Lusitania - Disaster at Sea

When the torpedo hit her starboard side, Lusitania’s bridge lost control of the ship. Still underway, with a gaping hole in her hull, she took on water instantly.  Because of the impact, watertight doors (which operated electrically) were unable to function because of an electrical failure.

With water flowing unabated into the ship, people had very little time to get into the lifeboats.  With a significant list to starboard, it was difficult to even lower the boats to safety.  To save themselves, people (including mothers with babies) jumped into the ocean.

Credits

This clip is from Lusitania:  Murder on the Atlantic, the BBC’s recreation of the ship and the story of her 1915 sinking.