I first heard of the Lusitania on an episode of The Twilight Zone. Long before I knew the details of her story, I knew the name. That’s probably true for a lot of people. Along with the Titanic and the Edmund Fitzgerald, the Lusitania has become one of the few ships recognized far beyond maritime history. The sinking of this ship changed the world. It wasn’t the reason America got into WWI, but it helped by changing attitudes at the time. This ship was known for its speed and comfort. This was the Cunard Line’s flagship, just as the Olympic was the White Star Line’s. I think of some of these ships as works of art. I hate that she gets remembered for sinking. She was a glorious ship and probably the most famous of her day. She and her sister, RMS Mauretania were household names.
I wanted to post this ship’s story much earlier, but it’s so complex that I ended up reading a book for more information: Lusitania: Triumph, Tragedy, and the End of the Edwardian Age by Penny Wilson and Greg King (I would highly recommend). I’m going to have a companion page with this post and others. I wanted a place where I could list some very interesting stories and not make this post a novel. So you, the readers, could have a choice if you wanted to read more or not.
The RMS Lusitania was one of the great ocean liners of the early 1900s and of all time. She entered service in 1907 and quickly became famous for her speed and luxury. At the time, she was one of the fastest ships in the world. Wealthy passengers loved her grand dining rooms and first-class accommodations, but she also carried immigrants and regular travelers crossing the Atlantic. When World War I began in 1914, Britain started using large passenger liners to help the war effort.
She was a tough ship. In January 1910, Lusitania showed just how tough she was. While crossing the Atlantic in a violent storm, an enormous wave struck the ship head-on and swept over her bow. The water reached the bridge, smashing windows and damaging the wheelhouse and other parts of the ship. For passengers watching the bow disappear beneath the sea, it must have been terrifying. Lusitania came back up, however, and after temporary repairs she continued to New York at reduced speed. Five years before her sinking, the Atlantic had already given the ship one enormous test, and she survived it.
Germany warned that ships sailing into British waters could be attacked because Britain was blockading Germany with its navy. On May 1, 1915, the Lusitania left New York for Liverpool with nearly 2,000 passengers and crew aboard. Many Americans were nervous because Germany had printed warnings in many newspapers that British ships could be targeted by submarines. Still, most passengers believed a civilian liner would never be attacked. On the afternoon of May 7, 1915, near the southern coast of Ireland, the German submarine U-20 (companion page with info on the U-20) fired a torpedo into the Lusitania. A second explosion followed inside the ship, still debated by historians today. The liner began to list heavily and sank in only about 18 minutes. Lifeboats were difficult to launch because of the sharp angle of the deck. 1198 people died, and only 762 survived. Only 289 bodies were ever recovered from the sea, and a large portion of them were never identified. It has been reported that the British government carried approximately 4.2 million rounds of rifle ammunition, 5,000 cases of shrapnel artillery shells, and non-explosive military fuses in the Lusitania’s cargo hold. While officially registered as a passenger liner, the ship was also legally classified as an armed auxiliary cruiser and received government construction subsidies
The notice in the newspapers.
The sinking shocked the world. Newspapers were filled with stories about families lost at sea and survivors struggling in the freezing water. Germany argued that the Lusitania was carrying war supplies, which later investigations showed was partly true because rifle cartridges and other military materials were aboard. Still, much of the public viewed the attack as the destruction of a civilian passenger ship filled with innocent people. The sinking created enormous anger in the United States. At first, America did not enter the war, but anti-German feeling grew stronger after the disaster. The Lusitania quickly became a symbol on posters and in newspapers to encourage support for the Allied side.
The ramifications of the sinking lasted for years. Germany temporarily reduced unrestricted submarine warfare because of worldwide outrage. But by 1917, Germany resumed attacking ships without warning, helping push America into World War I. Many historians believe the sinking of the Lusitania changed American public opinion and slowly moved the country closer to entering the war.
