The Sinking of the Lusitania | A Short Documentary | Fascinating Horror
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- Опубліковано 1 чер 2024
- "On the 1st of May, 1915, the RMS Lusitania set sail from New York, bound for Liverpool in the UK..."
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CHAPTERS:
00:00 - Intro
00:43 - Background
04:52 - The Sinking of the Lusitania
08:20 - The Aftermath
MUSIC:
► "Glass Pond" by Public Memory
SOURCES:
► “The Sinking of the RMS Lusitania” by Eric Saunder, published by the History Press. Link: www.thehistorypress.co.uk/art...
► “How the Sinking of the Lusitania Changed World War I” by Annette McDermott, published by History.com, November 2022. Link: www.history.com/news/how-the-...
► The Lusitania Resource website, published by The Lusitania Resource. Link: www.rmslusitania.info/
► “Remember the Lusitania” by John Updike, published by the New Yorker, June 2002. Link: www.newyorker.com/magazine/20...
#Documentary #History #TrueStories
If you want to learn a little more about this disaster, I've also recorded the testimony of a sailor who survived the sinking: ua-cam.com/video/YKpcoZDW6KY/v-deo.html. Give it a watch if you want a more personal perspective on this historic event!
An excellent addition to bring the personal account to this tradgedy!! Thank you very much!
One of the perks of working the night shift in the U.S. is being awake when another episode of fascinating horror drops
have in early morning start in est. always get exited to put the new video on before i get on the road
Good afternoon (Tuesday) from Germany, where it is currently snowing.
@@galdavonalgerri2101that snow sounds lovely this time of year
At least for me, a Californian who's only seen snow fall from the sky once or twice
I work early mornings so by the time I take my coffee break on Tuesday there’s a new episode
Thats hows I feel about living in Europe! Great content for lunchtime
My great grandmother saw the sinking happen. She grew up off the coast of cork. She was walking home from school with brothers when they saw her going down. Her brothers ran to the docks to hop in their family boat while she ran to town to alert the townspeople . They went out close to the wreck site and started pulling survivors out of the water. About 100 lives were saved because of her.
What brave young people! Your gran and great uncles sound like good people. ❤
❤❤
That is an Amazing piece of historical info that needs to be written down and kept for others to know about!!!! ❤❤
I also heard about the lighthouse keeper at the Head of Kinsale off the Irish coast and his children saw the sinking of the Lusitania as it happened and could see it in person. He helped warn Irish authorities about it and tried to help with the Irish rescue vehicles and fishing boats.
No offense intended to your great grandmother, but I find it hard to believe... The ship was 11 miles (18km) off the coast when hit... Even the sharp eyes of a young girl would not have seen anything but a little blackish dot on the horizon line, and in no way distinguish that the ship was in trouble...
Fun fact: cartoonist Winsor McCay (film pioneer basically responsible for the first animated films ever!) was so outraged by the event, that he self-funded a film depicting the sinking of the Lusitania. It was ~12 minutes long (the longest at the time), took himself and a few assistants nearly 22 months & 25000 drawings to complete, and was the first time animation was used to depict a more serious subject matter. Although it wasn't exactly profitable at the time, it certainly helped to fuel the fire that was the USA's outrage prior to the incident; and it was later recognized as a significant development in the history of animation, & is now apart of the National Film Registry. I'd recommend giving it a watch if you have a little free time.
Along with the great content that Fascinating Horror produces, I love the comments section on this channel. Particularly for gems like this. Thanks for the info. I'll go check that out.
ua-cam.com/video/wq7hMuiz1mI/v-deo.htmlsi=gNKMORx3V1AXDrCQ
Can you please give me a link to the video? Or maybe tell me where I can view it online? I'm bedridden and unable to travel, all I have available to look it up with is my cell phone 📱
@@ambertypereiraty3627 my previous comment is a UA-cam link
While McCay was an early pioneer in the medium, I think calling him 'responsible for the first animated films ever' is a stretch. Whil McCay was an illustrator, he is not the first film animator. Some might say it was Charles-Émile Reynaud back in 1888, when celluloid was first being used. Other pioneers that predate McCay are: J Stuart Blackton (His The Enchanted Drawing (1900) can be regarded as the first theatrical film recorded on standard picture film that included animated elements), Alexander Shiryaev (who is credited with the independent invention of stop motion animation), Segundo De Chomon (La maison ensorcelée) and Emil Cohl (Japon de faintasie).
