Lusitania : saga and myth

Description

An objective and enthralling account of the sinking of the Lusitania, which unravels many of the myths and, for the first time, explains the true significance of that terrible disaster.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... Content: Challenge and response -- The birth of a star -- The brief life of the armed merchant cruiser -- A winter of discontent -- The last voyage -- The titans of the admiralty -- The seventh day of May -- Reaction -- How are the mighty fallen -- Lord Mersey inquires -- In camera -- The Mayer liability trial -- The war of the notes -- The myths of Lusitania -- Conspiracy? -- Post mortem -- The reasons why - I -- The reasons why - II -- Aftermath - America goes to war -- The captains and the kings depart -- Appendixes: 1. The four point bearing fix -- 2. The Parsons marine steam turbine -- 3. Explanation of priming and water hammer.