War supplies found on board Lusitania liner

[xav]

http://english.pravda.ru/world/europe/15-12-2008/106830-lusitania-0

The sinking of Lusitania to ravage British and American treasuries
Divers made a sensational discovery during the examination of the Lusitania ocean liner which sank in 1915. They confirmed the version, according to which Britain and the USA used civil passenger vessels to smuggle arms, jeopardizing the lives of thousands of civilians. The passengers of the liner were virtually used as the human shield in the event the liner was going to be attacked by the German navy.

The divers found war supplies on board the Lusitania liner, which sank on May 7, 1915 off the coast of Ireland. Most of the passengers – 1,198 people, including 139 American citizens – were killed in the tragedy. The event, which the media described as the largest military crime in history, sparked numerous protests in the world and had the USA involved in WWI.

Europe found itself in the middle of an arms race on the threshold of WWI. Great Britain tried to mislead the enemy regarding its military power. The country was building both conventional and reserve battleships that were guised under civil vessels. The latter included large ocean liners, which Britain planned to use within the structure of its navy in case of necessity. The 31,000-tonnage Lusitania was one of the largest ships of that time.

Indeed, cannon platforms and ammunition hoists were mounted on the Lusitania and other vessels of the type as soon as the war broke out. However, Britain was forced to give up the original idea of their usage because of the fear of the ‘newest German weapon’ – submarines, for which a large ocean liner was a very good target. Once mobilized for military purposes, the Lusitania became a plain, albeit a huge, passenger ocean liner again.

The British industry found itself not ready for the world war and was unable to meet the demands of the nation’s defense industry. The ocean liners were eventually used as contraband ships. The Lusitania sailed on her deadly voyage from New York to Liverpool on May 1, 1915. A German U-20 submarine torpedoed the liner a week later.

The German media immediately wrote that there were explosive substances and military hardware on board the liner. Britain and the United States rejected the affirmation.

Needless to say that the truth about the ocean liner would have remained a mystery for it was extremely difficult to submerge at the depth of over 100 meters, where the Lusitania was resting. Things have changed nowadays. It turned out that the ship was carrying many cases of Remington bullets.

[James]

This is not news.

[Britishhawk]

Many cases? What like 4 or something?..

[Connaught Ranger]

Divers made a sensational discovery during the examination of the Lusitania ocean liner which sank in 1915. They confirmed the version, according to which Britain and the USA used civil passenger vessels to smuggle arms, jeopardizing the lives of thousands of civilians. The passengers of the liner were virtually used as the human shield in the event the liner was going to be attacked by the German navy.

The divers found war supplies on board the Lusitania liner, which sank on May 7, 1915 off the coast of Ireland. Most of the passengers – 1,198 people, including 139 American citizens – were killed in the tragedy. The event, which the media described as the largest military crime in history, sparked numerous protests in the world and had the USA involved in WWI.
Europe found itself in the middle of an arms race on the threshold of WWI. Great Britain tried to mislead the enemy regarding its military power. The country was building both conventional and reserve battleships that were guised under civil vessels. The latter included large ocean liners, which Britain planned to use within the structure of its navy in case of necessity. The 31,000-tonnage Lusitania was one of the largest ships of that time.
Indeed, cannon platforms and ammunition hoists were mounted on the Lusitania and other vessels of the type as soon as the war broke out. However, Britain was forced to give up the original idea of their usage because of the fear of the ‘newest German weapon’ – submarines, for which a large ocean liner was a very good target. Once mobilized for military purposes, the Lusitania became a plain, albeit a huge, passenger ocean liner again.



The British industry found itself not ready for the world war and was unable to meet the demands of the nation’s defense industry. The ocean liners were eventually used as contraband ships. The Lusitania sailed on her deadly voyage from New York to Liverpool on May 1, 1915. A German U-20 submarine torpedoed the liner a week later.



The German media immediately wrote that there were explosive substances and military hardware on board the liner. Britain and the United States rejected the affirmation.



Needless to say that the truth about the ocean liner would have remained a mystery for it was extremely difficult to submerge at the depth of over 100 meters, where the Lusitania was resting. Things have changed nowadays. It turned out that the ship was carrying many cases of Remington bullets.



So where is the photographic evidence??

A narrow circle of professional historians did not find the discovery surprising. The information about the cargo on board the sunken liner originally appeared as a result of the independent investigation conducted by British journalist Colin Simpson. The journalist concluded that the ship was carrying US-made explosives. The Briton particularly found that there were 3,800 boxes of “cheese” among the cargo on board the liner. The boxes were registered on US citizen A. Frazer, who turned out to be a debtor having no right for commerce according to US laws. Therefore, the US authorities used him as a figurehead to smuggle the military products made by DuPont.

