Damage To Lusitania's Bow

[Jesse D O'Neill]

Anyone Who Looks at a Picture Of The Wreck Of The Lusitania Will Automatically Notice That The Bottom Of The very Forward Section Of The bow is Missing. How Far Back Does This Damage Extend? How was it Caused.

I Am Simply Asking For Opinions, Not definite Answers.

As For How It Got There I See the Possibilities As:

A.The Explosive Aluminum Powder in The Cargo Exploded

B.Damage From Bow Striking Bottom

C.Deterioration Of Wreck

D. Other, As There Are Other Possibilities

As For How far Back The Damage Extends, Thats A Good Question, and Is Anyones Guess.

 

[Joshua Andersen]

I would have to say a combination of B&C. The Lusitania was almost 800 feet long and the water there is what 300 ft deep. She was on the bottom before she sank. One of the reasons she is so beat up.

 

[Michael H. Standart]

I'd like to see a primary source to support the claim that there was aluminium powder in the hold. That the ship was carrying some munitions wasn't much of a secret but there's no evidence that any of it exploded. Small arms ammunition and unfilled shells just don't behave that way. Even if there was and it did, the forefoot of the bow is way too far forward for it to have any effect that wouldn't have even dramatically worse effects on the hull that was behind it. Effects which are just not there to be seen. The bow striking the bottom makes the most sense to me.

 

[Jesse D O'Neill]

I'll Have to Agree W/ Standart. From Looking At the Picture*, the Furthest The Damage to Bow Seems to go back is to the Last Letter A in Lusitania's Plate Letters. This Is Well Forward Of the Cargo Area. However This is only Judgement from Pictures in Which You Can Mostly See the Ship's Port Side, The Starboard side Almost Completely Blocked from View Except For The Very Forward Section of The Bow, As the Ship Is Lying on her Starboard side, so it well possible that some damage could be hidden there.

*Pics in Ballard's & Gentile's Books