Lusitania

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paul mercer
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Lusitania

Post by paul mercer »

Did anyone (in England) see the progam on the sinking of the Lusitania the other night, it seemed that the RN were trying to blame Captain Turner for the tragedy?
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RF
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Post by RF »

I didn't see the programme, however I am aware that much criticism has been made over the years of the lack of apparent precautions taken for the safety of the ship against submarine attack, such as failure to zig-zag, steam at near maximum speed etc.

During WW2 some of the large ocean liners crossed the Atlantic using speed and irregular course changes and never came anywhere near being attacked by U-boats. As such they were much safer than travelling in convoy.
''Give me a Ping and one Ping only'' - Sean Connery.
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Gary
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Post by Gary »

Hi RF.

One of the reasons often given is that due to his age and years of experience, the Captain was too set in his ways and a bit stubborn and refused to accept the advice given to him by the admiralty.
He probably wasnt the only Captain to act like that, he just had the misfortune of being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
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RF
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Post by RF »

Pus the fact that submarine warfare in 1915 was still in its infancy and not considered the threat that it was....
''Give me a Ping and one Ping only'' - Sean Connery.
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Gary
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Post by Gary »

Plus men were more "Chivalrous" in those days.
Submarine warfare was seen as a "damned ungentlemanly" way of waging war.
Perhaps an aged sea Captain didnt believe that a fellow sea Captain would attack a passenger liner?
God created the world in 6 days.........and on the 7th day he built the Scharnhorst
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RF
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Post by RF »

It was almost certainly the case that Captain Turner didn't think his ship would be attacked, after all the Lusitania was unarmed, its course had been advertised and there were neutral American passengers on board. Possibly there was also an element of Titanic here, in that perhaps it was felt that Lusitania was simply too big to be sunk by a submarine.

''Unrestricted submarine warfare'' was an entirely new concept and its full consequences were not appreciated by commercial shipping lines and the general civilian public at the time Lusitania sailed. The RN would be fully aware of what subs could do, after what happened to Aboukir, Hogue and Cressy - but that wasn't something they would want to shout from the rooftops....
''Give me a Ping and one Ping only'' - Sean Connery.
iankw
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Post by iankw »

I watched it and was left feeling somewhat disappointed, and perplexed. It seemed very weighted against the Admiralty, and I wonder just how much of that angle is true. Admittedly my reading of the campaign against commerce is sketchy, but I have never read anything in the military side of things that suggest it was a deliberate act by the British government (that isn't saying it isn't totally possible). Similarly the only stuff I have read about the carrying of munitions is quite the opposite of what was suggested in the programme. I was of the opinion that dives onto/around the wreck do not support the munitions theory, again I may be wrong. On the good side it was refreshing to see that the Captain was behaving reasonably before the torpedoing, again with the proviso that my reading is limited.

All in all an entertaining dramatisation. As a documentary????

Ian
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RF
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Post by RF »

These documentaries are primarily for entertainment value, and seek to achieve maximum viewer numbers by offering controversial and hyped up scenario's.
I cannot comment specifically on this documentary as I havent seen it. However on seeing the last post I don't think that the British sank the Lusitania any more than they sank the Athenia in 1939.
''Give me a Ping and one Ping only'' - Sean Connery.
iankw
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Post by iankw »

Hi RF

I didn't mean to imply that the British did the deed, rather that they allowed it to happen - that was the impression given by the programme. The Captain was supposed to take the blame but, apparently, the man in charge of the enquiry refused to carry out that part of his instructions.

Sorry if I misled you.

Regards

Ian
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RF
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Post by RF »

That's OK.

As I mention I haven't seen the documentary, but I can imagine its angle.
''Give me a Ping and one Ping only'' - Sean Connery.
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