Lusitania Probing the Mysteries of the sinking that Changed History

by Robert D. Ballard

Of course, Dr Robert Ballard will forever remain the man who found the Titanic, but in this book he also provides the reader with an extremely well documented account of the loss of the Lusitania. Mysteries are mysteries and whilst there are those experts which insist such and such happened, there will also be those who assert the opposite. I shouldn't say this I know, but it the way in which Bob Ballard takes such a thorough approach to his subject, it leaves one feeling that the only book you need to read on the entire subject of the loss of the Lusitania is this one. Exploring the Lusitania - yet another four-funnelled passenger liner built before WW1, is a large coffee-table book approx. A4 size. Just a glance at the pictures throughout the richly illustrated pages (227 altogether) reveals the extent of the research to which the author has gone on behalf of the reader. There are many historic pictures of the ship itself - including when she was no more than a keel. Others include paintings of the day, newspaper cuttings and postcards showing internal and external views. Then there are the photographs of the tragedy itself and the effect it had upon the people of Ireland. Photographs of seemingly unimportant people at the booking office and individuals such as the Captain. Dr Ballard has been equally thorough when it comes to detailing the U Boat which sank the Lusitania and we are treated to almost the same level of coverage of vessel and individuals and their trade of war. Once again, however, the author has put together the most outstanding collection of artwork created by Ken Marschall. From thousands of photographic images taken from the wreckage itself, Bob Ballard created a complete montage (i.e. a big photograph made up of thousands of little photographs) of the various sections of the wreck so that Mr Marschall was able to provide us with the most accurate paintings of various sections and even the entire wreck. The one painting I had to look at again and again was the painting of the sinking across pages 96/97. For a moment there I thought the world's greatest photographer had been on hand to capture the event.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Photography, World War I, Maritime

Hardcover

First published October 1, 1995

About the author

Robert Duane Ballard (born June 30, 1942 in Wichita, Kansas) is a former commander in the United States Navy and an oceanographer who is most noted for his work in underwater archaeology. He is most famous for the discoveries of the wrecks of the RMS Titanic in 1985, the battleship Bismarck in 1989, and the wreck of the aircraft carrier USS Yorktown in 1998. Most recently he discovered the wreck of John F. Kennedy's PT-109 in 2003 and visited the Solomon Islander natives who saved its crew. Ballard is also great-grandson of American Old West lawman Bat Masterson.

from wikipedia.org

see also
http://literati.net/Ballard/
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/fie...
http://www.achievement.org/autodoc/pa...

Reviews

[11811 (Eleven) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of those coffee table books that are worth checking out for the pictures alone. The echoes of 9/11 are legion in both the incident itself and the propaganda war that followed.

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

The best part of this book was all the photos. The descriptions of the ship, the sinking, and the various conspiracy theories were ok, but done better in Dead Wake. This book DID have a bit about the exploration of the ship today (well, about 20 years ago, since this isn't a current book). That was interesting.

[Jennie Morton · Rating 5 out of 5]

A meaty coffee table book with a great balance of text and visuals.

[Carol-Ann Johnston · Rating 5 out of 5]

A book that's stood the test of time and not bogged down in technical terms, Robert Ballard has made sure anyone can read his work no matter their background or interest. The book includes detailed images of the wreck but also beautiful artwork that lets you see the ship as she was in her prime.

[Mark · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this used after reading "Dead Wake" and noting it in Larson's bibliography. It is a nice pictorial companion to that book. The Goodreads database says there is no hardcover version of this book, but that is what I have.

[Bill38silver · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an absorbing coffee-table sized book. It benefits hugely from its selection and presentation of numerous photos, drawings, cartoons and paintings. The text covering the history of the ill-fated liner is in plain style and builds up the tension (even though you know the outcome). There is the occasional lapse into corny comment and thankfully the short section on Ballard's underwater exploration is not immersed in technical jargon, leaving his photos to convey the excellent and sometimes dangerous work of his team.

The Lusitania sank 295 feet to the bottom of the sea, not far from the Irish coast with the loss of nearly 1200 lives. 764 passengers and crew survived. Ordinarily, a large ship hit by only one torpedo would not have been sunk but been able in most cases to limp towards a port only a few miles away. It was the mysterious second explosion that did for the Lusitania and Ballard unveils a plausible theory regarding this. Read the book to find out !

Even if you are not interested in maritime history, this book is beautifully produced and well worth the effort to learn about this human tragedy in war time and how modern technology can cast new light on past events.