Hearing churchill basically jumping for glee that the ship got sunk is genuinely disgusting
The destroyers who were supposed to escort her having the wrong codes so couldn't coordinate with her, or the cruiser that left harbor to help rescue survivors being ordered back to port. Then you think, "Who was the First Lord of the Admiralty at the time?"
Yeah, the more you learn about history, the more you realize Churchill was a monster.
That's a highly subjective interpretation. To me it doesn't sound like he's jumping for glee, so much as simply stating a brutal historical fact. Without the Lusitania being sunk, America wouldn't have entered the war. The killing would have dragged on and on, probably into 1919. What Churchill wrote - that the Lusitania was, with hindsight, a decisive moment in eventual Allied victory and a catastrophic German blunder - is fundamentally true. Are we supposed to criticise him for not being happy that the Allies won?
@@biggiouschinnus7489That might have been the case if it werent for the fact that the british were blatently sending ships there in hopes of them getting destroyed by the germans to illicate this exact response from the americans.
Our light rail system has a station named after him as well as a public square.
My grandmother, born in 1908, always said that Churchill was a warmonger, and not the ‘great statesman’ who is popularly remembered. This video supports this view. Along w the devise nature of the British government.
Sadly more and more videos are coming out that points in that direction. Side note, Churchill and Soviet leader got together to decide how slice up Europe, Roosevelt was not amused.
Revisionist history.
@@kristy9337 Question: Who did the revising? And when? From the video, it sounds like Churchill was putting the "spin" on the story from the beginning.
@@kristy9337 what
He used the ships as bait. On purpose. Either the Germans attack and kill hundreds of civilians or they don't and they get to run military supplies freely using civilians as human shields.
My great grandfather was a crew member on board the Lusitania, he did not survive the sinking. I grew up knowing the history of this ship from my family, thank you for a thoughtful portrayal of what happened and the effect it had on the wars history
Do you have anymore to add to the story? So much history. My Grandpa was 4 and on the Titanic with his mother but had to get off due to paperwork not being right. I probably wouldn’t be here if they stayed on that ship. Anyway I find family history stories to be fascinating!
@@Mrsjam96 I know my great grandfather was an engineer, his son (my great uncle) was also on board as engineering crew. He was only 16, and also did not survive the sinking. My great grandfather was born in Germany, but emigrated to the UK where he married and that’s where my grandma and her siblings were born. They lived in Liverpool, which is where most of the family still is, I was raised there myself.
We never knew if they were still below deck when the ship was torpedoed, or if they drowned outside, their bodies were not found.
The other side of my family is Irish, my grandma married an Irish dude. So a fair few of us have visited Ireland (I lived there for a while) and have made a point of going to Kinsale to visit the memorial there.
@@RuthDeane thank you for sharing his story! I found this so interesting. I'm so interested in the lives of individual people in history, it's fascinating.
Knowing people were trapped in the elevators as Lusitania sank never gets easier to hear no matter how many documentaries I’ve seen. Just a horrific fate came to those stuck in there.
Theres good reason for the advice to NEVER take elevators in a burning building, a sinking ship or whatever disaster ur in. The likelyhood of u getting trapped is pretty high.
@@dfuher968 The opposite is also true. If an elevator breaks down in a non-emergency, stay put. Do not try to escape by prying open the doors. The escape hatch on the ceiling is bolted shut from the outside to let workers in, not for passengers to get out.
And then there was the boilerman on the RMS Titanic. Only survived because he was on the elevator.
The people stuck in the elevators tale is an uncorroborated story. Believe it if you want to.
Similar happened on the Costa Concordia almost a century later, too.
One of the Americans who died on the Lusitania was Alfred Gwynn Vanderbilt. I worked at his summer home Great Camp Sagamore in the Adirondacks (now a beautiful historic site open for tours in upstate NY). I thought it was ironic that despite being a sportsman, owning that lake house, and coming from (literal) coastal elites, he could not swim. Story goes, he gave his life vest to a young mother when he couldn't find another one for her and her child and knew that the lifeboats weren't going to work out. Who knows if true, but he definitely didn't survive his trip. Devastated his own young family.
Robert Ballard did a NatGeo documentary on this sinking. Looking over the blueprints, he noted the Lusitania was built much better then the Titanic due to Great Britain having an interest in it if war should come. Ballard actually compared it to a heavy cruiser, and tried to explain how she sunk so quickly. Great watch indeed.
I’m a huge fan of his. I’ve only just got Sky and it came with a 6 month subscription to Disney + so I’ll have to have a go at that one, thank you!
