Lusitania escort

[khokhar1912]

When Lusitania was scheduled to arrive in Liverpool on 6 March 1915, Trade Division signalled Lusitania at Cunard’s request, relaying:

,”Owners advise keep well out. Time arrival to cross bar without waiting.”

Admiral Henry Oliver also sent two destroyers, HMS Laverock and HMS Louis to receive and escort Lusitania, and sent Q ship HMS Lyons to patrol Liverpool Bay, even with the shortage of available destroyers at the time. Captain Dow, not wishing to disclose his location to listening Germans, steamed Lusitania into Liverpool by herself

If admiralty Oliver, took the above actions in March 1915, why weren’t similar actions taken to protect the Lusitania for this final voyage but instead the Lusitania was left all alone?

 

[fantasioowl]

Lusitania has not been literally left alone. A vessel had been dispatched to meet the liner and escort her: HMS Juno, a quite old and slow cruiser of Queenstown station. But while already at sea, Admirality found it reasonnable to withdraw the escort due to the knows presence of at least one German submarine in the operation area and its uncalculable threat to a slow and old cruiser (see the Aboukir desaster). One thought the slow cruiser would be in bigger danger than the fast going Lusitania.