How Much Film Footage of Lusitania exists

[Colleen Collier]

The other night, I was watching a poorly put together documentary on the Titanic, with allot of computer graphics and misc. clips of black and white footage. There was a close up shot of "a ship" that really did not show a whole lot except fly by near the funnels. Robert walked past about that time and said "Hey, that's the Lusitania!" Of course, I demanded to know how he knew this, and he easily rewound the video and pointed out her unique ventilators.
My question is this. Being that she was around for a while, is there allot of period film footage of Lusitania, and besides the highly publicized "last voyage footage", does film exist of her being built, launched, or any on board shots by passengers? Is it on video "for sale" anywhere, or privately held?
Thanks!

 

[Jesse D O'Neill]

Colleen

there is plenty of film footage of the ship entering and leaving New York/Hoboken.

 

[Michael Cundiff]

Colleen:

I am so often left awstruck by these film footage clips, however they are all too brief and tantalizing.

One comes to mind. Shared via Ballard's National Geographic Lucy Documentary...my GOD..they start filming about the rear stern port quarter of the liner, working their way round the fantail to the starboard aft and then, well you know...that's about it. Wow! So much action/movement on board. I recall a flag being raised on the stern, and many sailors moving about. What I'd give to have hours of that film.

Oh and that marvelous film clip moving down OLYMPIC's port broadside is one of the best
defining clairity I have yet to see. If you slow-mo your VCR, there is an officer peering down from the wing-bridge, and you can make out the wind/sun canvas mounted atop the facade. (SEE: TITANIC: 90 yrs. below)

Just stunning footage...

Michael A. Cundiff
USA

 

[Michael H. Standart]

Colleen, the documentary you're referring to wouldn't be that dreadful "Great Blunders In History" thing that The History Channel tosses out from time to time, would it? I don't recall any shots of the Lusitania in the thing, but after spending the first five minutes counting one mistake after another that the producers made, I stopped paying attention too closely.

 

[Cliff Mark Barry]

There is a video available to buy about the port of Liverpool and at the beginning of it, it shows the Lusitania from stern to bow, running the whole length of the ship, it even points out Elbert Hubbard waving to the camera, the length of the footage is approx 1min long

 

[Randy Bryan Bigham]

In looking for old footage on the British Pathe Web site a while ago, I recall coming across some newsreels of Lusitania. I don't remember the dates of the clips but I think some are from her last voyage. I believe Alfred Vanderbilt is in some of the scenes. There is, if I remember rightly, also a newsreel segment about Capt. Turner's retirement.

Just type "Lusitania" in the search box at http://www.britishpathe.com/

 

[Randy Bryan Bigham]

Also a sift through the ITN Archive - http://www.itnarchive.com/ - will yield several WWI newsreels about the Lusitania.

One shows a 1916 parade of mourners and anti-German demonstrators commemorating the ship's destruction. And there is a short clip from the Rita Jolivet film "Lest We Forget" (1918), although the scene descriptions don't reference that she's included in any of the surviving shots.

In addition, there appears to be footage of the various 1930s expeditions to salvage the ship.

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[Colleen Collier]

Thanks, guys, those are some good leads!

 

[Omar Khokhar]

many thanks Randy for the links, the lusitania news footage is amazing.