[Jackie Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have always had a strange fascination with fashion ship wrecks and the fact that this book was written by Robert D Ballard immediately piqued my interest. Written in a very similar style to his book on the Titanic it blends history, science, technology presents them with a host of stories about the people that were there during the last moments of these great ships.

There are so many ways to look at shipwrecks. The tragedy of it, the numbers, the political and historical climate at the times of the sinking's. All to often each of these are looked at individually when they all work together to form the complete story of what happened in those tragic moments. That is what this book aims to accomplish. The beginning of this books focuses heavily on the political climate at the time of the sinking specifically bringing in a narrative depicting what the German U-Boat was doing leading up to the launching of the fatal torpedo. This is one of the greatest strengths of this narrative. That is aims to give the reader the most comprehensive view of all of the relevant issues surrounding the disaster. For anyone that is looking to learn more about this shipwreck this is a fantastic introduction. For history buffs it is a fascinating look at the event in the context of the impact that it had on both the world and on World War One. Overall this is just a thoroughly entertaining and thought provoking piece of Non-Fiction that has a wide basis of appeal.

[Dyllan]

Well I would like to first start with if I had never studied R.M.S. Titanic I probably never wanted to read this book in the first place, I have made the decision to take a deeper dive in the foregn and American shipping such as Civilian, military, and etc. Because we as humans have come a long way. On my part I wish to complete the study which probably will never end as long as I have questions that need answering I will keep studying These so called "Genres". But this is a small topic with this book talking about a sinking that turn the tide off world war I (1914-1918), also leading to Germany's defeat until World War II which funny they were defeated again. Thanks to the United States Military and their Iowa Class Battleships to finish the war.

[Edward Champion · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of two picture books I read for research. (The other one, not listed on Goodreads, is RMS LUSITANIA: THE STORY OF A WRECK, which is misnamed and really doesn't tackle the Lusitania.) This picture book has some remarkable photos of the wreck and has managed to nail down some great images before the sad voyage. So if you're a Lusitania nerd like me who likes to have visuals to fuel his imagination, then I would recommend getting this.

[Christopher Hachet · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book. Have read several books on the Lusitania, and am currently going through trying to remember as many books as possible that I have read.

This is definitely on my "to read a second time" list.

Ballard's books are always an interesting and good read.

[Phoebe Smythe · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Dr. Robert's writing style, and found it to feel very fiction like even though it was non fiction which made it very easy to read whilst keeping it engaging.

[Daniel · Rating 5 out of 5]

BW. Really great book to help you visually understand how this tragedy unfolded. Fascinating and tragic.

[Alexander J · Rating 5 out of 5]

Clearly by 2019 this book is heavily dated, but the classic Lusitania stories are there (giving a good context the book's focus, the wreck). There are some good illustrations by usual suspects such as Ken Marschall that greatly add to the understanding of the reck and how she has deteriorated over time. There are good moral messages in the book too about salvage, something Dr Ballard has been consistently passionate about and makes the reader really think.

If you like wrecks or ships in general, you will love this book, even if it is quite old by now.

[F · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well written historical account, great pictures and paintings, I can almost feel the icy chill of the water. I recently read Dead Wake by Erik Larsen [which I also enjoyed] and this made a good companion volume.

[Kater Cheek · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ever have a piece of grade A prime beef made into a passable hamburger? Yeah, that's what this book was like. I wanted it to be fantastic. I have a morbid obsession with maritime tragedies, and the late 19th/early 20th century is my favorite period of history. So, a book that covers a subject that is so intrinsically interesting, yet doesn't rivet me, is quite a disappointment. Blame Sebastian Junger and Edward O'Donnell for setting the bar too high.

The book is large, and contains many full-color photographs. That's really the strength of this book, its lovely illustrations. I enjoyed seeing how people would travel across the Atlantic a century ago, and I even loved the ghoulish details, like the mass grave with the coffins in it.

The prose, however, didn't grab me. I had a very hard time getting into it. The authors chose too many characters to follow, and I just couldn't get attached to any of them. Also, many of the details seemed fabricated, or unrealistic. Since they interviewed at least some of the survivors for this (photographs of the survivors appear in the end) I imagine that my impression was wrong, and that these novelized accounts came from good authority, however, when I was reading it, it felt like a Reader's Digest version, something written with an eye to maximum sensationalism.

