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Whistle Stopper - National Geographic Video: Last Voyage of the Lusitania
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List Price: $19.98
Our Price: $3.57
Your Save: $ 16.41 ( 82% )
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Manufacturer: Nat'l Geographic Vid
Starring: National Geographic
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Average Customer Rating: 
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Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Binding: VHS Tape
EAN: 9786304475249
Format: Closed-captioned
ISBN: 6304475241
Label: Nat'l Geographic Vid
Manufacturer: Nat'l Geographic Vid
Number Of Items: 1
Publisher: Nat'l Geographic Vid
Release Date: 1997-07-08
Running Time: 60
Studio: Nat'l Geographic Vid
Theatrical Release Date: 1994
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Spotlight customer reviews:
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Customer Rating:
Summary: Nice Documentary of a Tragic Incident
Comment: On one hand this is a documentary of one of the most tragic ship sinkings in modern history. On the other hand, there are great recreations and stories told by survivors on the ship, which bring a very real sense of what it was like to be involved in this sinking. The entire production is very well done and is narrated by Martin Sheen.
Robert Ballard, famous for his work on the Titanic shipwreck, uses his underwater camera expertise to piece together this mystery. Back in the days of World War I, the US was not involved in the fight between England and Germany. England began smuggling in munitions on peaceful ships since the new German U-Boat submarines were sinking their military ships. A high end passenger ocean liner, the Lusitania, left the US for Liverpool, full of wealthy passengers. On May 7, 1915, within sight of the Irish coast, a German sub torpedoes and sinks the Lusitania. She goes down in broad daylight in only 15 minutes time - and 2/3rds of her passengers die, either trapped inside the ship or frozen in the cold waters before they could be rescued.
It's one thing to learn about the Titanic which struck an iceberg in the "middle of nowhere", and where human follies - our pride in claiming it couldn't be sunk, the lack of lifeboats, the lack of binoculars for the looksouts - contributed to the disaster. It's another thing for a cruise ship full of innocent people, sailing in the middle of the day right next to a large populated land mass - to be deliberately sunk. This one sinking caused an international sensation and led to the US being involved in the war.
The question of course is - was the Lusitania really innocent? Many have claimed that the Lusitania was full of high end explosives and that the Germans had every right to blow it up. There was an initial explosion from the torpedo hitting - but this could never have sunk the boat in 15 minutes. It was a subsequent large explosion that tore a hole in the ship and made it sink so quickly. Ballard's team went down to answer that question.
They found pretty quickly that there was NOT a giant hole near the supposed storage area for munitions. Yes, it's admitted now that the UK was sending over some guns and bullets for their troops on the steamer, but for most people that does not fall into the same category as large boxes of TNT or other explosives. Instead, after a lot of investigation, Ballard's team found that the large, now-empty bins of coal dust left over from the crossing ignited and caused a coal dust fireball to explode. It was in essence "bad luck" for the ship that the one torpedo was able to sink it so quickly. Still, in the end, the Germans fired a torpedo hoping to damage the ship. They were only "lucky" in damaging it so badly. In fact, the Germans had explicitly taken out an ad in the paper the day the Lusitania sailed, warning passengers that their ship was fair game. So any passenger who read the paper would have known they were a target. It was well publicized in general that the Germans were shooting down ships.
It's interesting to watch the video in "modern times" when these results are well known. In a way it's like watching footage of old Titanic recreations where they thought the Titanic sent down in one piece, when we know clearly now that the Titanic broke in two before sinking. During the historic video segments here they show the newspaper headlines from the time, talking about 2 or 3 torpedoes hitting the Lusitania. These are being reported as front page facts. It reminds us just how carefully we should evaluate news sources, and know that "facts" are always subject to future revision when we get more information.
For example, when the ship was first sunk, the British government claimed quite loudly that there were no weapons at ALL on the ship. It was only after proof was acquired of the guns and bullets that they admitted to that part. It made people suspicious that there were more lies involved, which then "tainted" the history of the Lusitania for decades. No matter how loudly the British government kept claiming there was not TNT on the ship, why would people believe them now, given the previous lies? It took a team of scientists actually going down to examine the physical ship to lay that myth to rest.