Save us from Journalistic conclusions and History Revisionists :roll:

Secondly, London officially acknowledged that there was a small stock of bullets on board the sunken liner. However, the acknowledgement did not change anything about the civil status of the liner.
All the above-mentioned facts proved that there was a military cargo on board the liner.

US newspapers wrote shortly before the Lusitania set off on her last voyage that it was dangerous for US citizens to stay on board British passenger liners. The warning was originally made by the German Embassy in the USA. The embassy was informed that the Lusitania would carry a large military cargo. The passengers of the ocean liner were told that no German ship could catch up with the high-speed liner, whereas British battleships would protect the Lusitania from a possible submarine attack. Nobody escorted the liner, and the Lusitania sank.

How were the "British Battleships expected to keep up to the same speed as the Liner and where were they going to refuel from in mid Atlantic?

Why did it happen ? The answer is simple . On the one hand, Britain was importing military cargoes under the cover of nationals from neutral countries. It was a lucrative game for Great Britain, no matter if Germany destroyed one of such ships. Britain wanted to have the United States involved in the war. Britain’s foreign minister asked a top US official in the spring of 1915 what America would do if Germany ran down a ship with US citizens on board. The official responded that it would be enough to have the United States involved in the war. The war was “delayed” for the US until 1917, when Germany had already been weakened.
To put it in a nutshell, Britain set up the ship with US passengers to ease the war for itself.



The huge vessel sank in only 18 minutes because of the heavy cargo. Captain of the German U-20 submarine Schwieger said that he ordered to fire only one torpedo, although the attack resulted in two massive explosions, which smashed the lower hold and the deck of the liner. The ship sank quickly when the ammunition exploded in her holds.

Even if two torpedoes had struck such a large ship as the Lusitania, she would have remained on the water surface for at least two hours. For example, German submarines fired six torpedoes to attack the Justicia steam boat in 1918. The torpedoed boat stayed afloat for a whole day afterwards, whereas the huge Lusitania sank in just several minutes.

Coal dust in the near empty coal bunkers of the ship ignited and caused the secondary blasts which lead to the fast sinking of the ship.

The Embassy of Austria-Hungary in the USA acknowledged in June 1915 that it had informed Germany of the secret cargo on board the Lusitania. The Austrian-Hungarian diplomats feared that it could lead to a war between Vienna and Washington and attempted to find naïve excuses.


It is worthy of note that then-Secretary of State William Bryan condemned the policy of the president, who was aware of the transportation of US war supplies on board British vessels, which was a gross violation of the USA’s neutrality.



The evidence about the sinking of the Lusitania was subsequently stolen from the Austrian-Hungarian Consulate Office. The documents were found only in the 1990s, and it was revealed that the attack had been organized by US special services.:roll:


The Lusitania case is another fact to prove that both the British and the American political elite see no moral principles in accomplishing their selfish goals. They are ready to set up the lives of their own nationals for the sake of instantaneous interests.




Sergei Balmasov.Conspircy tinfoil hat wearing disinformation reporter at large:roll:
Speak the truth and shame the devil on Pravda.ru forum (http://engforum.pravda.ru/):roll:wootrofl

[LineDoggie]

I'm sorry, coming late to this, hasnt it been public record that the Manifest included War Materials for like the last 90 years?

I seem to remember a List containing Small Arms Ammo, Artillery Fuzes, 1,248 cases of filled 3" Schrapnel shells

http://www.lusitania.net/deadlycargo.html

[Toddy]

Oh how I laughed...I can't wait for your next posts covering off the JFK assassination (Which was probably Vietnamese special forces which had infiltrated Texas to start a major campaign), The sinking of the Titanic (which was really by German U-Boats training in 1912 in the event that there may be a war), the Moon landing (which if I am to believe your theories, was probably staged in my backyard shed directed by Ron Howard in his very first project)!!!

[Connaught Ranger]

It was the Cheese it had gone off, the gas from the cheese escaped from the storage hold being drawn along the air conditioning pipes into the ships boiler room, a stray spark from the boiler doors while being opened caused a massive explosion thus sinking the ship.

[Connaught Ranger]

Oh how I laughed...I can't wait for your next posts covering off the JFK assassination (Which was probably Vietnamese special forces which had infiltrated Texas to start a major campaign), The sinking of the Titanic (which was really by German U-Boats training in 1912 in the event that there may be a war), the Moon landing (which if I am to believe your theories, was probably staged in my backyard shed directed by Ron Howard in his very first project)!!!

