World War I – The Sinking of the RMS

LusitaniaPHYSICS

Get thinking. . .

- Would you knowingly take a cruise through a war zone? Why or why not?Cruises are typically taken by people seeking relaxation or fun exploration of foreign lands. Cruise ships are typically occupied by people from all walks of life: working class/poor people who perform various jobs on the ship and single people and families with children who have paid to take the cruise.

- If you were a governmental official would you authorize travel of a cruise ship through a known war zone? Give two reasons why it might be a good idea to send civilians (fun seeking women, men, and children) through an area that might be bombed. Give two reasons why it might be a bad idea to send civilians through an area that might be bombed.

- If you had the opportunity to take a cruise next week, which part of the world would you not want to visit and why?

Naval Warfare

At various points during World War 1, ships were used either as targets or in service of the countries at war. In this lesson we will discuss the history of the passenger ship Lusitania and examine the physics behind why ships sink.

The Lusitaniahttps://www.history.com/news/how-the-sinking-of-lusitania-changed-wwihttps://www.britannica.com/topic/Lusitania-British-ship

The next few pages contain a summary of the events surrounding the sinking of the Lusitania. Please read each of the linked articles above to gain further understanding.

The Lusitania was a ship which was sunk by a German U-boat (submarine) on May 7, 1915 during World War I as it sailed from New York to Liverpool, England. The main controversy of the sinking of this ship during a time of war is that it contained 1,266 passengers and 696 crewmembers (128 Americans, 129 children). Thus, those who called the sinking a war crime defined it as such because the Lusitania was clearly functioning as a passenger ship.

However, the Germans claimed that the ship was actually carrying war supplies. There is also some consensus concerning the fact that the ship was carrying a significant amount of small arms ammunition, shrapnel shell casings, and brass percussion fuses. The carrying of war supplies would identify the Lusitania as a warship and make it fair game for attack by the enemy.

A further problematic fact is that the ship was crossing waters known to be in a disputed territory as England had implemented a naval blockade of Germany and Germany was known to be actively opposing the blockade through use of submarine warfare around the coast of England. The civilians who booked the trip were warned through an advertisement (see history.com link on 3rd slide) that clearly stated that the ship would travel through a war zone and would be subject to potential destruction.

In the end, 1,198 men, women, and children died after the German U-boat launched one torpedo and the ship was subsequently blown apart by a secondary explosion, theorized to be caused by exploding ammunition which was already on the ship.

Why Ships Sink

There are a number of reasons why ships sink. You might be thinking to yourself, “When water gets into a ship, it sinks. So what?” However, understanding the physics of why ships sink is important to enable designing ships that don’t sink easily. 1 - Read the linked article, Why ships sink – 10 Major reasons https://www.marineinsight.com/naval-architecture/why-ships-sink-10-major-reasons/#:~:text=Flooding.%20Flooding%20is%20the%20most%20common%20reason%20why,%3DVolume%20of%20Water%20Displaced%20%C3%97%20Density%20of%20Water.2 – For each of the 10 reasons, draw a diagram or illustration, or create a 3D model which explains the concept of what causes a ship to sink in each instance. You may create a poster, booklet, or collection of shoebox dioramas which illustrate why ships sink or locate video clips of ships sinking which illustrate each instance.

Extension Activity Accounting for all of the causes of ships sinking, list a set of specifications that would be required to ensure that a ship would be immune to waves, grounding, explosions, bad weather, and instability. Also consider how to avoid or eliminate the potential for human error and list possible measures that could be taken. A diagram of the RMS

Lusitania.

References and Supplementary Materials

Dark Secrets of the Lusitania - Documentary movie – YouTube The Mystery Of The Lusitania Tragedy | Sinking Of The Lusitania

Docudrama | Timeline – YouTube Sinking of the Lusitania: Terror at Sea (2007) – YouTube

Learning Standards

Physics Standards of Learning for Virginia Public SchoolsPH.4 The student will investigate and understand how applications of physics affect the world. Key concepts includea) examples from the real world; andb) exploration of the roles and contributions of science and technology.