RMS Lusitania (2025)

07/05/2025

On this day , 110 years ago, May 7, 1915, a catastrophic 18 minutes after being torpedoed by German U-boat U-20, the magnificent RMS Lusitania vanished beneath the waves off the Old Head of Kinsale, Ireland. The time was approximately 2:28 PM.

The sinking was horrifyingly swift. With a severe and ever-increasing list to starboard, attempts to launch the lifeboats descended into chaos. Many boats on the port side were rendered useless, swinging inboard, while those on the starboard side were difficult to lower safely, often capsizing or being damaged. The once-proud liner plunged bow-first into the Atlantic.

Out of the 1,968 passengers and crew aboard, an estimated 1,198 lives were tragically lost in those final terrifying moments or in the cold waters that followed. The "Greyhound of the Seas" was gone, leaving behind a scene of devastation and marking one of World War I's most shocking civilian tragedies.

🎨 by our friend Ken Marschall
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07/05/2025

On this day 110 years ago, May 7, 1915, at approximately 2:10 PM (local time) the paths of RMS Lusitania and German U-boat U-20 fatally converged. Positioned off the Old Head of Kinsale, Ireland, Kapitänleutnant Walther Schwieger, commander of U-20, sighted the massive four-funnelled liner. Schwieger maneuvered U-20 into attack position and fired a single G-type torpedo.
It struck Lusitania on the starboard side, just aft of the bridge. Moments later, a colossal second explosion, far more powerful than the torpedo impact itself, erupted from within the liner's hull. The cause of this secondary blast – possibly coal dust, a boiler explosion, or the ship's own cargo – remains a subject of historical debate, but its effect was devastating, hastening the ship's doom.

🎨 by our friend Ken Marschall
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07/05/2025

On this day, in the morning of May 7, 1915 – 110 years ago today – RMS Lusitania was on the final leg of her transatlantic voyage. After days at sea, land was finally sighted: the coast of Ireland. The weather, which had included patches of fog the previous day, was clearing. For many passengers, there must have been a sense of relief, believing the most dangerous part of the journey through open waters was nearly over.

Captain William Turner, aware of general U-boat warnings, had taken precautions. However, the great liner, steaming at a reduced but still considerable speed of around 18 knots, was not employing zig-zag maneuver's as she neared the Old Head of Kinsale. The perceived safety of nearing land was tragically deceptive, as Kapitänleutnant Walther Schwieger's U-20 lurked unseen beneath the waves.

🎨 by our friend Steve Walker

06/05/2025

On this day, May 6, 1915 – 110 years ago – RMS Lusitania was navigating deeper into the declared German war zone off the southern coast of Ireland. Captain William Turner had received warnings from the British Admiralty regarding enemy submarine activity in the area and had implemented precautions: lookouts were doubled, watertight doors were closed where feasible, and lifeboats were swung out for quicker deployment. The ship also encountered patches of fog during the day, adding to the tension.

Meanwhile, the unseen hunter, Kapitänleutnant Walther Schwieger's U-20, was actively and successfully operating in these very waters. After sinking the schooner Candidate late on May 5th, on this day, May 6th, U-20 continued its deadly patrol. Schwieger torpedoed and sank the 5,946-ton Leyland Line steamer SS Centurion (Correction: Centurion was a Harrison Line steamer of 5,386 tons. The Candidate was a different vessel sunk on May 5th/6th as well, and the Earl of Lathom, a small sailing vessel, was also sunk by U-20 on the evening of May 6th). To be precise for the post: U-20 torpedoed and sank the Harrison Line steamer SS Centurion (5,386 tons) and later that evening also sank the small sailing vessel Earl of Lathom.

With each successful attack by U-20 in the shipping lanes Lusitania was traversing, the peril for the grand liner grew exponentially. She was steaming directly towards an active, proven, and unseen predator.

📷 Map of U-20's sinkings May 5-7, 1915
📷 WWI steamer SS Candidate
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05/05/2025

On this day, May 5, 1915 – 110 years ago – RMS Lusitania steamed ever closer to the declared German war zone surrounding the British Isles. While passengers likely continued to enjoy the ship's amenities hundreds of miles off the Irish coast, the unseen danger intensified significantly.

Unbeknownst to those aboard Lusitania, Kapitänleutnant Schwieger's U-20 was actively hunting in the waters directly ahead. On this very day, U-20 claimed its first victim of this patrol, sinking the three-masted schooner Candidate near the Coningbeg Lightship off Ireland's southeast coast. General warnings about U-boat activity circulated via wireless, but specific, actionable intelligence about the immediate threat posed by U-20 was not effectively communicated to Captain Turner as Lusitania approached the kill zone. The margin for safety was rapidly shrinking. The British Admiralty had advised ships to take precautions, such as zigzagging, to avoid submarine attacks. However, Lusitania maintained a straight course, making her vulnerable to enemy submarines. The ship's captain, William Thomas Turner, chose to ignore these recommendations

📷 RMS Lusitania Marconi wireless room
🎨 by Historic ships network

04/05/2025

On this day 110 years ago today, on May 4, 1915, the German submarine SM U-20 was navigating the vital shipping lanes off the southern coast of Ireland. Under the command of 30-year-old Kapitänleutnant Walther Schwieger, U-20 was actively beginning its patrol within the dangerous war zone declared by Germany on February 4th, where any Allied vessel could be targeted without warning.

