Sinking of the Lusitania

The tragic fate of the once-glorious ocean liner and its aftermath.

The torpedoing of RMS Lusitania by a German U-boat was one of the most horrific incidents at sea of WWI. This Gaumont Graphic newsreel was presumably released soon after. Older footage of the formerly glorious liner on the ocean is followed by poignant scenes of the aftermath: the chaos at Cunard's offices as relatives await news, pictures of rescued officers and the first survivors to reach London.

The Lusitania, at one point the world's largest passenger ship, was hit by a German U-boat off the coast of Ireland on 7 May 1915. She sank in just 18 minutes, with the loss of 1,198 lives.