New sonar imagery of wreck of rms lusitania 100 years after its loss

See this week's Westmeath Examiner for two stories with the Mullingar links to the Lusitania: a first hand account of the sinking, first published in the paper of November 15, 1915; and the story of the Doyle family.

The current condition of the RMS Lusitania on the seafloor, 100 years after its sinking on May 7, 1915, is revealed in greater detail than ever before today.

Members of the INFOMAR (INtegrated Mapping FOr the Sustainable Development of Ireland’s Marine Resource) team from the Geological Survey of Ireland (GSI) and the National Monuments Service of the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht have produced and assessed this new sonar imagery of the wreck .

The imagery provides a sense of the scale and history of the site, a tangible connection to the wreck and to the dramatic and tragic events that surrounded its sinking.

The 240m long vessel is clearly defined on the sea floor, lying on its starboard side and standing over 14m high above the seabed.

This new survey data is important from a site protection point of view, said a department spokesman.

It will add to our knowledge and understanding of the wreck site on the seabed, its current condition and how the site has changed or degraded over the years.

Additionally, the data, in tandem with previous information from individual divers to the site, will be beneficial in developing our understanding of the physical processes at play at the wreck site and in the surrounding seabed and should help inform long term management strategies for protecting, investigating and conserving the wreck .

One hundred years on, the Lusitania is beginning to reveal its wounds, scars and perhaps its secrets, and may continue to do so for many years to come.