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Cunard has commissioned historian Eric Sauder
to produce a temporary exhibition of Lusitania memorabilia that will be
displayed on board Queen Victoria during her 3 May 2015 voyage commemorating the
loss of Lusitania 100 years earlier.
Eric Sauder has been interested in ocean liners, particularly Lusitania, for
more than 30 years, with his first job being a tour guide on Queen Mary in Long
Beach, California. He has dived on the wreck of Lusitania and has authored two
books on the subject: RMS Lusitania: The Ship and Her Record and The Unseen
Lusitania: The Ship in Rare Illustrations, the latter to be released for the
100th anniversary of the sinking.
Lusitania was the first of 22 Cunard ships lost in the First World War. On 7 May
2015 it will be exactly 100 years since the Cunard flagship was torpedoed while
en route from New York to Liverpool. The ship sank approximately 11 miles off
the old Head of Kinsale in Ireland.
This special seven-night Lusitania Remembered cruise by Queen Victoria will
commemorate the loss of Lusitania and the other Cunard ships in World War One.
Queen Victoria will call at Cobh (formerly Queenstown) on 7 May 2015. Cobh will
forever be associated with the tragedy. The sinking was a human catastrophe on a
scale that this small town had not experienced before or since. People there
witnessed first-hand the trauma, tragedy and heartbreak that ensued. The dead,
the injured and the bereaved were brought among a community that mobilised
itself and responded with courage and compassion to their needs.
"The sinking of Lusitania was a tragedy and we intend to mark the anniversary of
her sinking on 7 May 2015 in a fitting and respectful way,” said David Dingle,
CEO of Cunard Line. “But her story was also one of triumph in the technical
achievement of her construction and her glittering career from 1907 until the
outbreak of war. We are pleased to be working with Eric Sauder on this
exhibition that will recall that triumph and tragedy, and bring an added element
on this special Lusitania voyage which the passengers who book this special
cruise will experience."
Eric Sauder said, "I have been fascinated will all things Lusitania for many
years and am pleased to be working with Cunard on this exhibition that I hope
will bring to life the Lusitania story in a unique way.”
All passengers aboard Queen Victoria will be invited to attend a special service
ashore as well as witness a number of other tributes occurring thatday, and a
Commemorative Dinner will be held for them that night on board the ship.
Sailing from and back to Southampton, the Lusitania Remembered voyage will call
at St. Peter Port (Guernsey), Le Havre, Cobh and Dublin. Cunard fares start from
$1399 per person for an inside cabin and from $2099 for a balcony cabin.
The Lusitania exhibit will feature china, silver, brochures, postcards,
memorabilia and souvenirs that will bring to life the story of Cunard's
flagship.
Lusitania and her sister Mauretania were the first of the floating palaces and
today still conjure up images of power, speed, Palm Courts, Smoking Rooms,
afternoon tea and grand staircases. |