IMO the military-oriented design (Lusitania and Mauritania were designed for repurposing as auxiliary cruisers, in exchange for subsidies) meant that in some ways, she was actually built worse than the Olympic-class. The way she was subdivided meant that manual counterflooding would be needed to keep her on an even keel if a longitudinal space was breached - which proved a problem during the sinking. And the position of the coal bunkers was a double-edged sword in other ways. And to add insult to injury, the turbines that gave the Cunard Greyhounds the speed the Admiralty desired... also made them guzzle so much coal that they weren't practical as auxiliary cruisers anyway.
Thats strange because the wreck of the Lusitania although in shallow waters is a not in good condition, its completely collapsed on itself although intact unlike the Titanic I would say the latter is i better condition.
*than
@@chatteyjThe reason the wreck is in such terrible condition is because in WW2 British ASW ships detected the wreck and thought it was a submarine. Subsequently tons of depth charges were dropped on it.
Even though there obviously wasn't any recorded footage (or photographs for that matter) of the incident itself, Winsor McCay (Creator of the _Little Nemo_ comic strips) directed an animated short called "The Sinking of the Lusitania". They used newspaper reports, and eyewitness accounts to recreate the sinking, in great visual detail, and it honestly looks like a documentary.
I highly recommend checking it out.
Wisest of Wows!
Actually, there _are_ some photographs. Although not exactly in the greatest of shape.
There was a role of film recovered from the sea shortly after the sinking. Its very damaged but one image seems to show the deck of the ship as its sinking. Unfortunately the original negatives are lost so all that's left are newspaper images from a report from just after she went down which are very low quality. Without the negatives there is very little chance of recovering any useful images. The guy who took the images survived iirc.
Thank you for being objective about this, the Lusitania was one of my first historical "wait a dang minute here" moments that made me question the official narritive given by history. On that note, I'll leave you with this, you should look into the SS Wilhelm Gustloff, the ship with the higest body count in maritime history.
The Lusitania, the Maine, Gulf of Tonkin, Pearl Harbor. It’s amazing how many times the American government used a false flag or green flag ship sinking to get its people into war.
He posts an email in his description and it's best if you email him a suggestion. I have done so, and though I haven't seen either suggestion as yet, he was courteous enough to respond to my emails. :)
I’m 66. My grandfather immigrated to America from Ireland on the trip just prior to the sinking. The Lusitania was sunk on its return trip. My family line would’ve been changed; he was supposed to have come over on the following trip, but rescheduled to the earlier voyage when a friend (a ship worker) got him an earlier spot. He met his future wife onboard. Fate is a thing.
I was waiting for someone to say they knew something that.... You won the prize. The price is nothing. Enjoy.
@@terencehill2320 Thanks. My family and I existing is my prize. Can’t beat that.
How sad and wonderful at the same time.
Genealogy and such stories are fascinating. In my own line there are 2 instances where the man's first wife died and he remarried, then the second wife had a son that became my ancestor. My own grandparents lost their first baby very tragically (my dad was born third). One tiny ripple or little change, and none of us would be here. It's a little chilling and sobering to think how things like that work out.
@@sum1has2 ummm good for you I guess. Slow clap time sorry not sorry but glad your family made it
Pro-Tip: Don’t reclassify civilian ships as military, pack them with munitions, send them into a war zone, then act surprised when they get sunk.
It's obviously what Churchill was hoping for.
@@Kariakas That is a deeply cynical interpretation of the facts. And most likely true. 😣
Churchill is on record stating that he wanted nothing more than the bombing of London by the Germans, so as to involve the Americans. The man was a warmonger, drunk, and a gambler.
even better: STOP using taxpayer money to build ships, stadiums, or anything that generates profits for billionaires.
@@ThatOpalGuyBut if that happened, what would you leftards use to claim some "moral high ground" over everyone else? It's what your Virtue Signal Olympics runs on.
All the things that came to light in the decaes since her sinking have absolutely put a new perspective on this
Yes that is true especially how the American and British government knowingly put American Lives at risk to disguise the morally bankrupt shipping of Munitions to the Entente
Yeah but that’s just par for the course, war after war, conflict after conflict, is it not? For over 100y now.
Just another reminder of "who" has always controlled the British Government and how much they've infiltrated the American govt since the Revolution. Pay attention to what's happening to that country today and how our govt reflects what they do in every aspect of daily life.
Modern media doesn’t lie though. That was people in the past.
