@@peterm1826 Easy to say that. Try it for a month and get back to me. No labor laws, no vacation, no workman's comp. Cancer killed everybody. Public places filled with cigarette smoke. Disease ridden slums, starving children... yeah... good times.
What an incredible part of history. My great grandmother sailed this voyage and survived to write about her experience of this dreadful day. ‘The Death of the Lusitania’ Her name was Mrs. Phoebe Amory.
...the story about that poor woman being unable to grip onto her sister was extremely disturbing to me. God bless these poor people and the tragedy they endured and may we learn for the better to be safer and better prepared in the future.
Idk if it was a mercy or not that the ship went down so fast. Those souls barely had time to process things. They were tossed in the water and were either drowned or hyperthermic in minutes. May they all Rest In Peace
45:30 - Body 184: Edgar Palmer, 2nd class, age: 7 45:39 - Bodies 120 & 121: Unidentified woman and girl, class unknown, estimated ages: 33 and 1 46:02 - Body 155: Eva Mary Grandidge, 2nd class, age: 3 46:12 - Body 62: Margaret Coughlin, 3rd class, age: 2.5 46:32 - Body 69: Lily Lockwood, 3rd class, age: 7 46:46 - Body 106: Archibald Parsons, 2nd class, age: 30 46:54 - Body 154: Edward Ferguson, 3rd class, age: 11 months 46:56 - Body 186: Unidentified woman, class unknown, estimated age: 32 46:59 - Body 224: Unidentified woman, class unknown, estimated age: 23-24 May all these poor souls rest well and in peace, these tragic victims of war.
But people will forget won't they? Only those who have skin in the game will trouble themselves, never taking time to examine injustice on the whole. There is the tragedy. When we willingly forget history, we doom ourselves to repeat it.
@@DJ-tt7tq The passengers who ignored the warnings from the German embassy not to sail on a British ship into a declared war zone basically committed suicide.
Yes, the innocent passengers were warned, those babies were warned and they should have stood up to their parents. The British wanted this to happen. Just like they sent the Zimmerman note.
Honestly I cant imagine how hard it must have been for Dr. Ballard to look at those morgue pictures of children, having himself already lost his son tragically.
@Chris MacCool Ballard's son Todd was killed in a car accident in July, 1989. It was only a month before in June, 1989 when Ballard and his son where together with an expedition team trying to find the sunken wreck of the WWII German Battleship Bismarck which they eventually did succeed in doing that same month. How sad for Dr. Ballard, first joy then terrible tragedy.
@@herondelatorre4023 indeed it is sad 😔 😟 🙁 😥 😞 😿 😔 😟 and Ironic because you know who can relate to him all the people from The Titanic and The Lusitania to the Empress of Ireland and The Britannic even the soldiers of the Bismarck and their families 👪.
My grandma (my mom's mom) came to America with her family on the Lusitania in 1909. She was 4 years old. She died in 1948, when my mom was 18. I never knew her of course, because it was quite a few years before my time. At least I have someone in my family that was on this ship, and years before she was torpedoed. RIP to all victims, and never forget. (Jan Griffiths).
I’m sure she must have enjoyed her trip on the Lusitania considering she was built for luxury voyages and it is nice to know you have family that was associated with the Lusitania, I actually do too. My great great grandfather (my paternal grandfather’s grandfather) had explored the Lusitania and helped do repairs on her shortly before she left New York City for her final voyage and he saw how many of her parts were very insignificantly repaired which he could definitely see made that ship a death trap. He tried to warn many people about it too, but not enough listened to him.
Your grandfather must have worked with my relative Wallace Edkin Wood in the 2nd class bar. My relative didn't survive. God bless all those that sailed up on this fateful ship.
A fine documentary, less superficial than some others, and made really special by the presence of the eye-witnesses. I wish the narrator didn't keep referring to the magazine when he means the hold, however. Churchill didn't just talk about resigning, he did resign in the aftermath of the Gallipoli disaster and went to fight on the Western front. And the vessel shown at 22:42 is the Lusitania's sister ship Mauretania, distinguishable by her rows of large air vents.
+postscript67 I've just checked my original drawings of the Mauretania and the hold is titled "Magazine or Cargo" on the profile view. It's not shown on the plan views at any deck level - the plans only go as far as "Insulated Compartments" ie fridge rooms on the Orlop deck.
+Stephen Carey Yes, I was wrong. I suppose the reason for a magazine was that both the Mauretania and Lusitania were designed to be converted to armed cruisers in time of war. Plans I have in a facsimile from the Shipbuilder magazine also show the gun mountings.
+postscript67 Just spotted them in my copy of the same book, in dotted lines. I think on balance that I prefer the lines and fittings of the Lucy to the Maury, though as I worked for Swan Hunter & Wigham Richardson (as it was in 1907), my allegiance stays with the Mauretania! Both beautiful ships - wouldn't it be nice if the Mauretania had been kept as an exhibit? Not much chance though, as the maintenance would have been crippling by now.
Omg I’m bawling my eyes out over the lady and her sister’s hand. My sister is always my big sister even as adults. If this happened to us she would have been the same. ❤
I've only just found out today that my Great, Great, Great Aunt was a survivor of the sinking as she was heading home, so this is very interesting and harrowing to watch.
Megan Wardropper That is interesting that she was one of the survivors of the sinking of that bad ship. My great great grandfather was one of the repair engineers of that ship. He was offered to work as employee on the voyage it was on before it was torpedoed but he said that that the Lusitania was a bad ship so said that he would just help repair it then leave.