The last section of the book deals with a crew's efforts to explore the hull of the ship. This felt like listening to boys talk about their model cars--obviously fascinating to some, but completely uninteresting to me.

It's an okay coffee table book, but it feels more like a companion to a television show than something that stands on its own.

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very much in the vein of his earlier books on the Titanic and the Bismarck, in this book Ballard looks at the Lusitania. Several chapters recreated the sinking and its aftermath, while others recount the exploration of the wreck. Unlike Titanic, there was no need to search for Lusitania, as she sank within sight of shore and has apparently been something of an annoyance to local fishing vessels ever since, to judge the by frequent mention of nets snagged on the wreck. Ballard concludes that there is nothing to the rumors that Lusitania was carrying munitions that should not have been on a passenger ship. His explanation for the second explosion that did such catastrophic damage to the ship is that the torpedo threw up coal dust in the nearly empty coal bunkers where it hit, and the coal dust, now thoroughly oxygenated, then ignited.

[Garnet · Rating 5 out of 5]

Didn't realize that this was an oversize picture book when I ordered it, but I'm glad it is. Very interesting and fact filled book that has plenty of compelling narrative in addition to historic and scientific pictures and illustrations. I never knew much about the sinking of the Lusitania I'm embarrassed to say, but I learned that May 8th 2015 was the 100th anniversary of it's sinking so I wanted to find out more about it. A tragic and unbelievable disaster that some would say helped the US enter WWI. The mystery was a second explosion that wasn't related to the torpedo that caused the first.

[Paul Foley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ah, the joys of a picture book! The real payoff of this large-format hardcover is the photographs and illustrations. There's even a centerfold--a large scale before-and-after illustration of this grand historic liner. It gives a fine rendering of the entire wreck in its current state on the bottom. Because of the limited visibility uderwater, it would actually be impossible to see such a complete view of the Lusitania. This is a painstaking and breathtaking reconstruction of immense value.

[CB · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really well done book. Ballard and Dunmore (along with Chartwell editor(s)?) were careful not to make this too focused on the Ballard dive team at the expense of the main interest -- the Lusitania itself. They got beyond the legacy of demonizing the German U-boat captain, looked impartially at the Lusitania captain and Cunard, and came to an interesting probable conclusion regarding the cause of the disaster. Will leave it at that ... no spoilers.

[Fishface · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an interesting read, about the sinking of the "Lusitania," the evnts of that day and the political aftermath, as well as the exploration of the wreck, almost 100 years later, by Bob Ballard and his submersibles. Very heavily illustrated -- more photos than text. There is also a page devoted to Victorian-garbed silhouettes representing the victims, so that you get a visual sense of how many people were lost. Also shows current-day photos of some of the survivors.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I guess that's the book I read. Large format picture book that focuses on history of the Lusitania episode as well as the discovery and investigation of the wreck. The book I read was called Robert Ballard's Lusitania, but had the same author. History was more interesting than the exploration of the wreck in this case.

[Duane · Rating 5 out of 5]

A treasure of a book that tells the history of the Lusitania. With vivid photography and illustrations, readers will learn how the ship came to be, it's voyages to and from New York/England, and it's final voyage. A treasure of historical facts and illustrations, this book will appeal to both maritime and history fans. A great coffee table sized book.

[Heribert Feilitzsch · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finally the solution to a debate that has lasted 100 years. The Lusitania sank by one torpedo, hit in an empty coal room, thus exploding. Gone are the propaganda claims that the ship carried ammunition that set off the explosion, or that she was armed and therefore precipitated the attack. Anyone interested in historical crime stories, this book is one of the best.

[Josh · Rating 5 out of 5]

...like me. Very cool graphic and literary journey through one of the world's most notorious shipwrecks.

[Saturday's Child · Rating 4 out of 5]

As I fan of Dr Ballard I really enjoyed reading this book.

[Susann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Im Mai 1915 versenkte das deutsche U-Boot den Luxusliner mit mehr als 2000 Menschen an Bord vor der Küste Irlands. Mehr als ein authentischer Tatsachenbericht und lesenswert.

[Don Mclean · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved the history of what happened to the Lusitania and the discovery at the bottom of the sea. I am a hugh Titanic buff and really enjoyed this presentation.

[Maryanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

war has no rules

[Cathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great to pair this one with "Dead Wake" by Larsen because it helps bring the events of the sinking to life.

[Calvin]

Seemingly well researched book, really enjoyed it all the way through