I mean, that’s certainly very true. I just can’t help but think back to the u-boat’s treatment of the merchant vessel prior: stopping it, ordering the crew out, and only then torpedoing the ship. A large, 4-funnel ship like the Lusitania would’ve exclusively been a luxury liner, and a German navy man like the captain would’ve known that.
I wish things had been different.
The horrific conditions in the German Uboats would make an excellent story for Fascinating Horror.
Have you seen “Das Boot”? Excellent (1981) German movie that mostly takes place in a u-boat, based on the 1973 book by the same name.
@@HeronCoyote1234 The WW1 subs were awfully cramped, noisy, and hot, so life in one was less pleasant than in the sub in Das Boot.
@@HeronCoyote1234Read, Dead Wake by Erik Larson. You will experience every awful sight, smell and unbearable sensation of duty on these early submarines.
Das boot gives only a feint idea we are talking WW1 subs which were no better than metal tubes with ballasts.
Early subs, even through WW2 are terrifying. They are so relatively primitive and are operating in such a dangerous environment on the very razors edge of performance. The conditions inside running huge, inefficient diesel engines in a tube filled with toxic batteries, not to mention the volatile torpedoes they are sleeping next to. It's nuts man.
When I was heavy into the sinking of the Titanic, I discovered the Lusitania, and became just as intrigued by the disaster.
It's one of those disasters that just gives me a subtle bit of anger towards the higher ups during WWI. The fact that Winston lowkey hoped the Lusitania would maybe help get America into the war, and the fact that Germany would fire upon a ship that was primarily used for civilians... it's just a tragedy all around. Just one of the many layers of niche into the complexities of WWI. It definitely feels like a war where there truly was no heroes or villains.
Why do you think it had munitions on board ? The false flag attack thing is real and as old as "civilization".
What?! No heroes? WWII is full of fkg heroes...
You mean, both the US and the UK where complicit in the transportation/risk to civil vessels covertly and illegally carrying war armaments/supplies to the British Isles, under false pretenses and set that up to be the US Cassis Belli to enter the War, even though Wilson got elected on a “anti war” campaign platform and was less then honest to the public and congress? Noooo, you don’t say no way shuddup!!
It was intentional. The British empire wanted to destroy a thriving Germany. So they gathered up much of the world and did so. That day, the scumbag churchill colluded with the equally awful wilson, and drug the once greatest country into endless global conflict.
That day the genocidal British empire died and spawned the equally evil American empire.
@@GenXfrom75 World War ONE.
Note to Fascinating Horror: The memorial shown at 10:40 in the video is The Wave, which was completed in 2017 on the Old Head of Kinsale, the closest piece of land to the site of the sinking. I saw it in 2018 when I played golf there. There is indeed a Lusitania Peace memorial in Cobh (pronounced “Cove”). After many delays it was completed in 1968 and has a much more traditional design involving human and angelic figures.
I visited the memorial myself in 2019 when I lived in Cork city. There is also a nice little museum and coffee shop there for those who wish to pop in whilst taking in the beautiful views from the old Head of Kinsale. Unlike the memorial in Cobh which is in the town it feels quite sombre on a quiet day as there are often very few people around. Well worth a visit for anyone that is ever visiting that part of the world.
You must read “Dead Wake: The Last Crossing of the Lusitania” by Erik Larson. Beautifully written, it expands on this (as always) excellent piece.
I agree, it’s a fascinating book!
Agreed. One of the absolute best books I have read.
Agree, read it as well, and I think this video at least touched on all the important points from the book. The book also gives an excellent view of the German perspective.
Hell yeah, just snagged the last available copy of the audiobook from my library's Overdrive. Thanks for the recc!
Just downloaded it on your recommendation.
The Titanic had plenty of time, but nowhere near enough lifeboats. The Lusitania had more than enough lifeboats, but nowhere near enough time.
Yes, although in most (all) of the photos seen in this video, the Lusitania is shown with it's "pre-Titanic" boat deck. After the Titanic sank, more boats were added.
The last lifeboat on the Titanic was launched seconds before the ship started sinking rapidly.
An important thing to note is that the number of lifeboats was proportionate to the ship's weight, rather than the number of passengers and crew on board. The Titanic actually had a little more than what was mandated.
Not wrong
My great grandma came to the US to visit family friends in early 1914, before the war started. Her parents told her to write them when she wanted to return home. That summer war broke out so she stayed in the US.