Best documentary of the Lusitania sinking that I've seen; and their theory is sound, especially with all the coal that was discovered in the debris field!
My grandfather was part of this story including meeting the man who fired the fatal shot years after the event. The man said that when the Lucitania sank so quickly it was starting to him...he did not expect such an immediate response.
I love the music that begins around the 31:00 mark. The tune is heard throughout the documentary and it really is quite moving and lovely. Hard to believe we've passed 101 years since the Lusitania sank.
it very sad to think about 101 years ago down Lusitania goes. just think how beautiful she was makes you want to go on for a voyage but she rests 300 feet underwater she was beautiful once the pride of the sea she was maybe one of Cunards first atlantic crossers. Now resting at bottom of the Irish coast. May you see the surface of the sea and sail once more,(a.k.a be lifted out of the sea and repaired and sail one more time over the atlantic and then used as a curies ship that sails up and down in the coast of America and then maybe go over the atlantic and work over in Europe) oh lusitania may you always be remembered never be forgotten. may rest in peace R.M.S Lusitania
sad and I can't believe she became wreck 6 that Ballard found. The Titanic, Nazi Battleship Bismarck, The Britannic, The Carcapia, The Yorktown, and now Lusitania. all found as ghost in the abyss.
It's impossible to raise and repair the Lusitania. Her hull is flattened like a pancake and is full of holes. The superstructure has rusted completely away.
I enjoy theses documentrys and when they are able to interview survivors of the Lusitania, Titanic and other ships of that time over the years. they may have been kids at the time but are able to remember those sad days and the sinking of those ships.
Alfred Gwynne Vanderbilt a passenger on her last voyage, was a member of The Sussex Motor Yacht Club, one of if not the oldest Motor Yacht Club. In 1908 Mr Vanderbilt presented the Club with the Venture Challenge Cup. A handsome and very large silver trophy. We have the trophy still, and it is part of our treasured collection. It proudly stands alongside the Britannia Challenge Trophy presented in 1931 by HRH The Prince of Wales and The Intentional Championship of London Challenge Cup presented by Lord Wakefield also in 1931.
He told his valet, "Let's get all of the kiddies we can find onto the lifeboats". He didn't try to save himself. He was lost at sea and his body was never found. He was a hero.
The Enya song Shepard's Moon is fitting for a documentary such as this it talks about loss and grief. That's what the crew of Lusitania suffered when the Germans sank them what a tragedy.
more like sacrificial lamb. HMS Juno was meant to rendezvous with Lusitania and escort her into port. then three merchant ships were sunk by a Uboat and HMS Juno was recalled. The Admiralty considered HMS Juno more valuable than RMS Lusitania. Civilians sacrificed to keep sailors out of harm's way. that is not how it is supposed to work.
How I wish I was born in the 80s just so I could talk to these survivors and hear their stories. I thought I had plenty of time to see them when I was 6 and saw this. How time flew. :(
Typical_ Nick! saving them would cause more deaths. Because of titanic every ship has to carry enough lifeboats to save everyone and it would take another disaster of that magnitude to change it. Also let’s not forget about the empress of Ireland. It sank in 1914 (so after every ship had to carry enough lifeboats) and killed 1,000 people and sank in only a few minutes
It wasn't "better built" than the Titanic. It was built much differently. The Olympic class ships were built extremely strong. The Lusitania and Mauretania were built to be used as auxiliary warships if they were ever needed for that roll. That's one of the reasons their bulkheads were longitudinal. The Olympic class ships were built very well. Two of them sank. Titanic due to extraordinary circumstances and Britannic due to a powerful mine in a war zone. Olympic was actually hit with what was suspected to be a torpedo that never detonated. It just left a dent in her hull. Lusitania and Britannic both got hit with explosions on their starboard side. Both had massive holes at the point of impact. Lusitania sank in under 20 minutes, whereas Britannic sank in just under an hour. It's not a competition, of course, but each class of ship was built very well and safety and protection were in mind when each was created.
I respect your knowledge however the Lusitania and Mauretania were without a doubt much better built in terms of longevity and durability. The Olympic class ships were well built but were going off of what Cunard already done hence why they chose the most luxurious route instead.
Keep in mind to it was said the captain of the Brittanic made a mad dash for the shore hoping to save the ship, which forced greater amounts of water into her even faster. Had Britannic come to a stop like Titanic did, she probably would of stayed afloat for quite a while longer.
@@Finnmarken91 - With all due respect, that's not the case. Cunard's Mauretania and Lusitania were built to (Royal Navy) Admiralty specifications in terms of their intent to use them as auxiliary cruisers, which meant their hull shape was optimised for speed, they were given four Parsons turbine engines and they had longitudinal in addition to transverse watertight bulkheads/compartments. I have a huge amount of respect for Dr. Ballard - at the same time I know that because he's a Navy man, he's going to assume the military design and build is superior, so he's absolutely going to say what he said. The only influence the Cunarders had on the Olympic-class design was relative size. In all other respects they were a relatively conservative evolution of White Star's "Oceanic" and "Big Four" liners. They prioritised stability and comfort over speed. During the inquiry into the loss of Titanic, her lack of longitudinal bulkheads may well have been raised as a design aspect which may have been considered lacking - however the subsequent loss of Lusitania proved beyond doubt that boiler explosions would render those bulkheads ineffective.
