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The Great War (1914-1918) Forum

Does this say Lusitania?


tracy21020

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Hello,

I'm going through a couple of my Grandad's war diaries. The first one tells about his time at Fort Carlisle in Cork, Ireland.

These pages aren't dated he seems to be writing his memories of Ireland. In the image below does it say Lusitania and if so would it have been possible to have seen it from there? I think his friend was at Roches Point as this is what he talks about in the previous paragraph.

I don't want to write the wrong name in my transcription so if you know what else it could be I would be very grateful.

Thank you

Tracy

2lt0aqx.jpg

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Yes it does

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Thank you. I thought it did but when I looked up about the Lusitania it says it took a couple of hours for rescue boats to reach it so I didn't know if you would be able to see so far through a telescope.

Tracy

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Thank you. I thought it did but when I looked up about the Lusitania it says it took a couple of hours for rescue boats to reach it so I didn't know if you would be able to see so far through a telescope.

Tracy

Tracy

The Lusitania was clearly see from several points on the Irish coast. The distance, being 12 miles, would not be the main reason rescuers took so long to get there.

Example:

"On that same day, the 7th May 1915 at about 15:00, the Henderson family were out on the Old Head of Kinsale admiring the Cunard liner SS Lusitania as she steamed past on her way, it seemed, towards Queenstown. The Hendersons, a father and three sons, were not to know that they would soon witness one of the most horrifying of maritime tragedies unfolding before them out there on the Atlantic.

At 15:10 the Lusitania was about twelve miles off the Old Head of Kinsale when the U20 fired one torpedo from about 700 meters distance. The torpedo shot towards the liner at about 35 Knots and hit starboard. Captain Walther Schwieger later reported "an abnormally strong detonation followed by an enormous cloud of smoke", he also reported seeing a second explosion "as if munitions had detonated". Schwieger denied having fired a second time saying: "I could not have brought myself to fire a second torpedo into the hundreds of passengers who were trying to save themselves".

Source: http://www.kilbrittain.net/shipwreck.htm

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Hello tracy

Lusitania would have been visible from Roche's Point which is at the entrance to Cork Harbour. Your grandads chum B Turner shares the same surname as the Lusitania's Captain, William 'Bill' Turner.

Regards

John

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Thanks to both of you for the information. He probably didn't even need his telescope then! I didn't realise it had happened visible to land.

John, that's a coincidence having the same name as the Captain.

Strangely my Aunt told me a few weeks ago that one of our relatives died on the Lusitania, but as yet she can't remember his name. When I've finished the diaries I'll have to start finding out some more about this.

Thanks again

Tracy

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