Grace Lee

To what extent were the British culpable for the sinking of the Lusitania on May 7, 1915?

The Lusitania was one of a pair of huge, fast, and technologically advanced luxury liners

that were created by the Cunard Line of Britain for use as passenger ships, but which could be

easily converted into warships. The Lusitania and her sister ship, the Mauretania, became

instantly famous worldwide because of their grandeur and because of the huge step forward they

represented in the British-German naval race. During World War I, the Lusitania continued to

make regular trips between Great Britain and New York, sparking rumors that it was carrying

illegal armaments from neutral America to Great Britain to aid in the war effort. Rumors were

also spreading that indicated that the British government had secretly installed guns in the

Lusitania to fulfill its warship capability. On May 7, 1915, the German submarine U-20 sank the

Lusitania off the coast of Ireland, killing 1,195 people, including 123 Americans. The sinking of

the Lusitania had a profound effect on neutral countries as well as countries involved in the war;

some historians attribute the American entry into World War I to the sinking.

Talking Points:

(Lusitania: An Epic Tragedy, by Diana Preston, and The Lusitania: Finally, the Startling Truth

about One of the Most Fateful of All Disasters of the Sea, by Colin Simpson, were studied to

determine the extent of British culpability in the sinking of the Lusitania.)

Controversial aspects of the sinking of the Lusitania

How the naval race between Britain and Germany contributed to the sinking of the Lusitania

A significant assumption that the Germans made about the American reaction to the sinking

of a British passenger ship carrying Americans

German awareness of America’s violations of her neutrality

The Germans’ warning newspaper advertisement

How Walther Schwieger and Hermann Bauer’s personalities contributed to the sinking of the

Lusitania

Diana Preston’s thesis – advantages and disadvantages

Colin Simpson’s thesis – advantages and disadvantages

Examples of Colin Simpson’s bias in favor of his conspiracy theory

Churchill’s violation of the Cruiser Rules

Churchill’s other inflammatory and controversial actions with regard to naval conflicts

Other historians’ theses on British involvement in the sinking of the Lusitania

The culpability of Captain William Turner