Lusitania was left to fend for herself despite a Uboat being known to be in the area despite the British having escorted a ship carrying mules a week earlier. Britain wanted the US in the war. The ship was indeed carrying munitions though the ammunition was actually military ordnance the paperwork described it as 'sport ammunition-not likely to explode in bulk'.
Wrecks around irregular coasts with storms and tides are not uncommon. The USA had its share of Moon Cursers and the coasts of England and Ireland had many who displayed false lights so as to lure ships to their doom and loot them. English law made the Registrar of Wrecks the owner of a ship's cargo if 'any man or beast' survived, so villagers often made sure that sailors did not survive. Often local constabulary sided with those whose living 'came from the sea'. It is only fairly recent in history that we've come to view "harvesting the sea's bounty" to be limited to fish and not to include ships cargoes.
Everyone associates the Irish with potatoes perhaps, but the Irish were great seafarers, ate mutton and used slaves to tend their sheep.
Lusitania was left to fend for herself despite a Uboat being known to be in the area despite the British having escorted a ship carrying mules a week earlier. Britain wanted the US in the war. The ship was indeed carrying munitions though the ammunition was actually military ordnance the paperwork described it as 'sport ammunition-not likely to explode in bulk'.True about the munitions. Wilson's Sec'y of State told Wilson that the disaster had turned out to be what they'd suspected. The US didn't enter the war at that time (1915), waiting until after the 1916 election, in which Wilson had jailed his Socialist opponent Eugene V. Debs, and run with the slogan, "he kept us out of war." Wilson was sworn in March 4, 1917, and the declaration of war was asked for 2 April, 1917,
There's a bit of (Outer) Bankers in my heritage, so I won't deny that. Those days of common piracy and plundering are long gone, however.
These days, we have IRS lawyers instead. ;-)
Eeeek. Just imagine, you've survived a shipwreck, and you see human beings you're hoping will save you, only they're going to kill you so they can salvage the ship's cargo.
Horrifying.