Dear oldsoul:
I took your advise and picked up a history book and here is what I found:
The British Admiralty financed the construction of the HMS Lusitania and as a result, the ship was fitted with twelve 6 inch guns. Also, in times of war, the ship would serve as an armed auxiliary cruiser under the command of the British Admiralty (Navy). “Cruiser Rules”, subscribed to at the time by maritime nations, specified that unarmed merchant vessels would be warned before being sunk; thus allowing the crew time to abandon ship. Because the Lusitania was an armed vessel, these Cruiser Rules did not apply and legally, she sailed under the rules of war.
On her ill-fated return voyage to England, the Lusitania’s cargo was primarily contraband; 1,639 ingot bars of copper, 1,248 cases of three-inch shells, 76 cases of brass rods and 4,927 boxes of cartridges each containing 1,000 rounds of ammunition. The weight of all these high explosives was 10 ½ tons. It was common knowledge that carrying such cargo was a routine undertaking for the Lusitania. Because of the increasingly volatile situation, George Vierick, a representative of the New York German community, attempted to place ads in 50 American newspapers, warning Americans about the risk of embarking on a transatlantic voyage to England. In response, the State Department advised the newspapers that it would be highly dangerous to run the ad, so none did. Eventually, Mr. Vierick convinced the editor of the
New York Tribune to run his ad which the Tribune did on the morning the Lusitania sailed. Apparently, no American sailing on the Lusitania elected to change their plans at this late point in time.
The Lusitania set sail on its final voyage shortly before noon on May 1, 1915. Her master, Captain William Turner was under orders to steer the same course used on previous journeys. This known course would take the Lusitania south of Ireland where she would be met by the British Cruiser Juno. The Juno was under orders to escort the Lusitania for the rest of her journey. At this point in time, the U-20 was patrolling the waters south of Ireland where the Lusitania was heading. By monitoring transmissions, the British Admiralty was able to pinpoint the locations of the Juno, Lusitania and the U-20. By plotting these positions, it was apparent that if the U-20 stayed where she was; the Lusitania would run into her the next morning. However, the U-20 was not content to just sit and wait for the Lusitania. The afternoon before their meeting, the U-20 sank both the HMS Candidate and HMS Centurian. There was no response from the British to these two tragic losses.
Normally, destroyer escorts are dispatched by the British Admiralty to the seas south of Ireland at the first hint of a U-Boat’s presence. Not this time! In light of this enemy action, Admiral Coke, of the British Admiralty, wanted to send a message to the Lusitania to warn them of the looming danger. He was ordered not to. Having a conscience, Admiral Coke disobeyed orders and sent his message anyway, which was picked up by the Lusitania. However, Captain Turner decided not to heed the warning because he felt his scheduled rendezvous with the Cruiser Juno would be sufficient protection for his ship. Furthermore, he was sailing under Admiralty authority and could not change course without getting permission. Meanwhile, back at Admiralty headquarters, Admiral Oliver advised Winston Churchill that the Juno was unsuited for protecting the Lusitania and was also at risk of being sunk. This being the case, he recommended that elements of a nearby destroyer flotilla be dispatched to protect the Lusitania. What happened next is told by Colin Simpson, author of the book "Lusitania":
“At this juncture the Admiralty War Diary stops short, perhaps understandably as it was here that the decision was taken that was to be the direct cause of the disaster. No one alive today knows who took it, but shortly after noon on May 5 the Admiralty signaled Juno to abandon her mission and return to Queenstown. They did not dispatch any destroyers and the Lusitania was not informed that she was now alone, and closing every minute with the U-20.”
Is this enough of a history lesson for you? If not, you may wish to read Colin Simpson's book:
"Lusitania": Colin Simpson: 9780582127074: Amazon.com: Books
