Lusitania - did it have guns/weapons/ammunition on it at the time it was sunk? was it is legimate target?

Question

Lusitania -
did it have guns/weapons/ammunition on it at the time it was sunk?
was it is legimate target?
on 17th sept was she regestered by the admiralty as an armed auxiliary crusier?
which side was she hit by the topedo on?
did it break in half before sinking or go down in one piece???

please can you give me any USEFUL answers.
Thanks

Answer 1

No, it was a passenger liner and not considered a target (unless it first complied with the terms below) according to the laws of war, rules of war, and rules of engagement.

IT COULD HAVE BEEN HIT ACCORDING TO THIS SCENARIO::

The Lusitania was, according to some, carrying small arms ammunition. According to international law, the presence of military cargo was irrelevant. The Germans could sink the ship only after guaranteeing the safety of all the passengers.
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Answer 2

When the Lusitania was sunk by a German U Boat, Germany declared it was a legitimate target because it was carrying war supplies. Naturally the Allied Forces denied this. The Lusitania was a passenger liner, it's sinking was one of the reasons the United States entered the war on the side of the Allies.

Many years after the war had ended it was discovered that the cargo holds of the ship did indeed contain war supplies. The Germans probably found this out through their spy networks in the then neutral United States. The Allies could not admit this at the time for obvoius reasons.

There are many conspiracy theories floating around about this incident. Some pretty far fetched like the one where the British Admiralty actually sunk the liner themselves to garner sympathy and assistance. But these are better off ignored. The United States eventually would have entered the war on the side of the Allies even if the Lusitania had not been sunk.

There is a good article in the Wikipedia about it. I will paste the link in the source block.

Answer 3

Although the Lusitania was a passenger liner, she was carrying arms and ammunition at the time that she was sunk. Whether or not she was a legitamate target depends on your point of view. The Germans argued that because the Lusitania was carrying munitions in the holds, she was a military target. Britain and the United States claimed that the civilian passengers aboard the ship should have protected her from attack. The German government had posted warnings in the US before the Lusitania sailed warning that she was a potential target. The captain was instructed to sail a zigzag course to try to make torpedos less of a hazard. He failed to do so. The Lusitania was struck in the starboard side by a single torpedo which set off the ammunition in the holds. The Lusitania did not break apart but sank very quickly in the Irish Sea. Many of the photographs of victims were staged and used as propaganda.

Answer 4

The Lusitania was in fact carrying a secret load of arms, however, this was NOT known to the U-boat Captain at the time of the sinking.

In addition, according to accepted International Law at the time, a warship was required to give a warning to a ship before sinking her. To follow the letter of the law, she would have needed to board the Lusitania inspect the cargo and find the arms, then allow the passengers the chance to get into the lifeboats and THEN sink her.

However, since this would take quite a while and a Royal Navy warship could show up at any time, it was quite dangerous to the U-boat.

The Lusitania was in fact, a passenger liner, not an armed cruiser, the arms in her hold were not something in which she could use to defend herself against a U-boat.

whale

Answer 5

The Lusitania was loaded with ammunitions, because of the outbreak of these is sunk shortly time. The Germans therefore were legittimati to complete this torpoeing...

Answer 6

The Lusitania was carrying armaments in its hold. The ship itself was not armed though. The passengers knew the risk they were taking as the German embassy had placed warnings outside the various embarkation points stating that a state of war existed and that a policy of unrestricted submarine warfare was in effect. The majority of the known casualties (famous American personalities) simply believed that nothing bad could happen to them, and they were proved wrong. Not to say that the loss of life was not tragic (the entire war was tragic from Sarajevo to the Ottoman holdouts in Medina in 1920).

Answer 7

ALL passenger ships at that time carried some sort of contraband.....not supposed to but they did....too much money to be made.....but the Lusitania was not considered a target since it's cargo hold was so limited.

Answer 8

truly, it is going like this: Germany patrolled the waters around Britain and the North Sea with their close to-ideal maritime killing machines: the U-boats. those subs could attack any objectives, defense force or cililian, that they believedd could be a raffle to them. great Britain became very unprepared for the conflict and became lacking components. They trusted US imports in the time of the conflict, that have been meant to be purely nutrients and different "non-defense force" products that the individuals of Breat Britain mandatory. in spite of the undeniable fact that, no rely if Germany knew it on the time or no longer, the Lusitania became truly wearing armaments for the Allies to apply that have been hidden on the backside of the deliver. Germany sunk the deliver off the coast of eire and it went down so quickly that there have been infrequently and survivors. 128 human beings perished and President Wilson suggested that if somehting like this handed off lower back, the U. S. could enter the conflict. next sinkings of ships with human beings on them handed off, the Arabic and Sussex, in spite of the undeniable fact that it became finally a mix of issues that delivered approximately US involvement in WWI. i desire you stumble on all of this powerful :-)

Answer 9

The lusitania was a passenger ship. Therefore it did not have firearms on it and was not a legitimate target. No Left. It sank in one piece

Answer 10

It is now a known fact that the Lusitania was carrying contraband i.e. arms and ammunition.German naval intellegence was aware of this,they therefore ordered the 'u' boat to attack it,therefore ,instead of being "a heartless murderer" the 'u' boat captain was doing his duty'

Answer 11

Hi there were never any reports of any munitions on board,
no trace has been found of any during recent dives,No she was not registered as an armed auxiliary cruiser!
she was hit on the starboard side just below the water line,
she went down in one piece in 18 Min's, with the loss of 1195,
of the1959 on board hope this helps good luck!