A peaceful sea breeze and the shining sun
Blown apart by mankind’s cruelty to itself
Shattered lives, dreams, and steel
As Death swoops in to take care of his charges
Panic cuts through the black billowing smoke
And spreads its inky tendrils to the desperate
Fighting for life—more precious than it was before
The fear of death took its icy hold on them
Eire glimmers in the distance and sees the horror
A silent witness to the grim, bitter death struggle
Unfolding off its emerald shores—totally helpless
To aid the struggling masses sinking into the deep
And then there’s silence, with nothing but seagulls overhead
A Wartime Tragedy
On May 7, 1915—110 years ago today—RMS Lusitania was torpedoed by the German submarine U-20 off the Irish coast. World War I raged, but the United States remained neutral. Despite warnings from the Imperial German Embassy that British ships were targets, Lusitania sailed from New York on May 1 with 1,960 people aboard.
Struck by a single torpedo, Lusitania sank in just 18 minutes. Only 761 people survived the disaster, rescued by fishing boats, local vessels, and lifeboats. The sinking shocked the world. Germany justified the attack by claiming the ship carried munitions, which it turns out she did. Nevertheless, the sinking stirred outrage and condemnation around the world.
Today, the wreck lies 305 feet below the surface. The battered hull still bears the name Lusitania, though not as proudly as before. It’s a gravesite and reminds us of war’s tragic toll—especially on the innocent.
We remember all those lost in the Lusitania disaster.
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