Tides of War

Well I am reading a book called Castles of Steel at the moment by Robert Massie which was published in 2003and on the subject of the Lusitania, he states both her and her sister ships were subsidised by the British Admiralty with the express purpose of them being requisitioned by the RN in the event of war and used as armed cruisers, this was before the threat of submarines was considered, and when war broke out it was only her two sister ships that were requisitioned and the Lusitania was allowed to continue operating as a fast passenger ship between Liverpool and New York. And it has been proved that she was carrying 1248 cases of various types of ammunition and explosives back to England when she was hit. The main debate these days is over the legality of the crossing and a whether she was a ligitimate target for the u-boat as she was flying the neutral US Flag.

Yes, I've read the book.

I did not read what everyone said, but the torpedo that the German U-Boat fired did hit the Lusitania, and the Lusitania had several American Aristocrats aboard, but the torpedo did not cause the Lusitania to explode. The Lusitania was carrying explosives in the hull of the ship, which the torpedo hit, so as you can imagine, boom. Almost the same with the sinking of the Bismarck, a lucky shot hit the control room room or a highly flammable room (I beleive the shot went down the chimney or exhaust whatever its called but I may be wrong, anyways thats a different post). Britain, of course did not tell the Americans that the Lusitania was carrying explosives at the time.

I saw a program which is more or less the same as what Commodore Rob was on about. The UK government had subsidised its building. The Lusitania had its decks reinforced to carry guns. so i suppose it was carrying ammunition in the case that it every needed it. im sure that protecting something just in case is no crime. and what was wrong with it carrying ammunition? it was war for christ sake! during you try and keep with the rules as much as possible but sometimes you cant, you just hope like hell no-one finds out.

I believe that the German Embassy posted a warning to American citizens not to sail on the Lusitania. It stated that the German Government considered the ship a combatant vessel and would sink it like any other British Man O War.

Not sure why the Kiwi got his knickers in a knot. Every nation that has held a place of prominance in world events has been kicked around by Nay Sayers and the evil of the world blamed on them,

Shigoto