LUSITANIA Archeology

[Michael Cundiff]

Hello...I just returned from a three day trip to CA, so forgive me if this subject has been noted.
Before I departed I received the latest ARCHEOLOGY periodical. A very interesting article appeared in the "From the Trenches" section..."Lusitania's Secret Cargo". In Sept. '08 American owner Greg Bemis was granted a five-year license to conduct limited excavations. With R.O.V. in hand...the team was able to clarify a vast amount of ammunition in an area not believed to have carried cargo...Remington .303 caliber bullets. Ten of the bullets were retrieved and subsequently pictured in the featured article.

Michael Cundiff
NV, USA

 

[George L. Lorton]

Interesting Michael,the plot thickens.

 

[Michael Cundiff]

George, pardon me, the Irish courts gave Bemis permisssion in '07 (My aforemention was '08), and the R.O.V. dives were undertaken in '08.
The ARCHEOLOGY mag. is the *first* '09 issue...Jan. Feb.

Michael Cundiff
NV, USA

 

[Jim Kalafus]

>Interesting Michael,the plot thickens.

Ah, Georgie, one wonders why they bother, other than publicity.

That the Lusitania was carrying arms is about as well kept a secret as...say...the Supremes wearing wigs, or the laughter on sitcoms being dubbed. It received limited mention in the press as early as June 1915. Given that most liners DID carry arms at that point, it would be more suspect if there HADN'T been any.

Why...exactly...are they exploring an intact area of D Deck? Why are they not exploring the area where the explosion actually occurred and trying to determine, once and for all, what happened?

The revelation..every five or so years...that the Lusitania was carrying arms, grew tiresome during the Carter administration era, and now pretty much reeks of desperation. What next? A scientific survey of the Hartford Circus Fire to prove that waterproofing a canvas tent with gasoline and paraffin accelerated the spread of the blaze?

Get to the bottom of the ship, and find something interesting for heavens sake.

 

[Michael H. Standart]

>>With R.O.V. in hand...the team was able to clarify a vast amount of ammunition in an area not believed to have carried cargo...Remington .303 caliber bullets.<<

Colour me as unimpressed as Jim is. That the ship was carrying munitions was not really much of a secret even at the time. It wasn't something admitted to the public but everybody on the waterfront from the longshoremen to the German spies knew about.

While this is interesting in terms of confirming what everybody has known about for years, in terms of the possible source of the second explosion, so what? Bullets just don't explode. Even when they cook off, the fireworks display doesn't amount to much. It would scare the bejeebers out of anybody nearby but just wouldn't cause any noteworthy damage to the ship beyond scratching some paint.

 

[George L. Lorton]

Ah, Georgie, one wonders why they bother, other than publicity.

Well Jim, Got me going.

So it worked. Got me thinking of lovely Lusy and her mysteries. Always mystery with her. So many enigmas

 

[George L. Lorton]

George, pardon me, the Irish courts gave Bemis permission in '07 (My aforementioned was '08), and the R.O.V. dives were undertaken in '08.

Hi Michael, Only if you'll pardon me for talking over you and not acknowledging you post. Really George. Some day I'll learn manners. I promise. Thanks for posting the dive information Michael. I wonder what else they found besides the ammo that everyone knew about except me.

Get to the bottom of the ship, and find something interesting for heavens sake.

I can get behind that. Shoot if they want to do some honest to god research they should poke around the Persia Wreck. Well whats left of the Persia after she was robbed and gutted. Who knows they might find something interesting besides some Jewels to steal. That been a full year ago that I watched that program and yet it still manages to raise my ire. I commend them on pi

ing me off royally and also being greedy thoughtless jerks. Clap, Clap. Sorry enough of my ranting.

 

[Mike Poirier]

If I was Gregg Bemis, I would tell his team, "Don't call the press until you find something that is new. Cut out all this re-hasg stuff. It's embarrassing." Sadly the public has a short term memory span and treat this as actual new info.

 

[Jason Schleisman]

So they were exploring the D Deck area, huh? I bet they were after more china.

 

[George L. Lorton]

Sadly the public has a short term memory span and treat this as actual new info.

I'm good example of the case in point. They found ammunition in the hull. I forgot or never knew this had been aired before.

So they were exploring the D Deck area, huh? I bet they were after more china.

Probably. I can see it know.

"It's left to the kitchen, you idiot."

"Naw, the China would of been in the dinning room, which is that way."

"Great now we're lost on the Lusitania, oh look ammo!"

 

[Michael Cundiff]

Morning, yes as LUSITANIA buffs are well aware, the salvage team (OCEANEERING) salvaged detonating fuses which were broadcast on the BBC.
Aside from the fact of the three screws, one of which resides at the Meryside Museum, and according to my correspondence with Eric Sauder, years ago, one resides in a gentleman's yard in Baltimore. Unfortunately the third was melted down for the commerative golf clubs. It will be interesting to see what the Bemis team will uncover during their, Irish Gov't, granted five-year limited excavation.

Michael Cundiff
NV, USA

 

[Michael Cundiff]

POSTSCRIPT: And, as we know HEDGEHOG bombs litter the debris field, perhaps an attempt at a British cover-up, or as they reported, to dismantle a hide-out for the German U-Boats.
Personally, I would like to see Bemis retrieve the, alleged, water-tight sealed *masters* artwork...

Michael Cundiff
NV, USA

 

[George L. Lorton]

I would like to see Bemis retrieve the, alleged, water-tight sealed *masters* artwork...

That's probably what their really looking for.

 

[Grant Carman]

I think I have posted this before, but during WW2 the British Government depth charged (or bombed) around the Lusitania as they felt that it could be used as a hiding place for U-Boats.

I will ask some of the more military minded people, but at what timeframe were "hedgehog" bombs used. Were they WW1 or 2?

 

[Jeff Brebner]

<>

Hedgehogs were WWII.