The fact this ship sank in like 20 minutes still shocks me

A ship as big as the Lusitania to sink in only 18 minutes is nothing short of horrifying may all those who died rest in peace 😢

Crazy that this video is longer than the sinking of Lusitania

To be trapped in a stuck elevator on a sinking ship ... just ... pure horror.

I'm old enough (70) to remember the 50th anniversary of the Lusitania's sinking. There was a TV documentary at the time and featured was a woman who was a survivor (in her 20's in 1915) and remembered seeing people trapped in one of the ships elevators. With the power gone they had no way out. "I just turned away and tried to save myself, there was nothing else to be done. But I've never forgotten those poor souls in that elevator."

What's truly sad (besides the loss of life of course) is that Captain William Turner was chastised after the sinking by the Admiralty so they could save face during war time. They deliberately went after him and tried to frame him because the public were asking questions about why the Lusitania was allowed to sail into a known war zone on her own without escort. Even the chairman of Cunard called the Admiralty and asked if they could attach an escort to the Lusitania and they refused, but issued a wireless message to the captain telling him to "steer a mid channel course, pass harbors at full speed, submarines active off Fastnet". Well they didn't take into count the fog that had developed off the Old Head of Kinsale that morning and good seamanship (as well as a cardinal rule of safety) is to slow, blow your fog horn, and get the best possible fix on your bearing as possible. As the fog lifted, Captain Turner and crew did that very thing, but they had no idea that they were steering directly into a U-boat's path. When Walther Scweiger was ordered to return to Germany after sinking the Lusitania to be congratulated, he arrived to be told that he is no longer to be congratulated, and that he was lucky to keep his rank because the world was calling Germany barbarians and heartless brutes. Germany was struck off the list of civilized nations, and they argued that none of the U-boat captains were ever told to sink the Lusitania. The whole thing was an absolute whitewash and it all came down to an act of absolute all-out war. The killing of almost 1,200 people was just chalked up to an act of war. Truly truly sad.

The most terrifying way to die would be to be trapped in an elevator in the absolute darkness on a sinking ship... stuff of nightmares.

My grandmother's family came to the USA on the last westbound voyage of the Lusitania after escaping Lithuania in the chaos created by the war. So I grew up looking at a large black and white photo of the ship hanging from the wall. I had no idea what had happened to it until I high school history class and we were watching a documentary about the First World War. I involuntarily shouted "that's my grandmother's ship" and everybody started laughing.

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When I was a kid, one of my customers on my daily newspaper delivery job was named Mrs. Hagen. She was very old, and a widow. As a child she had survived the Lusitania sinking, and as a nurse she survived a second ship sinking during WW2. She was very shy to talk about her life, but what a life!

My great-great-uncle, John Roberts, died onboard Lusitania. He was 19 at the time and was an assistant engineers’ mess steward. John was the son of John and Margaret Roberts, of 19, Maitland St., Liverpool, England.

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Those poor people who were trapped in the elevator on a sinking ship. I can’t even imagine the terror they must’ve felt!! Very informative video - thank you! It gets a 👍🏻 from me!

I had many cousins on board - thank you this has been so helpful for me. Marguerite, Lady Allan, owner of the Allan Line was on her way to England to serve with Julia Lady Drummond, in supporting the Canadians. She had with her two daughters, Gwen and Anna, 16 and 15 and her two maids Emily and Annie. Marguerite survived. But Gwen and Anna died. Anna was never found but Gwen was. Also with the Allans were Mrs George Washington Stephens and her two year old grandson John. She was accompanied by her maid and nurse. All the Stephens party died. Mrs Stephens was found and sent back to Canada my my great Uncle. Her ship with her coffin in the hold was sunk close to the L also by the U 20. George Slingsby, the valet of Aunt M's friend Frederick Orr Lewis, gave aunt M his life jacket. George could not swim. He had witnessed his brother drown as a child. he and Aunt M were very close. She had sort of adopted him as a boy and had sponsored his career. He and she knew what this gift meant. He was giving his life for her. But George survived! She had been like a mother to him all his life, but I think that this was a gift that she could not reciprocate. They never met again. Who knows how the heart works. For me he is the hero of my family story

My Grand Uncle had his ticket for that voyage to return to Italy after his performance(s) as guest Maestro at Madison Square Gardens (NYC). At the last minute he decided he would visit the family in Cleveland... one of the very few times that going to Cleveland saved that person's life 😅

I've been binge-watching these video's on Oceanliner Design and am struck with how professionally they are researched, produced and presented. Michael Brady has the perfect voice and is SO much better than the synthesized computer speak we get with too many video's. Very much appreciate the effort these entertaining videos must take...and I consider it a great day when I get to learn something I didn't know beforehand. Every OD video is chock full of tidbits and information that just blow me away. Well done Sir!

I’m an Irish person from a town a few KM from the wreckage, it traveled through my towns water minutes before it sank. The Lusitania is very well acknowledged and we even have a monument and pub named after it.

While we all have the Titanic in our minds when we think of a ship wreck, there are so many other horrible ship disasters out there, like the Empress of Ireland, the Lusitania etc all with their own unique stories, harrowing moments and tragic loss of life. It's good you bring these tragedies to life as well.

The fact that 700 people survived is a miracle in itself

I can’t even imagine the utter terror of being stuck inside as she sank.