She became homesick and wrote a letter to her parents. Family lore says that letter was on the Lusitania when she went down. My great grandma assumed her family had been killed when she didn't hear from them, and so she married and started a new life here.
I don't know if that's true or not, but it's a neat story.
My favorite Twilight Zone episode is the one where someone goes back in time to try to stop the sinking of the ship.
This first of all looks like an utterly terrible attack, but time has since shown that illegal cargo was present and the waters around this event are now throughly muddy and unclear.
It was a false flag created by the sadistic British empire. The same people who started WWI.
The cargo was illegal?
@@Bazanadu She was carrying arms, under the guise of a passenger ship; ie using human shields. She was a legitimate target of war. The German claim was proven correct when the wreck was found, and crates of .303 ammo were recovered.
I would still argue that U-20 was reacting correctly for another reason, until a few months before, Lusitania had been a Armed Merchant Cruiser.
German submarines had taken a few blows from them causing the unrestricted part.
However. The only reason this even happened was how poorly Germany had prepared.
They expected the Royal Navy to patrol off their shore like a bunch of idiots. Said Royal Navy didn't as torpedoes are scary and the Germans looked like dopes.
Thus the Germans turned to U boats to break a blockade they were ill suited to break (indeed at Jutland a year later the British would demonstrate how badly the HSF were.)
This would lead to Germany losing as they couldn't get fertilizers in as the materials came from the US. This, plus bad weather, caused the food situation to become precarious and so Germany lost to Britians illegal blockade.
Thus, the main reason this happened was the HSF were a bunch of wishful thinkers who didn't see the reality of the situation while the British did what they did since Napoleonic times and blockaded the opposing nation illegaly.
@@Bazanadu The source of the internal explosion which actually sank the Lusitania has been disputed ever since. Many claim is munitions going off others claim it was her boilers exploding or coal dust. But is known (at the time actually) she was carrying munitions. There was a supplemental manifest filed after she left New York which more accurately listed her cargo which very few have bothered to look at. When a passenger liner sailed they often had to update the cargo manifest because of last minute bookings, etc.
I live in Kerry; it felt surreal learning that she rests just a county over. I have a strong interest in sunken ships and have always wanted to visit the area. She really encapsulates the ideal of 'fascinating horror'.
Last time I was this early, the RMS Baltic was still the world's largest ship.
The fact that the British government not only knew that such a tragedy would occur, but were actively hoping for it, is sickening. It would have been more than right to abstain from the war and instead sanction and embargo the UK.
I don't think they were hoping for it, but they certainly used the disaster to make more people join the military. A thing that also disturbed me was that they knew Lusitania was very likely to be attacked, and they still let the ship continue to carry passengers.
@@mayday6916 Well, the German embassy did publish warnings. What kind of psychology is involved with people continuing with their plans when they've been warned by a credible source? Would you board an airliner if you knew it was flying through a war zone, and one of the combatants had stated that flying an airliner in that region was a huge risk? And the airline assured you that there was no need to worry?
Ignoring human decency and torpedoing civilian shipping full of passengers was pretty standard Germans treating everyone else as lesser. Look at how they behaved in Belgium in ww1.
@@EXROBOWIDOW Depends on the situation. If I was fleeing from the war and it was the only possible way to get out I would have to board the plane. But given a free choice I would not. If my country's embassy warned me, I would listen. I wonder how much information the passengers really had before they embarked. The psychology of continuing with plans after being warned... I don't know. Why were the passengers traveling? Were they on vacation, on the run from the war or something else?
@mayday6916 Churchill is known for this rather costly and blunt approach to war...
Everyone that dies was a coward and you only win by bloodshed...
He did so in WW1 and in WW2, he threw good man in to unwinnable situations and blamed them after there sacrifice for his failures... how this man was popular is alluding me...
I'm sure someone else will have mentioned it, 12 hours after the first viewing, but Cobb as mentioned near the end is actually Cobh pronounced Cove or Coav, however it was known then and is best remembered as being Queenstown.
I worked aged 15 & 16 with my builder father (mason/bricklayer) on a new housing project in what had become Cobh, Co Cork in 1975. We drove there from the City every day.
There was a memorial along the harbour front which I don't remember much about, but it was thought provoking at the time; and otherwise Ireland as a place had little connection to that war.
More of a wide concrete walkway / jetty with little or no beach which had not changed at all since that era, and it was remarked and well known that many, many survivors first made land together over many hours along that front and were treated and comforted at the scene.
It was good to be reminded of some of the details again, and there were some aspects mentioned here I did not know of or could recollect.
