Lusitania sank on todays date-in 1915 by U boat.

[the ringo kid]

Just a quickie since comp is out of time. Today in 1915, the Lusitania was sunk by Kapitan Walther Schweiger in command of U 20.

 

[zzzippper]

There are many conspiracy theories surrounding this.

 

[BigBill]

My grandfather came to Ellis island from Italy on this ship.

 

[the ringo kid]

Im going to try to add more info with images tomorrow. One of the stories which has indeed proven fact, was that the shipwas indeed carrying explosives--ie artillery shells and such.

 

[sipowicz]

Schweiger!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[the ringo kid]

I used to work with a Schweiger too. this guy was a loon and was retired Navy. He annoyed everybody so, they mostly assigned him t picket duty in picket 1. He alsohad an annying sounding voice too--nasily.

 

[shouldazagged]

In the long run it probably was a pretty poor idea to sink Lusitania.

 

[Ivan the Butcher]

Restricted war. Unrestricted war. Total war. Sounds like somebody didn't get enough hugs as a child. Ivan

 

[Harkrader]

The family on my Norwegian mother's side have been seafarers as far back as we can trace them. Her father was a well-known merchant mariner, and the crews of Titanic and Lusitania were among his personal friends.

Documented as the oldest captain at see during WWII, he mourned them to the end of his life at age 99. (1868 - 1967)
Photo: Captain Charles A.K. Bertun

 

[dmar]

Back in the early 90s I lived next door to an old lady that had lived in a Irish town (Queenstown...?) on the coast where the Lusitania was sunk when she was a little girl. She would talk about the event, and how people from her town went out to rescue people from the Lusitania, how they took in survivors, and how they buried some victims there...

It was very interesting to talk to an eyewitness to such a historical event/tragedy. It was also interesting how she had a pretty granddaughter my age that lived with her.

 

[rwsmith]

Little known story.....

Look up the Laconia incident. Early in WWII a U boat sank the RMS Laconia, a British troopship. After realizing the ship carried POWs and civilians, the U boat captain began rescue efforts under a Red Cross flag and sent out messages for any ship to come aid in the rescue. A U.S. bomber attempted to sink the U boat, causing them to break off the rescue.

The story was covered up until Donitz was accused at Nuremburg of initiating unrestricted submarine warfare. When the truth came out, the allies had massive egg on their faces.

 

[Dennis The B]

While the Germans didn't distinguish themselves by sinking a "passenger" liner, the British were no better when they decided to establish a shipping blockade, preventing food, etc., from reaching German civilians. In 1915, the Germans also ran ads in U.S. newspapers, telling potential passengers not to book passage on British-flagged passenger ships. They knew that British passenger ships were carrying munitions. The Germans watched the docks, and knew armaments were being loaded on civilian ships.

War is never "clean", but the British were no paradigm of morality. The alleged "atrocities" by the Germans in the Low Countries were so overblown by British propagandists, that it bordered on the bizarre.

 

[the ringo kid]

Look up the Laconia incident. Early in WWII a U boat sank the RMS Laconia, a British troopship. After realizing the ship carried POWs and civilians, the U boat captain began rescue efforts under a Red Cross flag and sent out messages for any ship to come aid in the rescue. A U.S. bomber attempted to sink the U boat, causing them to break off the rescue.

The story was covered up until Donitz was accused at Nuremburg of initiating unrestricted submarine warfare. When the truth came out, the allies had massive egg on their faces.

Ive heard and read that story. also, its a MYTH that any German Uboat commander ordered their deck machine guns to fire on survivors of sunkenships. Had any done so-Grand Admiral Erich Raeder would have had them shot.

 

[gdnagle]

Look up the Laconia incident. Early in WWII a U boat sank the RMS Laconia, a British troopship. After realizing the ship carried POWs and civilians, the U boat captain began rescue efforts under a Red Cross flag and sent out messages for any ship to come aid in the rescue. A U.S. bomber attempted to sink the U boat, causing them to break off the rescue.

The story was covered up until Donitz was accused at Nuremburg of initiating unrestricted submarine warfare. When the truth came out, the allies had massive egg on their faces.

IIRC this was when the U-Boats were ordered not to attempt rescue to ship crews and passengers from German high command. Admiral Donitz had sent a message to all U-boat commanders that became known as the Laconia Order, forbidding any attempt to help survivors of sunken ships the day after the attack by the American B-24 .



Then there was the German ship MV Wilhelm Gustloff. By estimate 9,400 people died of which 8,956 civilians were on board, out of that were an estimated 5,000 were children, which would make it the largest loss of life in a single ship sinking in history. Sunk by the Soviet's.