In her 8-year career, she traveled around 650,000 to 700,000 miles. She completed 101 round-trip Atlantic crossings. One tragic, interesting story involved Canadian Frances Stephens (Companion Page). Please read this brief story if you can. The year before, the U-boat would have stopped the ship, inspected the cargo, let people off the ship, and then sunk her. It was called “prize rules” or “cruiser rules.” On a dive this century, the divers found Remington .303 caliber bullets. As many as 2.4 million rounds were on the ship’s manifest.
Now I want to recognize some of the people who were, in my eyes, heroes.
Alfred Gwynne Vanderbilt: A wealthy American businessman who gave his life jacket to a mother with an infant and helped others into lifeboats. Alfred could not swim and died in the icy water, and his body was never recovered. Leslie Noel Morton & Joseph Parry: Two young British seamen showed immense bravery. They jumped into the ocean to reach a drifting lifeboat, ripped off its cover to rescue dozens, and went on to save around 50 people from the water. Both survived and were awarded the Silver Board of Trade Medal for Gallantry. Ian Holbourn: A Scottish author who took a young passenger, Avis Dolphin, under his wing when the ship was struck. He guided her to safety, giving up his own life belt for her. Ian and Avis survived and remained lifelong friends. Lindon Bates, Jr.: An American passenger who selflessly gave his life jacket to a frightened female passenger and stayed on the sinking deck to search for lost children before going down with the ship. Thomas Woods: A brave Manx fisherman from the Isle of Man who was fishing nearby on his small boat. Seeing the disaster unfold, he and his crew were the first to arrive on the scene and successfully pulled about 150 survivors from the water.
Every great ship is a product of the knowledge available when she was built. Engineers don’t know what future disasters will be. Almost every major maritime tragedy has taught the next generation of designers something new.
The sinking of the Lusitania inspired writers and musicians for decades. One of the most interesting was Woody Guthrie, who later sang ‘When That Great Ship Went Down,’ telling the story through the eyes of those aboard. If you’re interested in the song, I’ve written about it on Power Pop.
When you REALLY have time…it’s worth a watch!
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That was quite the grand ballroom/dining room! I have known it’s name for decades but didn’t know the story. Sad yet interesting and debate-worthy. It was pretty shady or risky of the Allies to be using a passenger ship to move weapons. Germany had a valid argument but there must have been better ways to stop the cargo than sinking it and it’s thousands on board. Great background on those heroes though. 150 rescued by one fishing boat? Wow!
The year before they had the “crusier rules” …they would stop a ship and inspect it…if they found anything they would sink it AFTER letting all the passengers off…but both sides took advantage of that…like if a U-boat would appear, the ocean liner was told to run through it…the U boats were slow…ships like the Lusitania was faster than most military ships. That Canadian woman had the worst damn luck imaginable in life and death. Those fishing boats were probably professional…so they were big.
What a gorgeous boat! Great article, Max. Catch you later.
A story I have heard piecemeal but you have put it all together brilliantly. So much new information. I wasn’t aware that it was carrying munitions. And the heroes you mentioned, other than Alfred Gwynne Vanderbilt, I didn’t know their stories.
Thanks Randy…that is so nice to hear…I hope I’ve added some small details anyway. I was shocked when they dived not long ago and found more shells and other things still in the ship.
I’ll echo Randy
Fascinating story, with details I did not know before. Leads me to wonder if under the “cruiser rules” one side stopped an opposing ship at sea. Where did they leave the passengers?
I am always quick to comment on what you, as the story teller, does. I notice it and you are so good at how you construct what you write. So let me add my compliments on the sub-posts. A great idea that I shall investigate once I finish my comment.
Like Dave, I was very taken with the photographs. Building mansions as ships. Impressive.
Thank you Arthur…I didn’t want this post being so long…the reason I did that at first was Frances Stephens…I wanted to make sure her story was told in full.
I found your post to be very interesting Max as I knew the name Lusitania, but very little else about the sinking of this ship.
Thanks Jim…I appreciate you reading this long post.
I don’t see that I can comment on the companion page.