Launched in 1912 and commissioned in 1913, U-20 was a Type U 19 U-boat of the Imperial German Navy. These diesel-electric submarines were capable of long-range missions and armed with torpedoes and a deck gun. Having departed its base in Germany around April 30th, U-20 was now positioned to interdict maritime traffic heading to and from Britain. Schwieger's mission, like that of other U-boat commanders, was to sink merchant ships supplying the Allied war effort.

Just three days later, this submarine and its commander would encounter the massive Cunard liner RMS Lusitania. On May 4th, however, U-20 was likely still maneuvering into its optimal hunting ground, its presence unknown to the thousands of passengers and crew aboard the Allied ships traversing these perilous waters, including the approaching Lusitania.

📷 SM U-20 second from left, by Bain News Service
🎨 by Historic ships network
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03/05/2025

On this day, May 3, 1915, RMS Lusitania continued her eastward journey across the Atlantic. Often called a "floating palace," her interiors boasted lavish decorations, from the magnificent First Class Dining Saloon spanning the ship's width to the elegant Lounge and Verandah Café. Commanding this vessel was Captain William Thomas Turner, a seasoned Cunard officer sometimes known as "Bowler Bill," respected for his skill and experience, though perhaps reserved in manner. While passengers enjoyed the opulence, the ship carried on its wartime duty: transporting people, mail, and vital cargo towards Liverpool. Recent expedition revealed that ships carried also something else, something that will make this ship regular military war target - ammunition.

📷 RMS Lusitania engine room by J. Kent Layton Collection
🎨 by Historic ships network
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02/05/2025

On this day 110 years ago, on May 2. 1915, RMS Lusitania was sailing east from New York toward Europe engulfed in World War I, Great War as it was then named. The ship carried 1,959 passengers and crew, including 128 Americans.
From May 2nd to May 4th, life aboard RMS Lusitania continued with the familiar routines of a transatlantic crossing. Passengers enjoyed the luxurious amenities of the renowned Cunard liner – elegant dining, strolls on deck, music, and socializing. As a former Blue Riband holder for speed, Lusitania steamed swiftly across the Atlantic.

While the passengers experienced the comfort and grandeur, Captain Turner and his officers were increasingly mindful of the dangers ahead as they approached European waters. The vast, seemingly safe expanse of the Atlantic would soon give way to the U-boat infested war zone declared by Germany.

📷 J. Kent Layton Collection
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01/05/2025

On this day, May 1st, 1915 — 110 years ago — RMS Lusitania departed New York’s Pier 54 at 12:20 p.m. for the last time.
It was her 201st crossing of the Atlantic. The sailing was delayed by nearly two hours due to the transfer of 41 passengers and crew from the Cameronia, which had been requisitioned by the British Admiralty just days earlier.

In the hours before departure, several prominent passengers, including Alfred Vanderbilt, reportedly received anonymous telegrams warning them not to sail. While these warnings raised some concern, most were dismissed as pranks or propaganda.

That same afternoon, the Washington Times and other American newspapers ran notices from the German Embassy in Washington, warning travelers not to sail on ships flying the flag of nations at war with Germany — explicitly mentioning that such vessels were at risk of destruction in British waters. These notices appeared alongside advertisements for Lusitania’s voyage, heightening the ominous tone of the day.
This is the last known photo of the RMS Lusitania taken by someone on one of the three British ships.

🎨📽️ by Historic ships network
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07/06/2023

On this day, 117 years ago, on 7 June 1906, RMS Lusitania was launched, eight weeks later than planned due to labour strikes and eight months after Lord Inverclyde's death. Princess Louise was invited to name the ship but could not attend, so the honour fell to Inverclyde's widow Mary. The launch was attended by 600 invited guests and thousands of spectators. One thousand tons of drag chains were attached to the hull by temporary rings to slow it once it entered the water. On launch the propellers were fitted, but on later launches propellers would be fitted in dry dock as they could be damaged by colliding with another object on launch. The wooden supporting structure was held back by cables so that once the ship entered the water it would slip forward out of its support. Six tugs were on hand to capture the hull and move it to the fitting out berth.

13/05/2023

On this day 108 years ago, on May 12, 1915, Imperial German submarine U-20 breaks radio silence and takes credit for sinking RMS Lusitania.

🎨 NMM PAF1553

10/05/2023

On this day 108 years ago, on May 10, 1915, a mass funeral is held for RMS Lusitania victims outside of Queenstown (now Cobh).

RMS Lusitania

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