@@Finnmarken91 that is a false statement. Especially in the beginning. The ships were of very similar strength and quality. Not sure where you got that info, but it's very incorrect.
My Grandfather with his mother came over on the Lusitania in Oct. 1914 after fleeing Belgium to London as the Germans invaded Belgium. My grandfather signed on as crew on another ship prior back to NYC so he could wire money to them in Prince Albert hall ,as they were refugees, for passage as my great grandmother refused to go third class.
A time of innovation & Prosperity yet war makes dreams die as these giant liners did all to make money in a time of great upheaval & changing times. A terrible tragedy much like the Titanic, Britannic Empress of Ireland & the many other ships unmentioned. My grandma came to Canada From England just after the war on the Aquitania & I remember her telling me how uncomfortable the trip across the ocean was. She didn't like traveling via Ocean & yet I would have loved the chance to travel just once on one of these great vessels, Its a shame that most of these vessels had a tragic end on their travels due to circumstance. I Pray these people all are finally at peace. Thank you for the video.
It was probably a steam explosion in the forward boiler room. Titanic flooded slowly enough to allow an orderly shutdown of the boilers but the torpedo damage would have allowed icy water to gush in over hot boilers before there was a chance to extinguish them.
@@darkastrophel3640 The munitions it was carrying were bullets, which do not explode on impact. And it has been proven by several explorations of the hull that the munitions bunker did not explode and is intact.
I remember watching this and other documentaries with Dr. Ballard (the others being the search for Titanic and The Lost Fleet of Guadalcanal) when I was in early grade school (no later than second grade). We rented the VHS tapes from the restaurant/video rental place my mom worked at.
@@bobbiestrella8160 Indeed, even though it is outdated, my favorite Titanic documentary is still Titanic: Anatomy of a Disaster, which he did a phenomenal job narrating.
that guy who is in the mini sub has guts and very brave, no way would I get into the mini sub to look around a sunken ship. I'd be afraid something happens to the mini sub and I'd drown. I'd raither send a portable mini camera down there to explore.
I don't know why they were so oblivious to it being coal dust-- it was the first thing I thought of after they said the magazine area was intact. Coal dust has long been known to be flammable.
Yes. And it wasn't renamed that. It was a name given during war time. It was still officially RMS Olympic. Just as Mauretania became the HMS Tuberose during the war, it was still RMS Mauretania.
There should be no excuse for targeting ships like the Lusitania regardless of any ammunitions onboard..... Unfortunately there are practical reasons for doing so.
Went Hulk as pointed out in the Erik Larson book, the issue was also the fact that enemy ships would fly American flags to trick the uboats. The Germans also sent a warning before the Lusitania set said which was published in American news papers. Everyone just thought, no torpedo can catch our fast ship, and set sail despite the warning.
Also she had slowed down and turned closer to land which made her easier prey for U-Boats. Also she was suppose to have had an armed escort which she had not.
For the British, to use human shields when ferrying war materials and also order those ships to ram any subs that are nearby, I hate to say it, but they had to know it was coming. I'm sure the Germans didn't enjoy it either, but this was war, and those ships were carrying weapons killing their countrymen and kin.
The outcry against Germany was so great that it caused some U.S. boys to enlist in the British army, including a 21 year old named from Brooklyn named Andrew Bird - my grandfather. He enlisted in the Lancashire Fusiliers at Manchester, UK about five weeks after the Lusitania went down.
So so sad..all those innocent ppl and children even down to little babies...Sometimes i feel this tragedy is worse than titanic. Most of these ppl didnt have a chance. 18 vs 2 hrs is a hell of alot different when your trying to escape s sinking ship. Its amazing that 7 hundred n something ppl did survive this 18 min tragedy.
Two things I can point out about the model of the Lusitania that are incorrect depicting her in 1915, one thing her funnels were all black in 1915 not black and orange, and they show her with sixteen lifeboats, this is three years after Titanic, Lusitania would've had more lifeboats, enough for everyone aboard
I wish would they would release the soundtrack from this film. The reason I say this is because of the fact that they released the one for the Titanic documentary that was made 10 years prior to this one
Gossip and rumours are the most vile thing, they cause families to split, friends to argue and all for what, someone's spiteful fun. If she was 8miles from the Irish coast, why did it take 4 hours for the rescue.
Excellent and informative documentary of a tragic event in world history. There was also an article in a National Geographic magazine, I believe in the 90’s, also called “Last Voyage of the Lusitania”. I am trying to find a copy of that issue. Does anyone know which volume it was?? It featured a big pic of the “Enlist” poster by Fred Spear with the woman and baby drowning. The same poster as shown at the end of this documentary (around minute 48). Any help would be loch appreciated.
However not quite as cold. Yes, definitely cold enough to cause Hypothermia but the water for when the Titanic sank was -2°C, aka 28°F. The water for when the Lusitania sank was about 22°C, aka 52°F. But of course, definitely still cold enough to cause Hypothermia within about an hour or two.
@Alex Walker - With all due respect, Dr. Ballard was *very much* intentionally looking for the wreck of RMS Titanic; the classified missions were a way of getting the USN to fund the technology required.
How certain can we be that the torpedo hit where this program says it hit when the side of the ship where the torpedo hit is the side that's buried on the ocean floor? Could a torpedo strike in a coal bunker account for the ship's near immediate loss of steam pressure that made it impossible for the engines to respond to commands from the bridge?
One takeaway that we might have, is that civilians do have to observe world events the best they can, and evaluate them the best they can. Ignoring world events can result in devastating consequences. Governments start these wars, and they lie about these wars. And blaming them does little good, because there is little one can do to stop governments from screwing things up. Bad things happen to good people.