You say, ” One thing I find interesting is that Schwieger was not viewed by the German Navy as a rogue commander. ” Why would he be considered a rogue commander? I know, the blog is long enough. But you raised the question in my mind….
He was by the British…he was the most hated man around after this.
Brings to mind the old line, “Just following orders.”
Yes… I wish he would have used the cruiser rules…he did that very same day to fishing ships…but with the Lusitania…she could have ran him down…the Captain probably would not have though. The military told him to run zig zag to avoid being hit…the Captain just ignored it with other advice.
I love the fact that I appear to be schizo on WordPress. Both names in my replies. And no, I’m not doing anything to cause it, am writing from the same computer.
LOL…it’s a wordpress quirk…and they are famous for quirks.
Rabbit Hole of useless trivia here: One of the passengers on the Lusitania was Charles Frohman, a Broadway producer of great success and renown. According to Wikipedia, “Songwriter Jerome Kern was meant to accompany him on the voyage but overslept after being kept up late playing requests at a party.” Imagine a world without “Ol Man River” or “The Way You Look Tonight,” just two of too many to list great songs by Jerome Kern.
Oh yes…I read about Frohman some…he brought Peter Pan to America…I’m so glad Kern didn’t go! I can’t believe a lot of people went because a warning was published…they just thought they would never get hit…but on the trip according to survivors….it started to get tense the closer they got to British waters.
Re the warning, and it was a stroke of genius to you for posting the warning ad. Let’s see, the notice says British waters and British flag. The ship sailed from Liverpool and flew a British flag. I’d say the notice is pretty clear.
Beautiful photographs, luxury indeed. A very interesting and tragic story.
Thank you! I promise you all of them won’t be this long. The story is just so complex…It was a beautiful ship! They were like 5 star hotels on water.
I may be the only one to say this, but I say it proudly as the truth. I do not think this blog was that long. The length fit the story. Actually, usually that measure, it wasn’t that long. I do think the additional page was a great idea.
Thanks Arthur…I need feedback like that. Now I’m going to start featuring ships as well…that didn’t sink! I still have more that did that are coming…in fact most of my future posts are shipwrecks but I’m breaking it up and trying to have a ship that didn’t sink…the next week a ship that did. I think they were works of art.
Interesting and informative as always, Max. So weird about Frances! Love how you add the videos and stories, thanks for all the hard work.
Thanks for reading about Frances…what a terrible story. Those are the kind of stories I like writing about…I hate that it happened…and I can’t believe someone hasn’t got her out of the ship.
Thanks Dana!
Maybe someday…
Max —
I knew the name of the ship and that she had a sister but knew nothing about how she sank and what her significance was in connection with the war. I have to wonder if the people who decided to load a ship up with weapons and ammunition thought that loading a bunch of people on her would protect the ammo etc? Seeing that warning by the Germans would have been enough for me, I think, but I wasn’t there.
Seeing the heroes you highlight brought tears to my eyes.
What a beautiful ship she was. It enrages me that fascist f***ers sank her. F*** Fascism! Woody’s right, he killed at least a few fascists with his music.
Thank you for sharing another piece of history through events with ships and those who travel, and sometimes die, on them.
It was so messed up! Yes…if I would have seen that warning…I would not have got on. Both countries were so damn wrong in this. The British shouldn’t have tried to put ammo on her (turning it into a military target).t…but Germany should have used the “Cruiser” rules. Because…on that same day they sunk a British ship but they let the people get off first.
That story about Frances Stephens was unbelievable…the poor woman was not only killed by that U-boat…but then her body was lost to that same U boat on another ship….and her body is still on it.
Glad you enjoyed it! I thought Woody linked in perfect this week!
Were the Germans fascists in WW1? I know the Kaisers’ Krauts (can I say that?) were before the Great Depression and Adolf the Fascist.
I’m confused…
from wiki:
Fascism is a far-right, authoritarian, and ultranationalist political ideology and movement that rose to prominence in early-20th-century Europe… The first fascist movements emerged in Italy during World War I before spreading to other European countries, most notably Germany.”
