Lusitania sinking anniversary 2015

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Jake Peterson

Member
I see the anniversary of Lusitania's sinking is coming up in 3 years. Do you think it'll have the level of media culture frenzy that Titanic is currently having?
 
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Adam Went

Member
Very doubtful. No doubt there'll be a number of commemorative services and the like, and it will be well remembered by us maritime enthusiasts, but Titanic has already got a new mini-series and a new Nat Geo exploration, etc under the belt for the centenary - highly doubt that the Lusitania will have that degree of interest. Besides, Lusitania sank in wartime and therefore it's a slightly different kettle of fish. The same goes for Britannic in 2016.....
 
Michael H. Standart

Michael H. Standart

Member
I regret that I have to agree with Adam on this. For some reason, the Lusitania has never really drawn the sort of attention Titanic has in modern day culture. I suppose since it's a wartime casualty, it's not seen as "sexy" enough. Ask anybody if they have ever heard about the Titanic and you'll find a lot of people have, even if it's only about Jack and Rose.

Ask them about the the Lusitania and you'll almost always get a blank stare.

I'd like to be wrong about this.
 
J Burdette

J Burdette

Member
I remember Jack Thayer's quote:"[Titanic] disaster about to occur was the event that not only made the world rub it's eyes and awake but woke it with a start keeping it moving at a rapidly accelerating pace ever since with less and less peace, satisfaction and happiness. To my mind the world of today awoke April 15th, 1912."

It seems it was further awakened with the Lusitania disaster. I understand that numerous merchant vessels had been sunk by U-Boats, but Lusitania was a passenger vessel (Yes, yes, I remember the controversy of war contraband and such). Even with the German Embassy's warning, it seems the Lusy disaster was a slaughter. It, in my opinion, seems to mark the end of an era. My two cents.
 
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Adam Went

Member
The other problem the Lusitania faces is that unlike the Titanic, who's bow section in particular is still in passable shape even now, and it sits upright which allows for easy exploration, the wreck of the Lusitania is an absolute rabble, its disintegration hastened by the dropping of depth charges in the area decades ago and the debris from fishing vessels and the like. In many ways, Titanic is lucky to be in the middle of the ocean, too far away and too far down to be troubled as much in such ways.

I remember phoning the local bookstore to order Bob Ballard's "Exploring The Lusitania" probably about 12 years ago now, and being stunned even as a child then at her response of "Exploring the what?" when I gave the title.
 
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Jake Peterson

Member
Adam Went said:
I remember phoning the local bookstore to order Bob Ballard's "Exploring The Lusitania" probably about 12 years ago now, and being stunned even as a child then at her response of "Exploring the what?" when I gave the title.
Click to expand...

Sad. Considering Americans almost went to war over this. I can understand the Empress of Ireland, or the Britannic, but really? the Lusitania? I thought it was one of the more famous non-warship casualties?
 
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Adam Went

Member
Hi Jake,

Well this was in Australia so it wasn't an American or an American bookstore, but that doesn't make it any less excusable considering it was a major wartime loss. It's a little concerning that events such as this are slipping from the grasp of knowledge of many at around the same time as the very last veterans from that era die off......

Adam.
 
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Jake Peterson

Member
Hi Adam;

Only two famous ships that sank from WWII that I can name off my head are the Bismarck and the PT-109, and of course we both know why those are famous.
 
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Jake Peterson

Member
Hi Adam;

Only two famous ships that sank from WWII that I can name off my head are the Bismarck and the PT-109, and of course we both know why those are famous.
 
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jane elder

Member
Just want to say that I am passionate about the hundreth anniversary of the sinking of the lusitania. my mums great uncle SYDNEY DURAND aged 18 was killed on that ship. he was only 18, it was his first voyage and his mother didnt want him to go. when his sisters (there were 6 girls and only 1 boy, sydney) heard of the sinking of the Lucy, they took part in the liverpool riots that day, against the 'german' pork butchers!!
my huge bug bear is that Sydney Durand,pronounced DEWRAND, has been listed as crew and commemorated by the cwgc as DEWRANCE. Despite providing them with every shred of prrof that I have....bundles of records, certificates etc. they will not change the spelling of his name to Durand. Sydney Durand is not commemorated in perpetuity...and neither is Sydney Dewrance, because he did not exist!
WE WILL REMEMBER THEM.....BUT NOT IN SYDNEY DURANDS case it would seem!!!
If anyone would like to support me in my fight to get SYDNEY DURAND properly recognised, please email me at [email protected] and I will forward your emails to the cwgc administrator who I am in contact with. Many Thanks. Jane Elder
 
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