@@robertdore9592 Perhaps you should know that Germany sent a note to the British AND US that they would consider any ship traffic going to the British Isles as hostile, especially coming from the US, since their neutrality was (rightly) considered questionable. And, especially a passenger liner moving around in war times unaccompanied by an appropriate escort is never a particularly bright idea. It wouldn’t be a too good idea with warships either, but they at least could shoot back.
If you study the attack at Pearl Harbor, you will learn similar conclusions. The US provoked Japan by denying them access to oil. Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor was provoked and the US / FDR used the attack to get the USA to join the war. There seems to be a pattern of lies and manipulation and the people never seem to be given all the pertinent facts.
109 years today. 🙏🏻R.I.P All who perished on Lusitania 🙏🏻
Old guy said he had his first drink of cold, refrigerated milk aboard the Lusitania. Wow. We sure are lucky to be living in these modern times.
id rather live in those times
Have you heard of Covid ?
@@peterm1826 Easy to say that. Try it for a month and get back to me. No labor laws, no vacation, no workman's comp. Cancer killed everybody. Public places filled with cigarette smoke. Disease ridden slums, starving children... yeah... good times.
@@johannesbols57a lot of this still happens today though I get both sides. I think there’s positives and negatives to both.
@@peterm1826me too BUT only if I were healthy and wealthy
I love that you can watch a 53 minute documentary from beginning to end, without one single commercial interruption 😊
You tube's calculations can't make any money out of it...thank christ.
I’m afraid you were too sanguine.
...Is that what you care about and not 1000+ innecent people that died?
@@marc8223 i wish i was blind so i wouldnt have too see this mistake
I wasn't as fortunate 😂🤣
My students, ages 9-13, really enjoyed this documentary. They begged to watch it again!
Gone forever but never forgotten, RMS Lusitania and those lost with her. May God bless all souls that perished with her.
So very sad 😢 bless them all
What an incredible part of history. My great grandmother sailed this voyage and survived to write about her experience of this dreadful day.
‘The Death of the Lusitania’
Her name was Mrs. Phoebe Amory.
so did mine
@@peterm1826 I’m not sure if I am able to trust you.
Interesting
Bless her 🙏
The best documentary on the Lusitania I've seen so far. Heart breaking testimony from people who were there.
How wonderful that the nursemaid and her baby charge were still friends as elderly women.
The song used at 45:16 during the montage where it shows the bodies of the children is Enya's "Cursum Perficio" which means 'My Journey is at an End'.
...the story about that poor woman being unable to grip onto her sister was extremely disturbing to me. God bless these poor people and the tragedy they endured and may we learn for the better to be safer and better prepared in the future.
Idk if it was a mercy or not that the ship went down so fast. Those souls barely had time to process things. They were tossed in the water and were either drowned or hyperthermic in minutes. May they all Rest In Peace
45:30 - Body 184: Edgar Palmer, 2nd class, age: 7
45:39 - Bodies 120 & 121: Unidentified woman and girl, class unknown, estimated ages: 33 and 1
46:02 - Body 155: Eva Mary Grandidge, 2nd class, age: 3
46:12 - Body 62: Margaret Coughlin, 3rd class, age: 2.5
46:32 - Body 69: Lily Lockwood, 3rd class, age: 7
46:46 - Body 106: Archibald Parsons, 2nd class, age: 30
46:54 - Body 154: Edward Ferguson, 3rd class, age: 11 months
46:56 - Body 186: Unidentified woman, class unknown, estimated age: 32
46:59 - Body 224: Unidentified woman, class unknown, estimated age: 23-24
May all these poor souls rest well and in peace, these tragic victims of war.
who is that the body at 46:23
Heartbreaking!
r.i.p Very sad that KIDS had to see this happen,die an d even become homless because their parents died! Terrible incident absolutly terrible
I enjoyed this film, despite how tragic the event was. But it's things like this that we must never forget.
It's a pity they didn't look at a map while writing the script. The "Irish Channel" does not exist, she sank in the Celtic Sea.
I certainly can’t forget this. My great great grandfather was one of the engineers of that ship.
DANIELLE LACY did he survive ?
But people will forget won't they? Only those who have skin in the game will trouble themselves, never taking time to examine injustice on the whole. There is the tragedy. When we willingly forget history, we doom ourselves to repeat it.
My Great Great Grandfather helped do repairs on that ship right before its last voyage.
DANIELLE LACY, really
@@wat2206 Yes
Read "Dead Wake," by Erik Larson. Excellent book on the Lusitania.
Jesse Clifford I’m reading it right now
Yes great novel
Good at parts. Very informative. Boring at parts
Jesse Clifford tragedy
Jesse Clifford got it on Audible
Broke my heart seeing all the innocent children killed in this, terrible and horrible tragedy. :(
They were warned.
@@markharrison2544 They were.
@@DJ-tt7tq The passengers who ignored the warnings from the German embassy not to sail on a British ship into a declared war zone basically committed suicide.
@@markharrison2544 Looking back, it was an appalling mistake to set sail.
Yes, the innocent passengers were warned, those babies were warned and they should have stood up to their parents. The British wanted this to happen. Just like they sent the Zimmerman note.
Honestly I cant imagine how hard it must have been for Dr. Ballard to look at those morgue pictures of children, having himself already lost his son tragically.
That is very true and sad.
He did?