‘…passengers believed Germany would never attack a civilian ocean liner.’ Naivety is a luxury not even a Vanderbilt can afford.
That said, I’m glad you highlighted Alfred G. Vanderbilt’s humanity. It transcended his wealth. Most of us have the power to transcend, if we only would.
After that warning, I would not have stepped on that ship. They were even nervous the rest of the rest of the trip. I’ll be honest…before I read the book and studied it…some of me thought Churchill didn’t do enough just to get America in the war.
Also, it was a different generation and era. The wealthy on the Titanic gave up seats for women and children. Can you imagine today? Not just wealthy but everyone…it was more of a moral code then I believe.
I’m confused. Was Churchill around during the 1910s? This is WW1, not WWII.
Yes he was… he actually commented before this happened. Well, not commented. He had a document to say if there’s trouble all the better. And what people take that to mean was America will come in the war… it depends on how you interpret that
Churchill, according to https://www.nationalchurchillmuseum.org/churchill-in-world-war-i-and-aftermath.html?gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=22891818123&gbraid=0AAAABA_pmTK2iJ8hgR3cC-hcRYx7UciBK&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI9bvx_uLslQMVWS5ECB0UbgDvEAAYASAAEgJiCPD_BwE , was involved in the war effort but not at the level to get the United States into WWI. His support of plane and tank development was earth shattering (take that as a pun if you want) but not an influential part of the political scene.
I found this: Pre-Sinking Policy: Critics often point to an earlier memo where Churchill noted that attracting neutral shipping to British shores was vital “in the hope especially of embroiling the United States with Germany”
Yes, passengers believed Germany would never attack a civilian ocean liner. But that seems to be a point in issue. And the munitions found suggests Germany attacked part of the war machine.
I need to remember this was 110 years ago. People were more gullible then. That was before … Excuse me, let me cut this tirade off before I get started….
Well, what’s funny about it is during the trip. Most of the passengers were nervous. At night they slept near lifeboats so it’s not like they just didn’t know it could happen
I knew the basics, I did know the sinking caused the US to tilt towards entering the war. You’ve upped my knowledge on it far more. When it comes to war it seems more rules are bent and twisted than followed to the letter.
The story of Frances Stephens is the stuff ripped right out of ‘Ripley’s Believe It Or Not!’ At least to me, inspirational. Perhaps revisit an old post?
The story of Frances…that is why I made the companion page to begin with. Obbverse…I was shocked…I couldn’t believe it. I double checked to make sure it was true. I can’t believe her family didn’t get her off of that ship…but she is still there.
There are things I didn’t put because of the size of the post…but the Captain ignored the military orders to “zig zag” and he went a route where they told him not to go. I must admit…before I thought Churchill didn’t “want” that to happen…but he wanted America in the war….but after reading the military told Captain Turner to do this and that…and he didn’t….that made me feel better…but that ship deserved an escort. Frances deserves her own post for that.
Again…you hit me at the time I’m about to walk out the door…also obbverse…sorry I was so late to your blog this week. Anyway…I will talk to you when I get home!
https://theelephantstrunk.org/2026/07/25/four-seconds-rms-lusitania/
Man, you’re doing your homework with this stuff. How do you find the time to fit this stuff in with 115 dogs running around your house haha… I heard of this boat but did not know it was used to move military equipment and also made the U.S get involved in the war.
Great stuff dude.
Well…that is one of the reasons I cut off the extra post on Fridays lol…a week between postings help! The powerpop posts takes me 20 – 30 minutes…these…shit dude…hours.
We are down to 2 now! Whew…dude…I still haven’t had a complete nights sleep in at least 5-6 weeks. It’s getting better though. Yea man…this sinking was a mess…both sides have blame.
I know about the America entering world war 1 link from History. Took them a couple more years, but still feels like a key moment.
Yes…it in itself didn’t do it but it changed people’s opinion on war…