Well recommended for any lover of cruise ships, to see the many photos and videos of this gorgeous cruise ship. Well recommended for any student of history, to see just what a single event can do to change the course of nations, and how that event affects every person caught up in it.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Great documentary about the Lusitania disaster
Comment: Last Voyage of the Lusitania is an incredible documentary about the 1915 sinking of the Lusitania by a German U-boat, which is still one of the most controversial acts of World War I. The 1993 expedition to the wreck led by Robert Ballard, the man who found the Titanic, primarily focused on the two explosions that sank the ship. How could a ship which was so big, built far better than the Titanic and very fast sink in only fifteen minutes? The torpedo caused the initial explosion. But the second (Which was larger) is debatable. Some believe that the British government had explosives smuggled aboard. The impact of the Torpedo set those off and sank the ship. But in the light of irrefutable photographic evidence, this theory collapses as no huge hole reported by previous visitors is found. Eventually however, some new theories begin to emerge from what appears to be a dead end. The full truth of the Lusitania's sinking, however, may never be known. It is however certain that everyone involved, from the captain of the Lusitania to the captain of the U-boat that sank her, was to blame for this tragedy. In addition to the main documentary, there is also a "Documentary within a documentary". A special short (About seven minutes) `Making of Lusitania' documentary is included at the end of the video. It gives a very basic outline of the video. It tells about filming aboard Ballard's research ship, about filming some of the scenes in the video and about the survivor interviews. What I especially found interesting was about how the video team was able to get the survivors to remember about the sinking. Since most where little children and since the sinking had happened eighty years before, it was difficult to get them to remember. However, they eventually did. Another interesting point was an event during the main expedition. One of Ballard's camera vehicles got caught in a fishing net on the wreck (Because it is so close to land, the wreck is covered with fishing nets). Divers had to dive down and cut the vehicle free. The tense, successful moment of the vehicle being freed was captured on film. Unfortunately, because of the revelations of the coal dust explosion and for time constraints, this episode was cut out of the film. As explained above, there are accounts from a few of the living survivors of life on the Lusitania and of her torpedoing and sinking. They bring a human side to the tragedy, a side that was all but forgotten following the disaster in the haste to assign blame. They also show that this is more than just a documentary. They show this is a reminder that the sinking of the Lusitania is an example of the great human tragedy caused by war.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Who could expect less from National Geopgraphic?
Comment: It is one of the most tragic events in human history. The sinking helped lead to America's Becoming involved in World War I. But what caused it? Why was it so upsetting? Dr. Ballard and his National Geographic team provide a stunning look at the lost Lusitania. Along the way, the narration tells the story and shows the tragedy of the disaster in a sadly revealing light. It pulls no punches and shows everything it can to justify Dr. Ballard's conclusions. Finally, an answer to the questions of the munitions and the "mystery" second torpedo. I would recommend this program to anyone.
Customer Rating:
Summary: A SUPERB VIDEO ABOUT THE ''LUSITANIA''.
Comment: At last-a really good documentary about the sinking and the exploration of the wreck. Ballard gives a believable explanation of the causes of the disaster, and interviews with actual survivors spark interest. The undersea videos of the ship are fantastic! Also, get "Secrets of the Titanic" by Dr. Ballard. Both are superb.
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Editorial Reviews:
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Why did Germany torpedo the Lusitania, a civilian vessel? And why did such an enormous ship sink so fast? Now, take a high-tech plunge beneath the Irish Channel and relive one of the century's most mysterious maritime tragedies: The date is May 7, 1915, just nine months into World War I. A German U-boat torpedoes the Lusitania - one of the largest and fastest luxury liners in the world. Of the 1,959 people aboard, including millionaire Alfred Vanderbilt, nearly two-thirds will die. Many are trapped inside the great ship as she sinks in just eighteen minutes. Survivors recount a mysterious, massive second blast following the torpedo hit. Was the Lusitania carrying a secret cargo of high explosives from the neutral U.S. for Britain? Some think so, but explorer and scientist Dr. Robert Ballard, discoverer of the R.M.S. Titanic and the German battleship Bismarck, has doubts. Join the great undersea detective on a classic National Geographic adventure, as he probes the sunken liner in a two-person mini-sub for clues that could rewrite history. Included in this video is a behind-the-scenes look at the "Making of Lusitania", featuring never before seen footage and personal interviews with Dr. Robert Ballard and his underwater expedition team.
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