Never knew that. I can only imagine now that it must indeed have been a rougher experience than it already was. R.I.P. his kid.
How did Ballard lose his son?
@Chris MacCool Ballard's son Todd was killed in a car accident in July, 1989. It was only a month before in June, 1989 when Ballard and his son where together with an expedition team trying to find the sunken wreck of the WWII German Battleship Bismarck which they eventually did succeed in doing that same month. How sad for Dr. Ballard, first joy then terrible tragedy.
@@herondelatorre4023 indeed it is sad 😔 😟 🙁 😥 😞 😿 😔 😟 and Ironic because you know who can relate to him all the people from The Titanic and The Lusitania to the Empress of Ireland and The Britannic even the soldiers of the Bismarck and their families 👪.
Alice and Audrey have a very special relationship..you can tell..that really lovely
Soundtrack: Enya. Shepherd Moons.
Rest in Peace, Lusitania.
SymphonyBrahms as well as Cursum Perficio, from Watermark
My grandma (my mom's mom) came to America with her family on the Lusitania in 1909. She was 4 years old. She died in 1948, when my mom was 18. I never knew her of course, because it was quite a few years before my time. At least I have someone in my family that was on this ship, and years before she was torpedoed. RIP to all victims, and never forget. (Jan Griffiths).
I’m sure she must have enjoyed her trip on the Lusitania considering she was built for luxury voyages and it is nice to know you have family that was associated with the Lusitania, I actually do too. My great great grandfather (my paternal grandfather’s grandfather) had explored the Lusitania and helped do repairs on her shortly before she left New York City for her final voyage and he saw how many of her parts were very insignificantly repaired which he could definitely see made that ship a death trap. He tried to warn many people about it too, but not enough listened to him.
My parents used to rent this for my from the drug store when I was a kid....totally forgot it existed until now, thanks for posting it
I remember this well when it came out on VHS. This was an Oscar-worthy documentary film.
My grandfather Was a 2nd class steward on it when it was sunk His name is on the survival list, John Thomas.
Your grandfather must have worked with my relative Wallace Edkin Wood in the 2nd class bar. My relative didn't survive. God bless all those that sailed up on this fateful ship.
@@ellendavies3204 A small world we live in. God bless all.
I said a prayer for all the victims. The amount of innocent children that died is especially sad. I don't think it was coal dust.
A fine documentary, less superficial than some others, and made really special by the presence of the eye-witnesses. I wish the narrator didn't keep referring to the magazine when he means the hold, however. Churchill didn't just talk about resigning, he did resign in the aftermath of the Gallipoli disaster and went to fight on the Western front. And the vessel shown at 22:42 is the Lusitania's sister ship Mauretania, distinguishable by her rows of large air vents.
+postscript67 I've just checked my original drawings of the Mauretania and the hold is titled "Magazine or Cargo" on the profile view. It's not shown on the plan views at any deck level - the plans only go as far as "Insulated Compartments" ie fridge rooms on the Orlop deck.
+Stephen Carey Yes, I was wrong. I suppose the reason for a magazine was that both the Mauretania and Lusitania were designed to be converted to armed cruisers in time of war. Plans I have in a facsimile from the Shipbuilder magazine also show the gun mountings.
+postscript67 Just spotted them in my copy of the same book, in dotted lines. I think on balance that I prefer the lines and fittings of the Lucy to the Maury, though as I worked for Swan Hunter & Wigham Richardson (as it was in 1907), my allegiance stays with the Mauretania! Both beautiful ships - wouldn't it be nice if the Mauretania had been kept as an exhibit? Not much chance though, as the maintenance would have been crippling by now.
@@stephencarey5074 The Queen Mary is still on exhibit in Long Beach, California.
Yeah, they showed Mauretania several times in this film. Minor nitpick though; nothing really important.
What a great documentary!!
Is that Martin Sheen narrating?
@@robertdore9592 Yes
Omg I’m bawling my eyes out over the lady and her sister’s hand. My sister is always my big sister even as adults. If this happened to us she would have been the same. ❤
I’m enjoying this great documentary. Richard in Dallas
This is by far one of the better documentaries.
I've only just found out today that my Great, Great, Great Aunt was a survivor of the sinking as she was heading home, so this is very interesting and harrowing to watch.
Megan Wardropper That is interesting that she was one of the survivors of the sinking of that bad ship. My great great grandfather was one of the repair engineers of that ship. He was offered to work as employee on the voyage it was on before it was torpedoed but he said that that the Lusitania was a bad ship so said that he would just help repair it then leave.
wow thats great
@@DANIELLE_BREANNA_LACY why did he say it was bad?
I love the mother and daughter near the end of the video, how gorgeous.
After I get done writing my book on Titanic I m going to write one on Lusitania.
Can you do one with the britanic,edmund fitzgerald and costa concordia? It would be interesting
Best documentary of the Lusitania sinking that I've seen; and their theory is sound, especially with all the coal that was discovered in the debris field!
My grandfather was part of this story including meeting the man who fired the fatal shot years after the event. The man said that when the Lucitania sank so quickly it was starting to him...he did not expect such an immediate response.
As in he met the German?
Truly horrifying, that part with the bodies. Heartbreaking.
Absolutely the best historical presentation ever made!
I love the music that begins around the 31:00 mark. The tune is heard throughout the documentary and it really is quite moving and lovely. Hard to believe we've passed 101 years since the Lusitania sank.