I was surprised the toll was around 1200, almost the Titanic again in different waters. Queenstown of course was the last port of call for the Titanic (yes I had to check - old age) *so there would have been a Titanic memorial as well, but definitely there was one for the Lusitania and the survivors lining the quayside.* (added)
Very interesting that so many vessels reached them very quickly. Radio communication was only 3 years along from the Titanic, but very close to a European shoreline in this instance.
Awful tragedy, and once again lifeboats inadequate on a listing ship.
I wake up at 3:30 for work, am at work by 4:30, and leaving the warehouse (truck driver) by 5:30. it’s perfect timing, these are such a great way to start my day. have been listening for years, thanks for the 10/10 content brother🤘
There's a tough job! I thought I always got up early (4AM).
Thank you for what you do. It is not an easy job, and our economy depends on what you do.
That was a pretty cold statement by Churchill!
I have been to the Lusitania museum in Ireland. Its hearbreaking but really interesting. It's on the coast where much of the ship and bodies washed up.
There is a Lusitania, exhibition at the maritime museum in Liverpool. It's very good with loads of interesting exhibits. Plus, there is a great Titanic exhibition and another one about the War of the Atlantic.
I remember reading an article in the 1950s when the manifests were studied. some boxes of armaments were listed as 'butter', not content with their stowage in a secret compartment.
"Nobody who set sail on the Lusitania thought their voyage would be violently cut short." The German government put an ad in the NY Times telling passengers they would sink that exact ship.
This is one of those rare instances where I already knew about the tragedy being covered here. Still glad you covered it, most people may learn about the Lusitania in school, but the Titanic overshadows it. It deserves to be remembered.
Also the extend of what I learned in school was the Lusitania was sunk by the Germans with a few Americans onboard and that made America angry. Its just lead in to actually talking about the war.
I think the _Titanic_ is interesting enough in its own right, but it gets so much attention in schools, etc. that it's a bit ridiculous. (At least it was when I was in school, but that was probably because of the movie being so big at the time.) I don't remember much about this particular one at all, and I think it would have been cool to learn about it.
As a self proclaimed shipwreck nerd(it’s a hobby) I was very impressed by this. I enjoy seeing videos that aren’t Titanic (even though I’m a minor enthusiast of her story and history). I’m glad that Lusitania’s story is still being told.
Would you consider doing a video about Britannic? While tragic in her own right, I still feel she gets overshadowed by both the Olympic and the Titanic.
Fascinationg horror and scary interesting are always prime content.
Unlike allot of the other scary story channels, theirs always feel way more beleivable and more objective doccumentary than embelished entertainment.
I’m a simple man, I see a notification and I watch
🤷🏼♀️What else is a gal to do!
I enjoy these videos with my morning coffee
Words to live by, my friend.
😎👍
This is one of the few maritime disasters I already knew about just due to how infamous its sinking was/is, though covering something so relatively well-known is more than fine. In fact, being reminded of this tragedy again makes me wonder what the first major submarine disaster was--as in the submarine itself going down--given whole thing with OceanGate earlier this year.
Pretty sure all the Confederate submarines went down with their whole crews, so, probably those.
The French super-submarine _Surcouf_ disappeared with all hands (130 casualties) in February 1942. Probably sunk after a collision but it was never found so we'll never know...
technically you could say the confederate submarine HUNLEY was the first major loss of life in a submarine. Twice. Consecutively. First, iirc, was an accident in sea trials, and the second was in the process of poking a union ship with a stick with a buncha explosives on the end.
@@OutbackCatgirl Heh. Okay. I think I might have already known this then since it sounds vaguely familiar in its morbid hilarity. At the very least I'm not surprised to learn of it (again?) given the overall idiocy of the Confederacy, though now this makes me wonder what the first non-wartime submarine disaster is/was.
Regardless, thanks for the responses thus far.
a conscious sinking of a vessel isnt a 'disaster'
The book Dead Wake by Erik Larson on this topic is fantastic.
I actually have that hardcopy somewhere around the house, was a damn fine read.
You might also want to check out Diana Preston's book Lusitania An Epic Tragedy. I thought that one was well-written.
You do an absolutely amazing job at producing these. Thank you for posting.
Thanks for covering this, FH. The Lusitania's sinking, and all the various circumstances surrounding it, has been an interest of mine for years. In my opinion, Lucy was the more attractive of the two high-speed Cunard four-stackers. The senseless waste of it all, in lives and the ship itself, saddens me to no end.
