Lusitania - Sinking and Aftermath

Captain Turner had planned to go down with his ship, but he was knocked unconscious.  He floated out to sea when the bridge was awash, and Lusitania went under.  It was his misfortune to survive, since investigators immediately questioned his competence and made other allegations against him.

Of the 1,198 people who died, fewer than 300 bodies were found. The rest of the dead were lost at sea.  The great loss of life pushed America closer to involvement in World War I.

Meanwhile, the captain of the U-boat which sank Lusitania was initially subject to scorn in his own country as world opinion strongly turned against Germany because of the sinking.

Credits

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