Lusitania: Saga and Myth

By David Ramsay

Book Overview

The saga of the Lusitania is one of the most remarkable in the annals of maritime history. State-of-the-art when she went into service and the first express liner to be equipped with steam turbines, she outclassed all her rivals. She triumphantly restored British supremacy on the North Atlantic passenger routes and became an acknowledged commercial success; she was highly popular with her regular passengers. Her sinking in May 1915 by a German U-boat, with heavy loss of life, was at that time the most savage attack on civilians in the course of war, and was widely denounced in allied and neutral countries. From that day her loss has become encrusted with legends (including conspiracy theories), many of them created by German propaganda. In this new book David Ramsay has unraveled those myths and legends and tells a clear and compelling saga of terrible maritime disaster and clashes among three powerful nations. It is a story of potentates and presidents, ambassadors and ministers of state, bankers, shipping magnates, spies, and, not least, Captain William Turner, who had to defend himself against charges of incompetence and fight for his reputation. Based on detailed research, this new book almost certainly contains the most objective account of the history of the liner and the circumstances surrounding her sinking. The sinking of Lusitania, which took a mere eighteen minutes, led to a loss of life comparable with the Titanic disaster, and the ramifications were felt across Europe and America; this masterly telling of the story will intrigue the general reader as much as it does the historian and enthusiast.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0393346102
• ISBN13: 9780393346107
• Release Date: May 2002
• Publisher: Norton & Company, Incorporated, W. W.
• Length: 330 Pages
• Weight: 1.07 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

A much-needed account.

If ever a ship was taken to a Nation's heart it was the Lusitania. State-of-the-art when launched, the very first passenger liner to be equipped with steam turbines, the fastest Liner on the North Atlantic passenger routes, popular with passengers and a commercial success. In short, this ship had everything. All that changed in May 1915, however, when, she was torpedoed by a German U-boat. With the loss of the Titanic just 3 years earlier - and still very fresh in peoples minds, this was seen as one of the most diabolical and savage acts of WW1 and even helped bring America into the War. What followed, therefore, was propaganda the like of which has never been repeated. "Rescues" were rigged for the camera and acted out using adults and children pretending to be dead and photographed prostrate across white lifeboats with "LUSITANIA" on over-large letters written on the side. Even the German authorities added to this pile of misinformation by making equally false assertions claiming sabotage. Little wonder, this magnificent four-funnelled ship was to become the stuff of legend. This hardback book measures approx. 9½" x 6½" containing over 300 pages of vital information in which David Ramsay does an excellent job of unravelling the many myths and legends in order to give a clear account of a dreadful act of war. In so doing he provides the reader with a most objective account of the history of this magnificent ship and the result is a very good read. Remarkable advances in terms of Technical Diving have brought the Lusitania within reach of the Scuba Diver and, lying at a depth of almost 300 feet, she has already been visited by those at the leading edge of such underwater exploration. For those who plan to follow in these footsteps (or should that be fins?) this book contains all the background information required. NM