day. But the news in the newspaper was not so beautiful. It held a warning to the passengers that they are at their own risk of German U-boats wandering around Ireland that would be more than willing to shoot down the beautiful cruise liner. Since this was World War 1, Captain William Turner assured the passengers that Lusitania's speed could outrun any German U-boat.
The one thing the passengers didn't know what that the Lusitania was carrying several heavy explosives. This was a great threat considering that many U-boats could intercept messages going from ship to ship. But the captain didn't bother telling the passengers this. You never know what might happen. They had already found three German spies in third class. They had been arrested and were being held below deck.
The RMS Lusitania made her maiden voyage in 1907. Unlike Titanic, she had made several voyages. She was famous for her trips from New York City to Liverpool. She was the first ocean liner to weigh over 30,000 tons and to have a quadruple screw steamer on board. She was the largest ship in the world until her sister ship, Mauretania, was built two months later. Lusitania was built by the John Brown & Co. in 1903 and was finished in 1907. For her maiden voyage the Liverpool landing stage has to be adjusted to fit her!
Walter Schwieger and his crew were one of the many U-boats patrolling the sea. With a successful day of shooting down two British ships they looked for another target before they headed back to Germany. They had read about the Lusitania and thought this would be a perfect target to finish off their patrol. The only problem was that it took about two torpedoes to shoot down a ship in a short amount of time. The U-boat had three torpedoes left but they needed two in case they were to be attacked on the way back to Germany. But they decided to give it a shot. Schwieger joked he would give the Lusitania a "bloody nose" before she returned to Liverpool. She was far away and with the U-boat only traveling at 10 knots it was hopeless. But they took off toward the coast of Ireland where they knew Lusitania would cross.
Lusitania was very similar to the Titanic. Here are some pictures to prove it:
Lusitania
Titanic
During the voyage the passengers were relaxed after Captain Turner's assurance nothing would go wrong. The first class passengers enjoyed the dining hall and even had a passenger's "Talent Show" the night before the sinking. But the laughing first class passenger's faces turned solemn after Captain Turner stepped onto the stage to say that there had been U-boat sightings near where the Lusitania would be sailing tomorrow. He advised the passengers to draw their curtains shut if they turned on the light and asked the men not to light their cigarettes out on the deck. Captain Turner hoped this would help the Lusitania blend in with her surroundings. But luck was on their side because a heavy fog formed that night, giving them ever MORE protection.
The next morning, May 7, 1915, was bright and sunny and not a U-boat in sight. But the whole 2,000 passengers were on the edge of their seats, waiting for action. While most of the passengers headed out for lunch many stayed on the deck to take advantage of the May sun. But suddenly someone shouted, "Look!" A mysterious object was rising in the water. Captain Turner was on the bridge and immediately turned the engines on to full speed. The crew attempted to outrun the U-boat but there was no hope. The Lusitania was straight in the U-boat's path and that was it. Around 2:10 PM Schwieger ordered his crew to get the torpedo ready. They doubted they could bring it down with one shot but Schwieger chose a spot next to the hull which he hoped would fill with water quickly. "39 . . . 38 . . . 37 . . ." Schwieger ordered. His men got the torpedo ready. Everyone on the Lusitania was dead silent, ready to see what would happen.
"Fire!"
The torpedo shot out of the U-boat and went straight into the hull of the mighty ship. But there was a mysterious second explosion which only the captain and crew knew what the second boom was. It was the explosives and heavy machinery they had been keeping in the baggage section. Unlike the Titanic where people were hesitant to get on the first few minutes the passengers of Lusitania trampled people to death to get to the lifeboats. But the problem was the ship was going down fast. The crew tried lowering the lifeboats but it was dangerous to put them in the water because water was gushing in and out of the ship, causing a swirling confusion. The boats would surely be swept away or tipped over. But many ignorant passengers pushed their way past the captain and crew and sat down on the lifeboats while demanding to be lowered into the ocean. The crew men refused.
Many first, second, and third class passengers were shut down below behind gates that separated the different classes. But there was no one there to give them a key and water was coming in fast. Up on deck, Captain Turner was in shock. The only thing he could do now was hang on to the railing of the bridge. He ordered his men to save themselves while he stayed behind to go down with the ship. Beyond the bridge many passengers were in hope because the crew and managed to get down a few lifeboats. But the ship was slowly tilting at an awkward angle and many people were falling off. Unlike the Titanic disaster, the water was cold but not cold enough to freeze you to death as quickly. But if you stayed in too long you would die. After 18 minutes the Lusitania went down. The men in the U-boat were silent. They pretended like it was a victory but were amazed by what they had just done. They brought down a whole ship with one torpedo, and many people would still die. They turned around and headed back to Germany but they were disgusted with what they had just done.
The people in the water clung desperately to anything they could find. Many lifeboats were tipped over because they were trying to save too many people. After four hours, rescue missions from Queenstown, Ireland arrived. Almost 2,000 people had been on board the Lusitania. Only 700 survived. !,200 perished.
Bodies were retrieved from the water and laid on the decks of Queenstown. Many of the surviving passengers collapsed, sobbing, by the bodies of their loved ones. But many were still missing. The 700 survivors buzzed around the deck asking if anyone had seen their loved ones. And when no one had they searched the bodies. But it was true that their loved ones had been lost to the sea, never to see the light of day again. When the people emerged they saw only four out of 39 babies had been saved and that less than half the children on board had survived.
Captain Turner was among those survivors. He had attempted to go down with the ship and was knocked unconscious and was thrown out of the bridge's window. He was forced to see the mistakes he had made.
Germany was taken off the list as being a "civilized" country after the sinking of the Lusitania. Schwieger was shunned because he had not been given orders to shoot down the Lusitania. He should have come home. And because of him Germany had to be punished.
Captain William Turner was pressed with charges for not leading the Lusitania out of safe waters. He was always asked why he was a coward and didn't go down with the ship for the rest of his life.
So you see, Titanic wasn't the only great shipwreck. Titanic was hit by an iceberg because of the ignorance of the crew and passengers. The passengers of the Lusitania were given a warning, that's true, but no one should've been punished over war.
It is now illegal to kill innocent civilians in war.
18 minutes.
-msof57
Author's Note: Sources:
http://www.lostliners.com/Liners/Cunard/Lusitania/finalvoyage3.html
http://www.greatships.net/lusitania.html
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JbmBdKPNNIk&feature=related