I own a candy box bought on the Lusitania by my gran-great mother when the ship boarded France,Cherbourg or Le Havre ,don't know wich.
Same, Id love to know what it is.
Yeah, I can't find the song anywhere. I'd like to know myself.
Rest In Peace Lusitania passengers
it very sad to think about 101 years ago down Lusitania goes. just think how beautiful she was makes you want to go on for a voyage but she rests 300 feet underwater she was beautiful once the pride of the sea she was maybe one of Cunards first atlantic crossers. Now resting at bottom of the Irish coast. May you see the surface of the sea and sail once more,(a.k.a be lifted out of the sea and repaired and sail one more time over the atlantic and then used as a curies ship that sails up and down in the coast of America and then maybe go over the atlantic and work over in Europe) oh lusitania may you always be remembered never be forgotten.
may rest in peace
R.M.S
Lusitania
King Punchwood Although Rms lusitania was beautiful I think that the HMHS Britannic because she was bigger and safer
sad and I can't believe she became wreck 6 that Ballard found. The Titanic, Nazi Battleship Bismarck, The Britannic, The Carcapia, The Yorktown, and now Lusitania. all found as ghost in the abyss.
King Punchwood how come the titanic is in better shape on the bottom
@@ethantaube2512 The Titanic broke in half as she sank and is rusting and deteriorating rapidly. She is hardly in good shape.
It's impossible to raise and repair the Lusitania. Her hull is flattened like a pancake and is full of holes. The superstructure has rusted completely away.
Erik Larson's "Dead Wake" is a must-read book about the Lusitania.
+Richard Schwartz Thanks for the tip! I am going to find that book so I can read it!
just bought this book, thanks for the tip
Just finished reading this. I enjoyed it as much as Devil In The White City. He's a master of his craft.
I enjoy theses documentrys and when they are able to interview survivors of the Lusitania, Titanic and other ships of that time over the years. they may have been kids at the time but are able to remember those sad days and the sinking of those ships.
Dr Robert Ballard is the man if you want something finding and its in the sea he will find it respects to you mr Ballard
Alfred Gwynne Vanderbilt a passenger on her last voyage, was a member of The Sussex Motor Yacht Club, one of if not the oldest Motor Yacht Club.
In 1908 Mr Vanderbilt presented the Club with the Venture Challenge Cup. A handsome and very large silver trophy.
We have the trophy still, and it is part of our treasured collection. It proudly stands alongside the Britannia Challenge Trophy presented in 1931 by HRH The Prince of Wales and The Intentional Championship of London Challenge Cup presented by Lord Wakefield also in 1931.
He was also booked passage on the Titanic but cancelled at the last minute.
He told his valet, "Let's get all of the kiddies we can find onto the lifeboats". He didn't try to save himself. He was lost at sea and his body was never found. He was a hero.
The Enya song Shepard's Moon is fitting for a documentary such as this it talks about loss and grief. That's what the crew of Lusitania suffered when the Germans sank them what a tragedy.
I think I watched this in 1994 when I was 12. I had books about Titanic and Bismarck and this one was a new one. Fascinating stuff.
more like sacrificial lamb. HMS Juno was meant to rendezvous with Lusitania and escort her into port. then three merchant ships were sunk by a Uboat and HMS Juno was recalled. The Admiralty considered HMS Juno more valuable than RMS Lusitania. Civilians sacrificed to keep sailors out of harm's way. that is not how it is supposed to work.
Could an escort really do anything about submarines at that time? Other than be the first target, thereby giving the passenger ship time to flee?
How I wish I was born in the 80s just so I could talk to these survivors and hear their stories.
I thought I had plenty of time to see them when I was 6 and saw this. How time flew. :(
John M I wish I could go back in time. And save Titanic, Lusitania, Britannic.
Typical_ Nick! saving them would cause more deaths. Because of titanic every ship has to carry enough lifeboats to save everyone and it would take another disaster of that magnitude to change it. Also let’s not forget about the empress of Ireland. It sank in 1914 (so after every ship had to carry enough lifeboats) and killed 1,000 people and sank in only a few minutes
Does that mean you Were born in the 80s.
@Josh Plumridge No, he says he wishes he was born in the 80's. It's obvious that he was born after the 80's.
Love this beautiful film....thank you...helps with all this covid bs
It wasn't "better built" than the Titanic. It was built much differently. The Olympic class ships were built extremely strong. The Lusitania and Mauretania were built to be used as auxiliary warships if they were ever needed for that roll. That's one of the reasons their bulkheads were longitudinal. The Olympic class ships were built very well. Two of them sank. Titanic due to extraordinary circumstances and Britannic due to a powerful mine in a war zone. Olympic was actually hit with what was suspected to be a torpedo that never detonated. It just left a dent in her hull. Lusitania and Britannic both got hit with explosions on their starboard side. Both had massive holes at the point of impact. Lusitania sank in under 20 minutes, whereas Britannic sank in just under an hour. It's not a competition, of course, but each class of ship was built very well and safety and protection were in mind when each was created.
I respect your knowledge however the Lusitania and Mauretania were without a doubt much better built in terms of longevity and durability. The Olympic class ships were well built but were going off of what Cunard already done hence why they chose the most luxurious route instead.
Keep in mind to it was said the captain of the Brittanic made a mad dash for the shore hoping to save the ship, which forced greater amounts of water into her even faster. Had Britannic come to a stop like Titanic did, she probably would of stayed afloat for quite a while longer.
