An investigation of that other great ocean-liner tragedy: the sinking of the Lusitania.

On May 7th, 1915, a passenger ship crossing the Atlantic sank with the loss of 1200 lives. On board were some world-famous figures, including multimillionaire Alfred Vanderbilt. But this wasnt the Titanic and there was no iceberg. The liner was the Lusitania and it was torpedoed by a German U-boat.

Using first-hand accounts of the tragedy, the author brings the characters to life, recreating the splendour of the liner as it set sail, and the horror of its final moments. Using British, American and German research material, the book answers many of the outstanding and controversial questions surrounding the Lusitania: why didnt Cunard listen to warnings that the ship would be a target of the Germans? Was the Lusitania sacrificed to bring the Americans into the War? What was really in the Lusitanias hold? Had Cunards offices been infiltrated by German agents? And did the Kaisers decision to cease unrestricted U-boat warfare -- in response to international outrage -- effectively change the outcome of WW1?