Actually Royal Navy Subs disguised as Icebergsrofl

[Toddy]

It always makes me laugh (no disrespect meant to those that lost their lives though) about the waiter who said to the passenger "well you did ask for ICE in your whiskey" just after they had hit the berg...gotta love a sense of humour in a crisis

[johanness]

It was the Cheese it had gone off, the gas from the cheese escaped from the storage hold being drawn along the air conditioning pipes into the ships boiler room, a stray spark from the boiler doors while being opened caused a massive explosion thus sinking the ship.

Never before I read a stupid comment like these here before...

edit. spelling

[Connaught Ranger]

Never before I read a stupid comment like these here before...

edit. spelling

Obviously sarcasm and wit are in short supply in Baden-Württemberg at this time of year:cantbeli:

Look up "Sense of humor" then apply to have one delivered in time for Christmas:p

[Toddy]

Since when have ze Germans been known for their sense of humour

[Connaught Ranger]

Since when have ze Germans been known for their sense of humour


woot I believe Hamburg University is running courses as we speakrofl

[Toddy]

I tell you what though mate, I used to know a guy called Ulli, massive big German bloke I used to work with on Christmas Island...anyway he was becoming an Australian Citizen at the time and after being sworn in he stood up on a chair and yelled at the top of his voice "WE WON THE WAR!!!!" we were all rolling around on the floor as he said "I have been waiting 40 years to be able to say that"..bloody priceless.

[xav]

The Lusitania case is another fact to prove that both the British and the American political elite see no moral principles in accomplishing their selfish goals. They are ready to set up the lives of their own nationals for the sake of instantaneous interests.

****, I didn't picked this one WTF!

[Hollis]

****, I didn't picked this one WTF!


It sort of says it all, when it comes to the bias of the article.

Pravada when the truth is something you do not want to read.

[One Man Gang]

Not only was Lusitania carrying war supplies (that emerged shortly after the end of WWI) but she was also carrying several small naval guns ostensibly to protect against attack by a "Q" ship. She was carried on the RN rolls as a "armed transport" or somesuch. It made propoganda sense for the Brits to claim she was an unarmed passenger ship carrying nothing more threatening that a magnum of champagne. Colin Simpson's book from the late 60's early 70s even maintains that after the attack the Admiralty sent a cable message (the telgraph cable from Berlin to New York ran through London and was kept open for diplo-traffic before the US entered the war) to Grand Admiral Scheer that had they been in the Germans shoes, they'd have attacked her as well.

Similarly, they made a big propaganda deal of "slinking subs" no matter what was attacked. The sinking of the 3 RN cruisers Aboukir, Cressy, and Hogue (sp) with great loss of life kind of set the stage.

The German learned early on that to surface a sub, give warning to the crew of the target to allow them time to get off before attacking was suicide given that many ships had wireless. The last thing the crew of the target ship would do before leaving was send out a distress message which provided a handy datum point for ASW forces. Up to WWI, the "code of the sea" was considered to be in effect in which it was the duty of any ship to come to the aid of a "mariner in distress." Warships were expected to pick up and tend to the survivivors of any ship they sunk. Now clearly trying to put the crew of a freighter into an already overcrowded U-Boat was impractical. But, since the freighters were being attacked by a warship, the British could portray the Germans as cold-blooded killers who thought nothing of ruthlessly abandoning "mariners in distress" to their fate on the open sea in defiance of "x hundred years of naval tradition" etc.

One has to note that the Italians had no such compunctions about leaving "mariners in distress" to their fate in the wake of Lepanto.

Playing "by the rules" also eliminated the sub's primary advantage of stealth.

The German counter-propaganda efforts throughout the Great War were kind of ham-handed and lacked the sophistication of the British who had the advantage of knowing fully the nuances fo English when targeting messages to an American audience.

In the end it was the Germans' return to unrestricted submarine warfare that tipped the balance and drew the US into the war. The US had declared after the Lusitania attack that unrestricted submarine warfare would be considered causus belli. The Germans observed and restricted their attacks to clearly identified "hostile" ships until the latter part of 1916 when momentum began to build in the German High Command to resume unrestricted attacks due to the vast quantities of supplies flowing from the US to Britain and France in US-flagged vessels. Typically, for the clueless bunch running the German war effort, they declared they were going to do it in January 1917 and then delayed for the better part of two months before actually conducting any attacks. Their idea was that 2-6 months of unrestricted U-Boat ops would strangle Britain before the US could make a difference.

By delaying, they threw even that slim chance away.

[ArchieGates]

I tell you what though mate, I used to know a guy called Ulli, massive big German bloke I used to work with on Christmas Island...anyway he was becoming an Australian Citizen at the time and after being sworn in he stood up on a chair and yelled at the top of his voice "WE WON THE WAR!!!!" we were all rolling around on the floor as he said "I have been waiting 40 years to be able to say that"..bloody priceless.

That's bloody gold mate! :)