Lusitania Lost
Page 37
Ambulance*–There is no indication that ambulances were aboard the Lusitania on her final voyage, although they were sometimes sent overseas by medical charity organizations.
Ammunition–Records show large quantities of shrapnel shells in the Lusitania’s cargo hold and rifle cartridges too, which have been found scattered in the trail of the wreck.
Armament–The Lusitania and Mauretania were designed to serve as armed auxiliary cruisers in the event of war. In May 1913, in readiness for war with Germany, the Lusitania was armored along the shelter deck and the forward section closed off. Revolving gun rings were installed to mount twelve six-inch rapid-firing naval rifles, six along each broadside. Although it is still a subject of controversy, the most detailed history indicates that removable guns were placed aboard in August, 1914 at the outbreak of the Great War. The same account indicates that, as the liner continued in passenger service, the guns were taken off again, perhaps for use in other merchant or war vessels. Some question remains whether all of the “defensive” guns were removed.
Battlecruisers–Fast, lightly armored but heavily gunned cruisers, designed to fight battleships and cruisers by outrunning them and staying at extreme range.
Boddy Belt–Cunard’s standard life jacket or vest. Many drowned victims were found wearing them incorrectly.
Cigar incendiary device–This item, manufactured by a German scientist, was in use early in the war. It was likely used for port and industrial sabotage in North America.
Destroyer–High-speed turbine steamship, designed to chase and depth-bomb submarines.
Dreadnought–Heavily gunned and armored early-1900s battleships, driven by steam turbines.
Gun cotton–This fibrous, smokeless form of gunpowder, though not listed on the cargo manifests, is believed to have been present in the guise of crated cheeses, to help relieve the severe shortage of artillery ammunition and propellant on the Western Front. The pyroxiline gun cotton manufactured in the US by DuPont was highly combustible and dangerous in seawater. Furthermore, the waterproof containers designed for its transport had been preemptively bought out by a company friendly to the German–Austro-Hungarian Central Powers. It likely was shipped in wooden crates or burlap bundles.
Hopper*–This concept is the author’s creation. As with the Tank, it seems possible that such a prototype would be in transport, especially with naval architect Fred Gauntlett aboard. After the sinking, it was rumored that two of these devices were in the cargo hold.
Hydrophones–Methods of underwater sound detection were in use by 1916, both for submarine and surface vessels. This is another technical advance that could theoretically have been delayed by the loss of prototypes and lives aboard the Lusitania. This passive listening does not foresee the later development of active, echo-based ASDIC and sonar, leading to radar in the next war.
Juno, HMS (His Majesty’s Ship)–An outdated, slow Eclipse-class cruiser from 1895, the only capital ship assigned to the Ireland flotilla. With longitudinal coal bunkers, she was vulnerable to torpedoes as the Aboukir, Hogue, and Cressy “Live Bait Squadron.” As flagship of Admiral Coke at Queenstown, Juno was assigned as Lusitania’s escort but recalled. She later steamed to stricken Lusi’s rescue, only to be ordered back into port for her own safety.
Lusitania, RMS (Royal Mail Ship)–Ocean liner built by Cunard Co. to Royal Navy design requirements for an auxiliary cruiser. Placed in Atlantic ferry service in 1907, this 790-foot “floating palace” set a new standard in luxury, and for years she and her sister ship Mauretania remained the fastest way to travel from the US to England and back. She was the first passenger liner to use steam turbines for enhanced speed, 25 knots (28 mph). Her last, fatal voyage carried 1268 passengers and 694 crew. Loss of life totaled 1201 souls, including the 3 stowaways in the brig and 124 Americans.
Mauretania–The sister ship to Lusitania, an almost identical and slightly faster four-stacker launched the same year. She was armed at the outbreak of war and converted to a troopship, then disarmed and used as a hospital ship to evacuate wounded from the ill-fated Gallipoli campaign in 1915. After the war she remained in passenger service until 1937.
Motorcycles–There is no record of these on the Lusitania.
Q-ship–These merchant “mystery ships” with hidden armaments were Winston Churchill’s answer to the German Kaiser’s U-boats and surface commerce raiders. Cannon, machine guns and wireless sets were placed aboard liners, cargo ships and trawlers to threaten submarines. Merchant vessels were also ordered to ignore warnings to stop, and steer to ram the subs.
Tank*–In Britain the armored fighting vehicle (AFV) was developed under the Royal Navy’s Landships Committee, formed in February, 1915 by First Lord of the Admiralty Winston Churchill. AFVs were not deployed in combat until September, 1916 at the Battle of the Somme. But it’s conceivable that an early US-made prototype could have been shipped to England. This device provides a wholly fictional assertion of the presence of military weapons aboard the Lusitania. It’s commonly stated that the earliest AFVs were crated for transport as secret weapons and labeled “TANK.”
U-20–Unterseeboot-20, one of 12 new diesel-powered U-boats then in service to the German Kaiserliche Marine. The craft was 210 feet long (64 meters) with a crew of 35, armed with 7 torpedoes and a deck gun. Its range was 9,700 nautical miles, at 15.4 knots surface cruising speed, or 9.5 knots submerged on battery power for limited distances.
Notes: Except for the fictional characters, all persons and events are derived from published histories, as are the contents of the cargo hold except for the ambulances, motorcycles, and the two largest crates. The Lusitania’s hold was enlarged at the start of the war and gun mountings were installed. The wreck is now under salvage, but due to its deteriorating condition, its full contents, including the Rembrandt paintings, may never be revealed. Survivors of the ship did report seeing the U-boat surface after the torpedoing, and it may have attacked or frightened off rescuing ships. Crucial pages which may address this or the mutiny appear to have been removed and replaced in Captain Schwieger’s U-boat log.
Bibliography
Bailey, Thomas A. and Paul B. Ryan, The Lusitania Disaster; An Episode in Modern Warfare and Diplomacy. Macmillan Publishing Co. / Free Press, 1975.
Ballard, Robert D. and Spencer Dunmore. Exploring the Lusitania. Warner / Madison Press, 1995.
Hickey, Des and Gus Smith. Seven Days To Disaster; The Sinking of the Lusitania.
New York: G. P. Putnam and Sons, 1981.
Layton, J. Kent. Lusitania; An Illustrated Biography of the Ship of Splendor. Lulu Press, 2007. http://www.atlanticliners.com.
Massie, Robert K. Dreadnought. New York: Ballantine Books, 1991.
O’Sullivan, Patrick. The Lusitania; Unravelling the Mysteries. New York: Sheridan House, 2000.
Peeke, Mitch, Kevin Walsh-Johnson, and Steven Jones. The Lusitania Story. Anapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press, 2004. http://www.lusitania.net.
Preston, Diana. Lusitania; An Epic Tragedy. New York: Berkley Books / Penguin Group (USA), 2003.
Simpson, Colin. The Lusitania; Finally, the Startling Truth about One of the Most Fateful of All Disasters of the Sea. Boston, Toronto: Little, Brown & Co., 1972.