Page 173 - Dragon Flood

When the Lusitania arrived in the English Channel off of Ireland it slowed to await the
arrival of the escort ship Juno which was to lead her into port. Churchill ordered the Juno
back to port, causing the Lusitania to idle for hours out in the channel where German U-
boats were known to be operating. On May 7, 1915, a single torpedo from a German U-boat
struck the Lusitania with its 300 pound charge of explosives. A secondary, and much larger
explosion followed. This second explosion was caused by the ammunition exploding that
was being carried illegally in the ship. So great was the damage caused by the second
explosion that the Lusitania sank approximately 12-18 minutes later with a loss of more
than 1,200 lives, more than a hundred of which were Americans.

The sinking of the Lusitania by a German U-boat was splashed all over the front pages of
America’s largest newspapers. Germany was vilified, and eventually America entered the
war on the side of Great Britain.

Cunard Lines had merged with White Lines, and J.P. Morgan was a major shareholder in
the company. It is estimated that the J.P Morgan banks issued more than $500,000,000
worth of loans to nations on both sides of the war.

Perhaps the inspiration for this event was the sinking of the U.S. Navy ship Maine in 1898.
The sinking of the Maine was used as a pretext for America to declare war on Spain, leading
to the Spanish/American War.

The Battleship Maine was anchored in Havana Harbor in Cuba, which was a Spanish
territory. America was seeking to expand her control of the Caribbean and to drive Spain
out of Cuba. The Maine exploded violently while at anchor, igniting her forward munitions
and killing three quarters of the sailors aboard. The U.S. blamed Spain for the explosion,
decrying it as an act of war. It was later proven that the explosion had originated within the
ship, and had blown the bulkheads outward. America’s government and media had
suggested that Spain had planted a timed mine on the outside of the ship, but this would
have blown a hole inward.

As during the Lusitania incident, newspapers were willing accomplices in declaring the
sinking of the Maine the work of an enemy, and an atrocity. The headline above states
“Naval Officers Unanimous That the Ship Was Destroyed on Purpose.” That much at least
is true.