My great grandfather was on the Lusitania and died. Have no idea how, but he was gone. My dear great grandmother lived with my grandparents till her death. As a little kid, didn’t notice there was no great grandpa . Finally when older I did ask what happened to him.
But that generation did talk about heartache.
And my great grandma lived with them till her death.
My great grandfather also died on the Lusitania, he was a crew member. I remember my grandma (his daughter) talking about him, and it’s always been a big part of my family history.
I feel for your great grandmother, so much pain and heartache 💜
So sorry for both families!@@RuthDeane
Probably drowned
I forgot for a minute that it was Tuesday. I was scrolling on UA-cam and came upon this page and got so excited.😂😂 another great episode! And one that illustrates the horror and randomness of war😢
Another fascinating "Fascinating Horror " always makes my Tuesdays so much better
I Look forward to Tuesday nights every week. I just adore your music - it has become synonymous with your voice, narrative style, and so perfect for the content. I learn something every time. Love it - please keep up your fabulous work!
Lusitania is one of my favorite Ocean Liners. Thank you for making this video. I love it!
I was literally watching a video on the Lusitania this morning while I waited for your upload 😂
Now I get another perspective on the disaster.
Remember kids, rich folks are always ready to turn you into chunky salsa, if it meets their needs. Always.
I knew nothing about this sinking, even though I've heard the name my whole life. Thanks for the info!
One thing you missed, the lusitania was supposed to have an esscort but they never showed up. It was later revealed the US and British governments withheld an esscort on purpose for obvious reasons
Though the act of sinking a ship filled with civilians without so much as a warning is cowardly it technically was still justified since the lusitania was knowingly transporting weapons which technically does violate America's neutrality plus using a civilian vessel as a war supply transport without any protection a war crime
How many "technically"-s do you want to add? It wasn't technical. It was literally a justified target. They did not "technically" violate their neutrality. They violated their neutrality literally and purposefully.
And them withholding an escort is a conspiracy nut story. They didn't escort the ship because they held the belief that it was fast enough to be safe on its own. They simply didn't have the resources to escort every ship sailing across the Atlantic on its own. 🙄
@@PrivateMemo I say technically because the Geneva convention wasn't yet written. There is some evidence the lusitania was ment to have an esscort but it didn't. There's a lot to go over but there was a lot of nudging going on by both the British empire and America
I'm a ww1 nut and yes I do do my research there is enough there to say the lusitania was used as bait and America at the time did have a taste in imperialism after its victory in the Spanish American War so America had a lot to gain if it joined whitch it did. Plus it's not unheard of for America to bait nations so it had an excuse for war (cold war is where it became the norm)
There were enough munitions to supply several divisions for a month in the hold. German spies working on the American docks probably tipped off the German military about the ships cargo. She was absolutely a legitimate target, The amount of munitions on board could turn battles in the allies favour. Any nation would have done the same and sunk her.
Putting passengers on board is another issue altogether, as are the captains actions just before the sinking (slowing the ship down and not zigzagging to take a bearing).
@@CristySFM1234 That's a ridiculous theory. There is no proof of it.
i like how the paprt ad basically says "the greatest war to have ever been fought is currently on; maybe dont go there"
You do an amazing job delivering these stories.
When I hear that song I know it is gonna be a thriller!
Great vid FH. RIP to all those souls lost and condolences to all those families.
Surprising how Lusitania sank so quickly.
I can't even express how much I love your channel
You just did 😊
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Another great Fascinating Horror vid. Thank you for the great video.
I follow a few channels like this, and FH is far and away my favorite. Thank you for the consistently entertaining content 👍
Thank you for interesting and well done videos!
One of my favourite stories, thank you for retelling it so well
Great video. Well researched and informative. Thanks
One of my absolute favorite channels!
This is one I've always wanted to see! I remember learning bits and pieces about it back in school but never quite got the full story. Great vid!
An event I don't see publicized too often is the E2 Nightclub Stampede in Chicago. Pretty horrific based on the little detail I know, may be worth a video
How simply wonderful. Thank you.
Once again, an excellent piece. I go back and forth between your channel and The History Guy quite frequently as you each cover different themes and events and do so with such dignity.
Your videos are fascinating, engaging and exceptionally well-made and researched. Keep up the fantastic work! 👏
Excellent as always
I love this channel! Very interesting and educational.
Love this channel. Well done and very fascinating!!
