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Welcome to The Lusitania Resource!  This site is dedicated to the passenger ship RMS Lusitania and her passengers and crew, the ship whose sinking altered the course of the First World War.

Background

The RMS Lusitania was a British ocean liner of the early twentieth century.  During World War I, the ship was torpedoed off the coast of Ireland by the German submarine (or u-boat) U-20 while carrying a great number of Americans and women and children.  The sinking of the Lusitania and resulting deaths of civilians and neutral nationals aboard the ship is considered one of the first modern examples of “total war” and a turning point in World War I.  The nature of the explosions that sank the ship and the politics surrounding her demise remain controversial topics.

Contrary to popular belief, the Lusitania disaster was not the proximate cause of the United States entering the First World War; however, the sinking of the steamship Lusitania is often credited for turning the then-neutral American public opinion against Germany.  Furthermore, Germany, fearing American wrath, restrained themselves in submarine warfare, which may have been Germany’s best chance at winning the war.  Yet, it was Germany’s very resumption of unrestricted submarine warfare in early 1917 that finally forced the United States to declare war.

Notes

The Lusitania Resource has grown substantially since its inception in Spring 2003. I try to keep the pages current though other commitments may prevent me from so doing. Please let me know of any link or address that has changed so I may keep the information listed here current.

Feedback is always welcome. I try to answer all questions or refer them to other Lusitania scholars.

The addresses of the individual pages may change over time, so please bookmark http://www.rmslusitania.info

The Lusitania Resource can also be reached at the following URLs:
http://www.rmslusitania.org
http://www.lusitania-resource.org

Thank you for visiting.

This site is dedicated to the RMS Lusitania and all those who built, and those who sailed, on her.