Sinking of the Lusitania - Terror at Sea

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[edit] General Information

War Documentary hosted by John Hannah, published by Discovery Channel in 2008 - English narration

[edit] Cover

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This original Darlow Smithson (UK) production is also known as "Lusitania : Murder on the Atlantic".

"Remember the Lusitania! Avenge the Lusitania!"

These are the words that inspired many young Americans to volunteer for service during the First World War. The sinking of this great British oceangoing liner provoked outrage around the world on an unprecedented scale. On May 7, 1915, a German torpedo sent the ship to the bottom of the North Atlantic Ocean in just 18 minutes -- its speedy descent into the depths occurring far too fast for most of those aboard to make it to the lifeboats. Of the 1,962 passengers and crew on board, 1,201 were lost, including 94 children and, crucially, 128 Americans, many of whom were prominent figures. President Woodrow Wilson's neutral stance started to crack. All over America there were calls for the United States to take up arms against Germany. In many ways, the Lusitania tragedy was the major turning point of the Great War, and perhaps the single greatest factor that eventually brought America into the war in April 1917.

In this two-hour dramatised documentary special, Discovery Channel brings you the story of the doomed ship and, for the first time, goes inside the cramped, foul-smelling hull of the U-boat that fired the fateful torpedo. The central figures in this epic tale are the two men in command: Captain William Turner of the Lusitania and Kapitanleutnant Walther Schwieger of the U-20. The former is a seasoned mariner, but he falls victim to his own arrogance and the Royal Navy's inability to effectively counter the new submarine threat. The German commander is the epitome of the new breed of ship hunters, determined to savage the merchant fleet and warships of the enemy power that has imposed a stranglehold on his homeland. But at a critical moment he learns that some of his crew have no stomach for sinking passenger liners.

Swept up in this cataclysm are the passengers. Having been categorically warned by the German government that all ships entering the war zone around Britain and Ireland are targets, they nevertheless embark; some are unconcerned, others apprehensive. Some passengers openly challenge the captain's lack of interest in lifeboat and lifebelt drills, others discount the mere possibility of an enemy attack. In the end, most become helpless victims of the forces that were dragging the world into total war.

With a superb cast and stunning re-creations, SINKING OF THE LUSITANIA: TERROR AT SEA takes you back to the fateful six-day voyage from New York City to a watery grave eight miles off the south coast of Ireland. The final minutes of the doomed luxury liner are replayed in real time ; from the deadly torpedo hit at 2:10 p.m. on May 7, 1915, to the final plunge beneath the waves 18 minutes later.

Documentary filmmaker Christopher Spencer uncovers the truth about the sinking of the RMS Lusitania in this film that gets to the heart of the mystery by leaving no theory unexplored. In the aftermath of the sinking, numerous conspiracy theories began to emerge: Was the British government secretly using a passenger ship to transport explosives? Had Winston Churchill sacrificed the ship in order to draw America into a war she had been reluctant to join? Now, nearly a century later, the facts are separated from the fiction as Spencer and his researchers sort through the details on a painstaking quest to finally raise the truth up from the depths.

Bringing to life events on board both vessels, the film reveals how the political and intelligence communities failed to stop the tragedy.

Prof.Holbourn : John Hannah Captain Turner : Kenneth Cranham Lt.Capt. Schwieger : Florian Panzer Avis Dolphin : Maddeleine Garrood Winston Churchill : Martin Le Maitre

Based on The SINKING of the LUSITANIA by Diana Preston

Produced by Darlow Smithson for Discovery Channel and The BBC in Association with NDR and M6

For Darlow Smithson Producer: Johann Insanally Director: Christopher Spencer Program Executive: Ulla Streib Executive Producers: Juliann Ware/Tom Brisley Production Manaqer: Abigail Watts

For Discovery Channel President and GM: Jane Root Executive Producer: Jack Smith Production Manager: Mary Bender

2008 Discovery Communications, LLC.

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[edit] Technical Specs

Video Codec: XviD ISO MPEG-4
Video Bitrate: 2323 kbps
Video Resolution: 704x392
Video Aspect Ratio: 1.796:1
Frames Per Second: 29.970
Audio Codec: 0x2000 (Dolby AC3) AC3
Audio Bitrate: 224kb/s CBR 48000 Hz
Audio Streams: 2
Audio Languages: english
RunTime Per Part: 1:24:48
Number Of Parts: 1
Part Size: 1,51 GiB
Ripped by: DocFreak08