Carter Roy

This lined up with the official story from day one that Germany was entirely to blame.

So why would they try to scapegoat Captain Turner?

because the German torpedoes weren't fully at fault.

Like I said, lies on top of lies.

The official British story was that the Lusitania was torpedoed twice, but the Germans said they only fired once and Captain Turner agreed.

So of course they wanted to keep him quiet and discredit him.

He challenged their official narrative.

Captain Turner believed the second explosion happened after cold seawater flowing in through the single torpedo hole hit the pressurized central steam line.

The thermal shock blew it up.

But the British stuck to the second torpedo story, even though they knew Captain Turner and the Germans were right.

Yeah, from the day the Lusitania sank, Room 40 knew it was only hit with one torpedo.

They found out when they decoded Germany's communications about the attack.

But Britain's top brass couldn't say that they knew without revealing how they knew.

So they invented a second torpedo, called the Germans liars, and tried to discredit Captain Turner.

That's how far they'd go to keep a secret that would win the war.

Because that was the end game.

Win the war against Germany.

For Room 40, and perhaps for President Wilson.

If the secret scheme happened,

It worked.