Lusitania: Life, Loss, Legacy

This new exhibition on the first floor of the Maritime Museum marks the centenary of the sinking of the Lusitania, on 7 May 1915. The exhibition will also consider the role of Liverpool’s liners in the First World War. The sinking of Lusitania was one of the most horrific incidents at sea during the First World War (1914-18). In early 1915 the German Government declared that all Allied ships would be in danger of attack in British waters Lusitania sailed from New York on 1 May 1915 with 1959 people on board. On 7 May 1915 at 2.10pm, the liner was near Kinsale in Ireland when she was torpedoed by the German submarine U-20 and sank in under twenty minutes with the loss of 1191 lives. The sinking of this unarmed passenger ship caused international outrage - there were riots in Liverpool and London, as well as other cities around the world. The German government claimed that Lusitania was carrying military supplies and there is some evidence to support this however, British and American enquiries later declared the sinking to have been unlawful. The event devastated the tight-knit dockland communities in north Liverpool, where most of Lusitania's crew lived. 405 crew members died, including many Liverpool Irish seamen. Lusitania: Life, Loss, Legacy is part funded by the European Union - the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).

Suitable for
Not suitable for children


Website
www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk

Source: http://www.culture24.org.uk/nw000103?id=EVENT523073