In my History class, we were discussing the Lusitania and whether its wreckage had been found and explored in an effort to see if the claims that it was transporting contraband were true. Does anyone know, or know of any places I could look to find out?

In 1993 Dr. Robert Ballard took a team out to exam the wreck and hopefully to answer the contraband question. Still to this day there has been no definitive proof of contrabands on the Lusitania.

She lies in only 295 feet of water which was left her open to salavage operations as early as the 1946. Dr. Ballard gives a full desription of her condition (including pictures) in the book Lost Liners.

A great book on the conspiracy theory is The Lusitania by Patrick O'Sullivan. It goes really indepth about the 2nd explosion and the part that the US and the UK played in it.

If you need more info there are 2 videos Murder on the Atlantic (a BBC documentary on the sinking) and National Geographic's Last Voyage of the Lusitania.

Anything else you need, just let me know :) Julie

An excellent, if older (1981) book about the Lusitania that I own is called Seven Days To Disaster, by Des Hickey and Gus Smith. If anything, it reminds me much of Lord's A Night To Remember, and I think the authors borrowed much of the same style.
It delves into the possibilities of illicit cargo on the liner, but they can not come up with an adequate position either way. <_<

Thanks so much--that was very helpful!
Casey

.....and welcome to the board, Casey!!
w: w: w:

Anytime!! And like Foss said WELCOME ABOARD!! :)

David Butler also wrote a fascinating narrative on the final voyage of Lusitania and the events surrounding the sinking in 1981, it was appropriately called "Lusitania." It also drew on declassified German Kreigsmarine reports from the U-20, in fact Captain Schweiger's log discounts the theory of a second or third torpedo. No evidence has ever come to light to support this theory, neither from witnesses on board the Lusitania or crewmen from the U-Boat. In fact British admirality documents have proved Lusitania's cargo included rifle cartridges, powder, and shell casings with powder in them but these most likely played little if any role in the second explosion.

More than likely, based on the location of the torpedo strike (right on the bulkhead between the number 1 boiler room and the traverse coal bunker), the second explosion was caused by a ruptured boiler or explosion in that coal bunker. This conclusion is based on the abundance of coal and coal dust discovered around the wreck. The Lusitania during that trip was using bituminous coal rather than the less combustable semi-bituminous coal to incease speed... that alone could have ignighted VERY easily due to a torpedo explosion. That seems to be the most plausable and believed theory at this point.

Subsequent Admirality reports further described the Lusitania's crew as very lax during that voyage. Captain Turner himself admitted this during the subsequent British inquiry. They failed to issue the appropriate orders to close all portholes in the hull (many were open when the torpedo hit) which undoubtedly contributed to the extremely quick sinking. Moreover, the ship was not following the normal zig-zag pattern common to ships running in U-Boat infested waters. Furthermore, it was travelling in known hostile waters, carrying munitions, without the benefit of even a single destroyer since it had steamed away from it's escort, the DD Juno. Lastly the Lusitania had been designated as an 'Auxillary Cruiser' by the German Navy because of the presence of six inch naval guns mounted on deck. Thus, it was considered a legitimate target by Captain Schweiger.

All in all it's tough to blame one side entirely. Conflicting reports, the position of the wreck which hides the hole(s), and both sides playing the blame game has made a truely objective and factual account nearly impossible. However, I believe Butler's book is as close as I have seen to a truely objective analysis looked at from both parties involved.

and yes, Dr. Ballard was definately the man who lead the most thorough expedition to examine the wreck in 1993 but he couldn't prove anything definatively! This is another mystery of the sea that may never be solved!