Preserving The RMS LUSITANIA

05/28/2026

LUSITANIA

Do you know when and where this photograph was taken? Let us know in the comments!

05/25/2026

This is one of the most fascinating and unusual photographs of the Lusitania I have ever come across. Dated 10 December 1910, the image was taken from the starboard wing of the bridge, looking forward over the forecastle with the English coastline faintly visible in the background. An unidentified officer stands facing the camera directly.

The photograph is unfortunately too blurry to identify the officer with certainty. However, based on my research, it cannot be Captain William Thomas Turner, as command of the Lusitania had already passed to Captain James T. W. Charles earlier in 1910. Yet it likely is not Charles either.

What can be distinguished appears to be a double-breasted wool greatcoat bearing two straight gold braid stripes stitched onto the shoulder straps. Based on this insignia, the officer shown is most likely Arthur Rowland Jones, who served as First Officer aboard the Lusitania during the pre-war Edwardian period.

Jones, a highly experienced Liverpool mariner, would later become historically notable for remaining aboard during Lusitania’s final transatlantic crossing in May 1915. Following the torpedo attack, he survived the sinking and successfully supervised the launching of Lifeboat 15.

Who do you think it is? Let me know.

Thanks, Nikolaus

Credit: Istituto Centrale per il Catalogo Unico delle biblioteche italiane

05/22/2026

LUSITANIA

The Merseyside Maritime Museum in Liverpool has posted a series of blog posts about the Lusitania written by maritime historian J Kent Layton.

Today I'm sharing Part 6: ’Lusitania and the world crisis’.

https://www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/stories/lusitania-and-world-crisis

Germany's Kaiser Wilhelm II and England's Winston Churchill together before the outbreak of war. © Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division/J Kent Layton Collection

05/20/2026

LUSITANIA

Two beautiful views of the landing stages at the Port of Liverpool.

05/19/2026

LUSITANIA

This is one of the most curious photographs of the Lusitania. The long exposure gives the impression that the photographer set up the camera and waited patiently for the image to form.

Yet somehow this blurred gentleman walked straight into the frame. One has to wonder why the photographer didn’t notice him approaching, and why the photograph was still published despite the accidental photobombing of an otherwise magnificent composition.

Let me know your thoughts!

05/17/2026

LUSITANIA

The Finnish Symbolist painter Hugo Simberg (1873 - 1917) travelled from Liverpool to New York on board the RMS Lusitania and took photographs of the ship and its passengers in 1907 and 1908. He documented his Atlantic crossing aboard the RMS Lusitania in a travelogue titled A Winter Tale in the Atlantic.

Credit: HS Hugos resor Amerika/ Hugo Simbergin jäljillä - Kansallisgalleria, Suomi (Finnish National Gallery)

05/15/2026

LUSITANIA

The Merseyside Maritime Museum in Liverpool has posted a series of blog posts about the Lusitania written by maritime historian J Kent Layton.

Today I'm sharing Part 5: ‘Lusitania: a fantastic success’. Enjoy!

https://www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/stories/lusitania-fantastic-success

The Lusitania tied up in New York at the conclusion of her maiden crossing. On her return to New York she officially became the fastest ship in the world. © Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division/ J Kent Layton Collection