@@Finnmarken91 - With all due respect, that's not the case. Cunard's Mauretania and Lusitania were built to (Royal Navy) Admiralty specifications in terms of their intent to use them as auxiliary cruisers, which meant their hull shape was optimised for speed, they were given four Parsons turbine engines and they had longitudinal in addition to transverse watertight bulkheads/compartments.
I have a huge amount of respect for Dr. Ballard - at the same time I know that because he's a Navy man, he's going to assume the military design and build is superior, so he's absolutely going to say what he said.
The only influence the Cunarders had on the Olympic-class design was relative size. In all other respects they were a relatively conservative evolution of White Star's "Oceanic" and "Big Four" liners. They prioritised stability and comfort over speed.
During the inquiry into the loss of Titanic, her lack of longitudinal bulkheads may well have been raised as a design aspect which may have been considered lacking - however the subsequent loss of Lusitania proved beyond doubt that boiler explosions would render those bulkheads ineffective.
@@Finnmarken91 that is a false statement. Especially in the beginning. The ships were of very similar strength and quality. Not sure where you got that info, but it's very incorrect.
@@turricanedtc3764 well said!
My Grandfather with his mother came over on the Lusitania in Oct. 1914 after fleeing Belgium to London as the Germans invaded Belgium. My grandfather signed on as crew on another ship prior back to NYC so he could wire money to them in Prince Albert hall ,as they were refugees, for passage as my great grandmother refused to go third class.
A time of innovation & Prosperity yet war makes dreams die as these giant liners did all to make money in a time of great upheaval & changing times. A terrible tragedy much like the Titanic, Britannic Empress of Ireland & the many other ships unmentioned.
My grandma came to Canada From England just after the war on the Aquitania & I remember her telling me how uncomfortable the trip across the ocean was. She didn't like traveling via Ocean & yet I would have loved the chance to travel just once on one of these great vessels, Its a shame that most of these vessels had a tragic end on their travels due to circumstance.
I Pray these people all are finally at peace.
Thank you for the video.
Truth. The first casualty of war.
Thank you for it all. Be well.
Beautifully done!
It was probably a steam explosion in the forward boiler room. Titanic flooded slowly enough to allow an orderly shutdown of the boilers but the torpedo damage would have allowed icy water to gush in over hot boilers before there was a chance to extinguish them.
Really? So, you're not going to think about the munitions the ship was carrying with her?
@@darkastrophel3640 The munitions it was carrying were bullets, which do not explode on impact. And it has been proven by several explorations of the hull that the munitions bunker did not explode and is intact.
@@SymphonyBrahms OK. If this is truly, which I highly doubt, then why did she go down with just 1 torpedo? Huh? So, clearly something more happened.
Maverick z157 coal dust ignited
How do you know?
Thank You for finding her Mr. Bob Ballard.
I remember watching this and other documentaries with Dr. Ballard (the others being the search for Titanic and The Lost Fleet of Guadalcanal) when I was in early grade school (no later than second grade). We rented the VHS tapes from the restaurant/video rental place my mom worked at.
Outstanding remember this in the 90s
Wait ... Martin Sheen narrated this?!?!
**looks up IMDB article on this documentary** ... holy shit!
I fucking knew I knew that voice lol, thank you for solving that mystery
@@andrewschneider7657 Gotta love Martin Sheen! He's so good at narration!
@@bobbiestrella8160 Indeed, even though it is outdated, my favorite Titanic documentary is still Titanic: Anatomy of a Disaster, which he did a phenomenal job narrating.
I always thought it was William Devane narrating. They have similar voices.
LOVE the voice...
I still have this on vhs
that guy who is in the mini sub has guts and very brave, no way would I get into the mini sub to look around a sunken ship. I'd be afraid something happens to the mini sub and I'd drown. I'd raither send a portable mini camera down there to explore.
Time to move onto another piece of history. Powerful.
An excellent documentary. So very sad.
That dark water looks terrifying.
I think the 2nd explosion was from the boiler if not multable boilers exploded from the incoming cold water
Thank you 🙏🏻 Of History vídeo. Amen 🙏🏻.
I don't know why they were so oblivious to it being coal dust-- it was the first thing I thought of after they said the magazine area was intact. Coal dust has long been known to be flammable.
I like the music they play an the funeral nice deep music like man music
typical of those days the company believing their ships were unsinkable. you think they would learn after what happen to the Titanic.
I pray for all who died on that ship. I pray they are in heaven.
God bless 🙏
Sorry there is no heaven and those people would not care anyways cause their Dead, no doubt eaten by Sharks and so on.
@@randydelaney7804🙏
Bob is a amazing person
Did you know RMS Olympic, renamed HMS Olympic, sank a Uboat during WWI.
Payback time! 3:)
Yes. And it wasn't renamed that. It was a name given during war time. It was still officially RMS Olympic. Just as Mauretania became the HMS Tuberose during the war, it was still RMS Mauretania.
Alfred Vanderbilt was among those killed on the lusitania. He changed his mind after booking a passage on the Titanic.
06:56 "... and if some of it gets into trouble, better still."
There should be no excuse for targeting ships like the Lusitania regardless of any ammunitions onboard..... Unfortunately there are practical reasons for doing so.
Went Hulk as pointed out in the Erik Larson book, the issue was also the fact that enemy ships would fly American flags to trick the uboats. The Germans also sent a warning before the Lusitania set said which was published in American news papers. Everyone just thought, no torpedo can catch our fast ship, and set sail despite the warning.
