Lusitania (1907)

Owner:
Cunard Line
Liverpool, England
Sister Ships:
Mauretania
Builder:
John Brown & Company
Clydebank, Scotland
Year Built:
1907
Keel Laid Down:
February 1905
Launched:
June 7, 1906 12:30 P.M.
(Christened by Lady Inverclyde, wife of the former Chairman of Cunard)
Maiden Voyage:
September 7, 1907 Liverpool - Queenstown - New York
(Arrived at New York on Sept. 13, 1907)

Length:
787'
Beam:
88'
Draft:
33' 6"
Tons:
31,550 GRT
44,000 Displacement
Engines:
4 x Parsons Steam Turbines 68,000 SHP
Boilers:
25
Screws:
4
Funnels:
4
Masts:
2
Hull:
Steel
Speed:
25 knots (Max 26.7)
Crew:
850
Passenger Capacity:
2,165
First:
563
Second:
464
Third:
1,138
Fate:
Torpedoed and sunk in the Celtic Sea May 7, 1915 by U-20 12 miles off the
Old Head of Kinsale, Ireland at position 51.24.15N-08.32.00W
With the loss of 1,198 (761 survivors)
Career Details
July 27, 1907:
Sea trials
October 10, 1912:
Won Blue Riband (from Deutschland) 4 days 19 hrs. 52 min. avg. speed 23.99 knots.
Held Blue Riband until Sept. 30, 1919 (lost to Mauretania)
Best time 4 days, 16 hrs. 40 min. avg. speed 25.65 knots.
August 4, 1914:
At anchor at New York.
1914-1915:
Continued on commercial passenger service until sunk.


Captains
1907-1908:
James B. Watt
1908-1912:
William T. Turner
1912-1913:
James T. Charles
1913-1915:
Daniel Dow
1915:
William T. Turner

Notes
First quadruple screw liner.

The drag chains used when launching Lusitania came from the Great Eastern.

Mounts for 10 x 4" guns were installed but guns were never mounted.


Builder's Data
Page published Mar. 14, 2007