Cobh Town Map

The Lusitania was a magnificent ship, whose speed secured the Blue Riband in 1907 when she crossed the Atlantic in 4 days, 19 hours and 52 minutes. On May 7th 1915 the Cunard liner Lusitania was torpedoed by a German U Boat 10 miles off the Old Head of Kinsale, 25 miles west of Queenstown, (now na med Cobh).
Of the 1,959 people on board 1,198 died. Those who survived were brought to Queenstown and Kinsale by rescue vessels and cared for in local hotels, hospitals, lodging houses and private houses. Once damaged the Lusitania quickly listed to one side making it difficult to launch lifeboats. In less than half an hour the Lusitania had sunk leaving hundreds struggling in the water and clambering for lifeboats. The American Consul, Wesley Frost and the Cunard Agent, Jerome Murphy were notable amongst those working tirelessly to cope with the disaster. Officials tried to compile lists of survivors as pleas for information flooded in to the port. Meanwhile, the bodies of the victims were lined up on the Cunard Pier and in the temporary morgues at the Town Hall and in a shed on the quays. Some survivors left Queenstown as soon as they were able, others remained in the town because of their injuries or in the hope that news could be found of a missing relative. Three days after the Lusitania went down nearly 1,150 of her victims were buried in mass graves in Clonmel graveyard, two miles north of Queenstown; 80 of them were never identified. The Lusitania was built in 1907 in Glasgow, her regular route was Liverpool – Queenstown – New York, but on her last voyage had not intended to call to Queenstown.