True and cargo ships were known to carry concealed weapons and also rammed submarines. But the targeting of the Lusitania was a morally wrong choice.
Also she had slowed down and turned closer to land which made her easier prey for U-Boats. Also she was suppose to have had an armed escort which she had not.
I agree an innocent victim of war!!!
For the British, to use human shields when ferrying war materials and also order those ships to ram any subs that are nearby, I hate to say it, but they had to know it was coming. I'm sure the Germans didn't enjoy it either, but this was war, and those ships were carrying weapons killing their countrymen and kin.
The outcry against Germany was so great that it caused some U.S. boys to enlist in the British army, including a 21 year old named from Brooklyn named Andrew Bird - my grandfather. He enlisted in the Lancashire Fusiliers at Manchester, UK about five weeks after the Lusitania went down.
Martin Sheen, narrator? Or am I just going crazy?
No, you're not going crazy. He has narrated some documentaries; _including_ the *_legendary_* documentary _Secrets of the Titanic._
Don’t use civilians as a shield?
So so sad..all those innocent ppl and children even down to little babies...Sometimes i feel this tragedy is worse than titanic. Most of these ppl didnt have a chance. 18 vs 2 hrs is a hell of alot different when your trying to escape s sinking ship. Its amazing that 7 hundred n something ppl did survive this 18 min tragedy.
Is the piano peice at the very end avalible anywhere ?
The song in the credits is Shepard's Moon not Cursum Perficio.
Both songs feature though.
I watched this documentary when I was a kid I remember like it was yesterday?
Two things I can point out about the model of the Lusitania that are incorrect depicting her in 1915, one thing her funnels were all black in 1915 not black and orange, and they show her with sixteen lifeboats, this is three years after Titanic, Lusitania would've had more lifeboats, enough for everyone aboard
The Narrator is Martin Sheen
I wish would they would release the soundtrack from this film.
The reason I say this is because of the fact that they released the one for the Titanic documentary that was made 10 years prior to this one
Martin Sheen FTW!
Gossip and rumours are the most vile thing, they cause families to split, friends to argue and all for what, someone's spiteful fun. If she was 8miles from the Irish coast, why did it take 4 hours for the rescue.
Excellent and informative documentary of a tragic event in world history.
There was also an article in a National Geographic magazine, I believe in the 90’s, also called “Last Voyage of the Lusitania”. I am trying to find a copy of that issue. Does anyone know which volume it was?? It featured a big pic of the “Enlist” poster by Fred Spear with the woman and baby drowning. The same poster as shown at the end of this documentary (around minute 48). Any help would be loch appreciated.
Please, how name is song in the end of documment? Please
Just as with Titanic, the water was very cold! Hypothermia quickly set in for those in the water.
However not quite as cold. Yes, definitely cold enough to cause Hypothermia but the water for when the Titanic sank was -2°C, aka 28°F. The water for when the Lusitania sank was about 22°C, aka 52°F.
But of course, definitely still cold enough to cause Hypothermia within about an hour or two.
Ballard didn’t find titanic intentionally but by happy coincidence on a different project.
@Alex Walker - With all due respect, Dr. Ballard was *very much* intentionally looking for the wreck of RMS Titanic; the classified missions were a way of getting the USN to fund the technology required.
What is the song that plays at 26:41 31:17 47:57, and 50:53 ?? I can't find it anywhere.
How certain can we be that the torpedo hit where this program says it hit when the side of the ship where the torpedo hit is the side that's buried on the ocean floor? Could a torpedo strike in a coal bunker account for the ship's near immediate loss of steam pressure that made it impossible for the engines to respond to commands from the bridge?
There was a sexond explosion after the torpedo impact, so it's possible.
They believe now that the torpedo caused cold water to rush in, hit a hot boiler, and caused a boiler to explode.
rms lusitaniai love
One thing I can think of is depending on where the torpedo hit one of the coal bunkers may have exploded.
So sad and so tragic. Did they ever find out when they investigated the Lusitania if they were able to find any weapons or ammunition on board.RIP.
They found nothing. They couldn't get inside the hull to look because it's flat as a pancake.
Narrated by Martin Sheen, who also narrated a documentary about the Titanic. I doubt that's an accident!
Rip Amen 🙏🏻.
13:49 - I watched this part several times, on different size screens. I saw NONE of the letters as Dr. Ballard read them.
Their there just hard to make out.
One takeaway that we might have, is that civilians do have to observe world events the best they can, and evaluate them the best they can. Ignoring world events can result in devastating consequences. Governments start these wars, and they lie about these wars. And blaming them does little good, because there is little one can do to stop governments from screwing things up. Bad things happen to good people.
I feel England let this happen☹️ Collateral damage in war politics .
Yes........... they viewed it as 'acceptable casualties'. To which I suppose it was in some way..........
War is a very dirty business...
Perhaps you should be questioning Germanys rules of engagement?
@@robertdore9592 Perhaps you should know that Germany sent a note to the British AND US that they would consider any ship traffic going to the British Isles as hostile, especially coming from the US, since their neutrality was (rightly) considered questionable. And, especially a passenger liner moving around in war times unaccompanied by an appropriate escort is never a particularly bright idea.
It wouldn’t be a too good idea with warships either, but they at least could shoot back.
If you study the attack at Pearl Harbor, you will learn similar conclusions. The US provoked Japan by denying them access to oil. Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor was provoked and the US / FDR used the attack to get the USA to join the war. There seems to be a pattern of lies and manipulation and the people never seem to be given all the pertinent facts.