Program Information

In May 1915, when HMS Lusitania was torpedoed by the German sub U 20 off the Irish coast, the giant, fast Cunarder became the symbol of Germany’s disregard for international law.

A Moment in Time is a brief, exciting and compelling journey into the past. Created to excite and enlighten the public about the past, its relevance to the present and its impact on the future, A Moment In Time is a captivating historical narrative that is currently broadcast worldwide.

Transcript

Lead: In May 1915, when HMS Lusitania was torpedoed by the German sub U 20 off the Irish coast, the giant, fast Cunarder became the symbol of Germany’s disregard for international law.

Intro.: A Moment in Time with Dan Roberts.

Content: Captain William Thomas Turner of the Lusitania was one of the few survivors. He was the last person alive to leave the ship and was found clinging to a floating chair, semi-conscious. Later investigation revealed that he had sailed his ship in shallow waters, the favorite hunting ground of enemy subs, failed to provide adequate lifeboat drills, and had failed to zigzag as a defensive maneuver. Despite this, both he and Cunard Lines were absolved of responsibility for the tragedy, but there still was plenty of blame to go around.

Britain had permitted ships in certain circumstances to sail in shallow waters. Even its passenger ships were lightly armed and instructed to ram enemy submarines if at all possible. Yet, in the court of public opinion, the Germans were clearly the guilty party, for some, guilty of mass murder.

It is not that the Germans were silent in their own defense. They vigorously argued that their submarine policy was logical retaliation for a nation beset by an ever-increasingly effective blockade. Was the killing of children by a torpedo that different morally than killing children with blockade-starvation? The passengers, particularly Americans, had had a choice. They could have sailed in slower American liners instead of the big Cunard Liner with the big target painted on its side. Before the Lusitania sailed, Germany had advertised in several New York newspapers in the run up to the sailing, posting notices and flyers in New York harbor warning: “travelers sailing in the war zone on the ships of Great Britain or her allies do so at their own risk.”

Such propaganda fell on deaf ears. In the U.S., where President Wilson had been trying to keep America neutral, many were now clamoring for war with Germany. Two years after the sinking, Wilson finally abandoned neutrality and recommended war. In supreme irony, at the Versailles Peace Conference ending the War, German delegates were forced to begin negotiation on May 7, 1919, a date chosen by the allies. It was, of course, the 4th anniversary of the sinking of HMS Lusitania.

Research assistance by Mary Thomas, at the University of Richmond, this is Dan Roberts.

Virginia Standards