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RIP
To the 1,195 passengers and crew who were killed in the sinking of the RMS Lusitania
Thank you for citing your sources!
Excellently done documentary on the Lusitania. It's always a plus to also learn something new...how it's sinking affected WW1. Thank you Kristian.
Thanks for your awesome content
Thank you for this video ❤
i remember suggesting this via email ages ago!! you were so friendly ❤
Excellent video, thanks 👍
There was a bookshelf across the hallway during my entire childhood and one of the books was called "The Sinking of the Lusitania". I used to lay in bed and read all the titles, but never read the actual books. So imagine my surprise when I saw this title. After all these years, I finally know why it mattered!!! Thanks Fascinating Horror!!!
I always feel really sad for the victims of the Luinthinasia sinking
Agreed. Human shields are immoral.
Anyone else who paused to appreciate the citations and sources in the footage and text?
Excellent work, as always ❤
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Dead Wake is a great book about this incident. An excellent read about this situation.
Another great history lesson and remembrance.
A video about the SS Slamat disaster would be very interesting. I had two distant relatives die when it sank, and I've found it very intriguing ever since.
Always great to see you do shipwrecks. Could you do Britannic or SS Atlantic (1871) please?
He has an email posted in the description. I have emailed suggestions twice, and though I haven't seen them (yet) he was courteous enough to respond to both of mine. Why don't you give it a try? :)
If get a chance, read "Dead Wake". An amazing account of the sinking of the Lusitania. Great video as usual! Brent, VT
Yay, I finally caught this right when it dropped! Another awesome vid by one of my top favs. Keep up the good work 😘
Excellent. The Lusitania was always a background curiosity I never knew much about. Good timing. But have to back out until I finish "Dead Wake" by Erik Larson. Halfway through, the attack is coming up and Larson did such a good job that I now know several of the characters involved and got quite invested. Shall return!
your videos are so entertaining.
My next door neighbour's mother survived the sinking - she was known afterwards as little miss Lusitania.
We appreciate your insights. You'll always have our support.
Thank you.
Oh, I just watched Caitlin Doughty’s video on a boat called the eastland, it turned over in a river in Chicago two months after this.
There are notes and comments from people in the South of Ireland that add another layer to this tale: At least one lifeboat (RNLI Courtmacsherry) and one cruiser were ordered back to port following the initial report of the Lusitania sinking. They were allowed to go out later, though, by which time it was way too late for the people in the water. I have a copy of a report from one of the sailors somewhere about how they were returned to port before being allowed to attend.
I didn't realise the RNLI operated in the Republic of Ireland, learn something new every day
@@DS-um9hi Yes. They have stations all round the British Isles, which includes Ireland. The guys in Courtmacsherry are friends of my parents through dad researching a lifeboat that was stationed there, hence knowing about the Lusitania.
@@margaretm1239 yeah I had a read after I saw your comment. I always assumed RNLI was the UK and Rep of Ireland would have their own equivalent. Was nice to read such an organisation covers all!
I would guess the higher ups were worried about a U-boat being in the area. It's a possibility, at any rate.
So, the ship was carrying munitions. (German spies had reported such to the German Embassy) Germany took out ads in papers, naming the Lusitania specifically as a valid target. She was a flagged British ship, designated an Auxiliary Cruiser. Cruise Liner or not, she was a valid target. Furthermore, if you dig deeper, you will learn that the British were aware that the Lusitania was being hunted by the Germans. The British also pulled the destroyer escorts that had been detailed to escort Lusitania into port, out of the area just prior to the arrival of the ship knowing full well the U-Boat was in the area. And the page from the radio log book in Ireland that would have contained a copy of the orders of those destroyers mysteriously was ripped from the log book. And the icing on the cake? Winston Churchill wanted the US in the war and saw the deaths of US citizens as a tool to that end. Do you really need a clearer picture?
Modern historians and 'experts' have tried to pin the secondary explosion on dust in the empty coal bunkers, but fail to explain why there are scattered munitions on the seafloor around the site of the torpedo impact.
Always look forward to a Tuesday morning video by FH
I’VE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS STORY! THIS IS ONE OF MY FAVORITE STORIES TO READ, THANK YOU DUDE
Very good
THANK YOU SO MUCH ❤❤❤ I LOVE THIS.
As a local that lives 9 miles off the wreck of the lusitainia, local knowledge of this ship is incredible. Im lucky enough to have dived down there twice. Not much left of her now due to strong Irish currents off the Seven heads peninsula.
I love the song!
Fascinating story