Lusitania Sunk with no loss of life

Geon

Donor
Here is an idea I was mulling over my morning coffee.

The U-20 comes across the Lusitania just as in OTL, but the Captain recognizes it is a passenger liner. Rather then risk committing wholesale mass murder the Captain decides to take a risk. He surfaces and uses his deck gun to fire a warning shot across the Lusitania's bow. He tells the Captain of the Lusitania that he intends to sink the vessel but gives him ample time (1 hour) to evacuate the ship before it is sunk. He also warns the Captain that any attempt to signal for assistance will result in him sinking the Lusitania and the loss of life will be squarely on the Captain's head.

The Captain reluctantly agrees. All passengers are evacuated by lifeboat to the nearby coast with the Captain and crew the last to leave. The Lusitania is then torpedoed but with no loss of life.

So, what is the reaction in the U.S.? Does this inflame or quiet public opinion.

One thing - there wasn't much sympathy for the British and their plight in some circles during this time specifically among German-Americans and Irish-Americans. Does this work in the favor of those who want us to stay out of the war?
 
I think it would depend on whether or not the fact that Lusitania was carrying war supplies and passengers at the same time was leaked out or not
 

SsgtC

Banned
The captain of the Lusitania would have just ordered full ahead and turned to ram U-20. Followed by an immediate message being sent to the Admiralty. U-20 would be forced to dive and at full speed, Lucy would easily outrun it. Hell, even if the U-boat stayed on the surface it wouldn't be able to keep up. And then there's the fact that the pop gun on the deck of the sub won't do jack shit to sink a ship as big as Lusitania.
 
The captain of the Lusitania would have just ordered full ahead and turned to ram U-20. Followed by an immediate message being sent to the Admiralty. U-20 would be forced to dive and at full speed, Lucy would easily outrun it. Hell, even if the U-boat stayed on the surface it wouldn't be able to keep up. And then there's the fact that the pop gun on the deck of the sub won't do jack shit to sink a ship as big as Lusitania.

Seconded.

Many if not most British Merchant Marine captains were part of the Royal Navy Reserve as well, and typically came in just behind destroyermen for sheer audacity. Turning to ram is something I'd be very surprised to see her not do.

IIRC, a WWI-era German U-Boat could do 15-16 kn surfaced, but required near glassy calm seas to do it, while Lusitania with her newer 4-bladed propellors could do 25-26kn.
 
Many if not most British Merchant Marine captains were part of the Royal Navy Reserve as well, and typically came in just behind destroyermen for sheer audacity. Turning to ram is something I'd be very surprised to see her not do.

Maybe U-20 does fire a torpedo but it hits the stern and blows off the screws and rudder. She still sinks but not as rapidly as OTL and most people get into the boats.
 

SsgtC

Banned
Seconded.

Many if not most British Merchant Marine captains were part of the Royal Navy Reserve as well, and typically came in just behind destroyermen for sheer audacity. Turning to ram is something I'd be very surprised to see her not do.

IIRC, a WWI-era German U-Boat could do 15-16 kn surfaced, but required near glassy calm seas to do it, while Lusitania with her newer 4-bladed propellors could do 25-26kn.
Yup. Hell, even the slower and less maneuverable Olympic was able to ram and sink a U-boat.
 
After the wreck was examined late 20th Century there is theory that the combination of turn towards land, and continuation of speed ahead caused high water pressure through the hole which collapsed at least on important bulkhead. The forward motion accelerated the flooding & contributed significantly to the ship sinking so fast. A unanswered question is why the captain did not follow common practice and order full stop after the torpedo strike. that might have slowed the flooding to the point where a full deployment of lifeboats was possible.
 

SsgtC

Banned
After the wreck was examined late 20th Century there is theory that the combination of turn towards land, and continuation of speed ahead caused high water pressure through the hole which collapsed at least on important bulkhead. The forward motion accelerated the flooding & contributed significantly to the ship sinking so fast. A unanswered question is why the captain did not follow common practice and order full stop after the torpedo strike. that might have slowed the flooding to the point where a full deployment of lifeboats was possible.
IIRC, the Captain felt that he was close enough to land that he could beach the ship and save both the lives onboard and his ship. As it turned out, he was wrong.
 
That makes some sense. If the Coal Dust hypothesis is correct then the Captain my have only been thinking in terms of a external explosion from the torpedo. Less structural damage than from a internal explosion of a 200 or 400 kg mix of coal dust and fine chips into a fuel/air explosive. I am also guessing the internal explosion would have been blocked from venting outwards by the still undispersed compression of the torpedo explosion. So more force against the internal bulkheads.
 
If Germany insists on unrestricted submarine warfare, it is only a matter of time till they set off enough sparks to catch fire.
 
If Germany insists on unrestricted submarine warfare, it is only a matter of time till they set off enough sparks to catch fire.
But not inevitable that the mortality rate will be as high as on the Lusitania. Many ships went down but iirc loss of life on that scale was rare.
 
The sinking occurred only because the vessels path and that of the U-Boat intersected and brought her close enough to be hit by a torpedo in the first place

Had the U-boat surfaced and signalled 'Heave Too' the Captain is going to increase speed to her then maximum (the 4th Boiler room was not being used as a coal and crew conservation measure) 21 plus knots (due to fog she had reduced speed) and immediately turn away

The chances are that she would rapidly extend the range and given that the top speed of a German Sub launched fish was about 35 knots with a short range setting range of 1500 (C6 Torpedo) or 2200 Meters (G6 Torpedo) it is unlikely that it would hit or even reach the vessel to hit by the time it had finished its run.

So yes zero casualties - but Lusitania lives on.

So something else will have to really piss off the Americans - but given the return to USW - it's only a matter of time
 
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