Lusitania captain's watch goes to Merseyside museum (BBC Article)
Posted on 04/30/2010 4:05:33 PM PDT by nickcarraway
This is a gold pocket watch that belonged to the captain of the Lusitaniana that survived with him when he was swept off the bridge as the liner sank in 1915.
Captain William Turner survived while 1,200 passengers lost their lives when the Cunard liner was destroyed by a torpedo from the German U-20 off the coast of Ireland.
He was the centre of controversy after the sinking off Kinsale and he was scapegoated for the disaster by Winston Churchill.
Captain Turner was at the centre of criticism because he continued heading towards the Irish Port of Cork despite warnings U-boats were active in the area.
It is thought his pocket watch would have been used by the Captain to register times entered in his ship's log.
Now the historic watch has been donated by the Turner family to Merseyside Maritime Museum where it has gone on show with Lusitania and Titanic memorabilia
Captain William Turner remained on board the stricken liner but miraculously survived after he was swept off the bridge.
The 58-year-old Liverpudlian clung to a floating chair and was unconscious when rescued after three hours in the water.
The watch has been donated to the museum by Captain Turner’s descendents.
It is thought to have been purchased by Captain Turner in Liverpool after a voyage. The box carries the name Penlington and Batty of St George’s Crescent, Lord Street, Liverpool.
Captain Turner kept the watch carefully in its leather pouch inside its original box. The watch is not engraved with an inscription but has a pawnbroker’s mark indicating it was used as security for a loan at some stage.
Rachel Mulhearn, Merseyside Maritime Museum director, said: "Captain Turner’s watch joins other Lusitania exhibits to help tell the story of the disaster that still has the power to shock. He was one of the many people deeply scarred by the tragedy and its aftermath.
"The Lusitania, launched in 1907, was Liverpool’s favourite liner and many people from the city were among her crew."
The sinking by a German U-boat submarine on 7 May 1915 sent shockwaves around the world. She was off Kinsale in Ireland when a single torpedo sent her to the bottom in just 18 minutes. There were chaotic scenes as passengers and crew scrambled for the lifeboats.
The British Government tried to blame Everton-born Captain Turner - one of the Cunard Line’s most respected commanders - for the loss of the Lusitania. However, the public inquiry cleared him of any wrongdoing.
The horror of the Lusitania sinking haunted Captain Turner for the rest of his life. He was often depressed and thought that people avoided him because he didn’t go down with his ship.
He never forgave the First Lord of the Admiralty Winston Churchill for trying to turn him into a scapegoat. Germany had warned that British shipping would be targeted.
Controversy still surrounds the disaster - was the Lusitania carrying arms? Was her sinking contrived in some way to bring America into the First World War? Many Americans died in the wreck as they headed from New York to Liverpool.
History repeated itself when Captain Turner, in command the Ivernia, was torpedoed and sunk on New Year’s Day 1917. Once again he survived and was awarded the OBE in 1918 for his war service before retiring the following year.
Captain Turner and his wife Mabel lived in Devon for some years but later returned to Liverpool. He died in their home at 50 De Villiers Avenue, Crosby, on 23 June 1933.
I read Colin Simpson’s book about the Lusitania when I was a kid with an odd obsession about sea disasters. I showed my paternal grandfather a picture of Walther Schweiger, and he became furious. This was in the early Seventies.
These things stay with people.
Bit of trivia: The Lusitania, before the war, was struck by a rogue wave in mid-ocean that put water in the bridge. This was a HUGE vessel, so that was a *serious* wave.
Bootstrap Bill?
I have a pink gold and aquamarine ring that traveled on the Lusitania. It has been in my family “forever”.
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Thanks nickcarraway. |
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