Sorry if I

Sad that in any war civilian have to die. RIP all.

 

[rwsmith]

Not just words....

IIRC this was when the U-Boats were ordered not to attempt rescue to ship crews and passengers from German high command. Admiral Donitz had sent a message to all U-boat commanders that became known as the Laconia Order, forbidding any attempt to help survivors of sunken ships the day after the attack by the American B-24 .



Sad that in any war civilian have to die. RIP all.

"War is hell" isn't just empty words. I like (appreciate?)the quote I heard Hawkeye say on M*A*S*H......"War is war and hell is hell. And out of the two war is a lot worse."

 

[the ringo kid]

IIRC this was when the U-Boats were ordered not to attempt rescue to ship crews and passengers from German high command. Admiral Donitz had sent a message to all U-boat commanders that became known as the Laconia Order, forbidding any attempt to help survivors of sunken ships the day after the attack by the American B-24 .



Then there was the German ship MV Wilhelm Gustloff. By estimate 9,400 people died of which 8,956 civilians were on board, out of that were an estimated 5,000 were children, which would make it the largest loss of life in a single ship sinking in history. Sunk by the Soviet's.

Sorry if I

Sad that in any war civilian have to die. RIP all.

TheLanconia Order was ignored. The Kapitan of U 181 broke all kinds of regs by helping out my Grandfather who was ships captain of the SS Fort Lee. Kapitan Z.S. Kurt Freiwald ave them timeto abandon ship, then made arendezvous with the lifeboats, gave blankets, food,meds,water etxto my Grandfathers men. The Kapitan could have been shot-along with his officers--becuse they also gave a signal gun and a Luger-to my Grandfather and his men. The luger wwas for the purpose of keeping sharks away from his men.

On the Wilhelm Gustloff. I have a pre-war cap tally froma man who served on that ship and, its alsoestimated that as much as 15,000 people were on that ship when it sankthanks to that Russian Sub commander.

 

[gdnagle]

TheLanconia Order was ignored. The Kapitan of U 181 broke all kinds of regs by helping out my Grandfather who was ships captain of the SS Fort Lee. Kapitan Z.S. Kurt Freiwald ave them timeto abandon ship, then made arendezvous with the lifeboats, gave blankets, food,meds,water etxto my Grandfathers men. The Kapitan could have been shot-along with his officers--becuse they also gave a signal gun and a Luger-to my Grandfather and his men. The luger wwas for the purpose of keeping sharks away from his men.

On the Wilhelm Gustloff. I have a pre-war cap tally froma man who served on that ship and, its alsoestimated that as much as 15,000 people were on that ship when it sankthanks to that Russian Sub commander.

Yes I didn't elaborate on that, The U-Boats treated seamen with respect after they torpedoed their ships. They did not do summery executions on their "enemy" They were still brother Mariners. Seamen. Seafarers. Sailors what ever you wanted to call them. In contrast the allies had waged unrestricted submarine warfare. There were bad apples on both sides though. Looks like I was a news reporter and only reporting on partial facts sorry.

 

[the ringo kid]

Yes I didn't elaborate on that, The U-Boats treated seamen with respect after they torpedoed their ships. They did not do summery executions on their "enemy" They were still brother Mariners. Seamen. Seafarers. Sailors what ever you wanted to call them. In contrast the allies had waged unrestricted submarine warfare. There were bad apples on both sides though. Looks like I was a news reporter and only reporting on partial facts sorry.

Hi GD,I wasnt getting on you case by it just saying, besides that--you dont owe me an apology. )

The german sailors did and do indeed see all seamen as their brothers. They renamed the Navy Memorial (a number of years ago) to the Ehren memorial--which is loated off Laboe beach. The Germans ive met, are all of the sameopinion. I went to as guet of honor--to U 181s Vets reunion in BadCamberg, in Sept 15-16th 2000.The first day, as the living members arrived that were able to--around 10-12--were busy getting in converstions and such as well as looking at the photos I was able to get of someof them and their Uboat.

Anyway, when the final Vet arrived, we all sat at a large table and a request by Dietrich Hille, to link hands and say some prayers. I was immediately impresed with them because of theprayers they said for the reenty deeasedcrew of the Russian Sub: The Kursk. You could see the great sadness on their faces. I was sad too, partly because those men COULD have been saved had the Russians not sat on their thumbs. Anyway, I gave them further sad news on the wartime deaths of 27 men from my Granddads Ship: SS Fort Lee--whom they thought all these years-had survived. they were never aware that their 2nd torped--fired about 15-or 30minutes after the first) killed 27 men who wer trying to abandon ship.

Anyway, no offense meant or taken and you owe me no apologies. )