I don't like to think of myself as a person likely to be sucked into conspiracy theories, but it similarly strikes
me as a bit naive to think that countries don't sometimes take actions which are done for reasons of national
pride -- especially when that pride reflects upon their stature in history.
As far as I know, the British Navy has never confirmed nor denied using the Lusitania as a practice target. On
the other hand, the multiple dive expeditions on it have claimed to confirm seeing unexploded depth charges
on the periphery near the wreck. That and the fact that the shallowest depth of the wreck has sunk by about
20 meters over the years gives credence to the idea that it has been blasted.
What we do know as confirmation from multiple dive expeditions is that it appears confirmed that the ship was carrying
some amount of munitions, with claims that the amount involves millions of rounds.
From a historical perspective, the moral difference is night and day. The sinking of the Lusitania was one of the seminal
events of WWI, ultimately used as motivation to move the US into declaring war. If the Lusitania was indeed a legitimate
target as opposed to an innocent victim of an overzealous, brutal U-boat attack, then the propaganda value of the attack is
entirely different.
Does it really take that much of aconspiracy theory to think that a country might take a few overt steps to hide the fact that
its public disclosures were not always entirely truthful and above board?
