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RMS Lusitania Facts & Worksheets

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In World War I, RMS Lusitania was the world’s largest passenger ship. The ship was an ocean liner owned by Great Britain, but was sunk by a German submarine during the war. The sinking of RMS Lusitania was one of the main reasons why the United States entered the First World War. See the fact file below for more information on the sinking of RMS Lusitania or download the comprehensive worksheet pack which can be utilised within the classroom or home environment.

• RMS Lusitania was first launched in 1906. The ship was one of the first superliners that transferred passengers across the Atlantic Ocean.
• The Lusitania was launched by the Cunard Line passenger ship company, alongside another ship named Mauretania.
• The Lusitania made a total of 202 trans-Atlantic crossings before she was sunk during WWI.
• By 1915, Germany had placed many submarines around Great Britain and had declared the waters a war-zone.
• The German submarines were known as U-boats.
• The United States began warning people that the route across the Atlantic Sea was no longer safe, and they should not use the RMS Lusitania for their journeys.
• The United States warned citizens via an advert in 50 different newspapers. The notice read:
“Notice!
Travellers intending to embark on the Atlantic voyage are reminded that a state of war exists between Germany and her allies and Great Britain and her allies; that the zone of war includes the waters adjacent to the British Isles; that, in accordance with formal notice given by the Imperial German Government, vessels flying the flag of Great Britain, or any of her allies, are liable to destruction in those waters and that travellers sailing in the war zone on the ships of Great Britain or her allies do so at their own risk.”
• In May 1915, the Lusitania set off from Liverpool in Great Britain for New York.
• The Captain of the Lusitania was Captain William Thomas Turner.
• On May 7th, 1915, German submarines attacked the Lusitania as she sailed past the Southern coast of Ireland. These waters were part of Germany’s declared war-zone.
• The Germans stated that, as of February 1915, they would sink any ship owned by the Allies without warning.
• Two explosions as a German U-boat torpedoed the ship caused the RMS Lusitania to sink within 18 minutes.
• The ship was sunk at around 2pm.
• The crew only had enough time to launch 6 of the 48 lifeboats kept on-board the Lusitania.
• 1,198 passengers and crew-members died when the Lusitania sank.
• 128 of the passengers that died were American citizens.
• The Captain of the Lusitania survived the attack.
• Because the Lusitania was not a military ship, Germany was accused of breaking the ‘Prize Law’ – an international law meaning that ships must declare their country of origin (by raising their country’s flag) before an attack can be launched upon them by the enemy.
• Germany responded to this accusation by saying that the Lusitania was carrying weapons and ammunition in her cargo, so the were within their rights to attack the ship.
• Straight after the sinking of the Lusitania, President Woodrow Wilson refused to declare war on Germany, despite them killing numerous American citizens.
• It wasn’t until April 1917, the following year, that President Wilson declared war on Germany.
• The wreck of the Lusitania still lies under the ocean off the coast of Ireland.

RMS Lusitania Worksheets

This bundle includes 18 ready-to-use RMS Lusitania worksheets that are perfect for students to learn about RMS Lusitania which was the world’s largest passenger ship. The ship was an ocean liner owned by Great Britain, but was sunk by a German submarine during the war.

This download includes the following worksheets:

  • Introduction
  • RMS Lusitania Facts
  • First Class Career
  • The Art of Lusitania
  • Old-Fashioned vs. Contemporary
  • Lusitanic
  • Warning the Naval Community
  • Advertising Manually
  • Gathering the Crew
  • Crew Find
  • The Prize Law
  • Vocabulary Check
  • The Final Crossing
  • Final Timeline
  • Mapping the FInal Crossing
  • Justifiable Circumstances?
  • Quick Quiz
  • Grammar and Vocabulary Challenge
  • An Ode to Lusitania

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Link will appear as RMS Lusitania Facts & Worksheets: https://kidskonnect.com - KidsKonnect, January 17, 2017

Use With Any Curriculum

These worksheets have been specifically designed for use with any international curriculum. You can use these worksheets as-is, or edit them using Google Slides to make them more specific to your own student ability levels and curriculum standards.

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