Carter Roy

Why blow up your own weapons?

Because the loss of one ship's cargo outweighed the potential benefit of getting the U.S.

military on their side.

And here's the thing, even if none of this was planned, there was some kind of coverup around the Lusitania, maybe before it even sank.

First, the passengers weren't made aware they'd be at sea a day longer than usual.

And by the time that became obvious, day six and they're still on the boat, they were no longer allowed to send telegrams.

Allegedly, this was to avoid detection by German U-boat receivers, but it prevented passengers from sharing happenings aboard the Lusitania with the outside world.

Happenings like...

the complete lack of lifeboat drills.

This could have resulted from the staff shortage, but several passengers lodged complaints during the voyage and nothing was done.

People didn't know what to do if disaster struck.

They didn't even know how to put on their life vests.

And remember, this is not long after the Titanic.

This would be an issue on people's minds.

Then, as the Lusitania's distress signals went out, one nearby British naval cruiser, the Juno, sailed out to rescue passengers, only to be suddenly recalled.

Smaller, slower ships came to the rescue instead, inevitably leading to more deaths.

Oddly, the Juno was the same ship originally assigned to be the Lusitania's military escort, the one that never came.

Apparently, it was deemed more important to keep the Juno safe from U-boat 20 than to save drowning civilians.

Or perhaps the turnaround was to ensure that Americans died and limit witnesses.

And it gets sketchier.