Lusitania

Lusitania is the name of an ancient Roman province that roughly encompassed what is now Portugal and parts of western Spain. Established in the early Roman Empire, Lusitania was part of the larger province of Hispania. Its capital was Olisipo, today Lisbon. The term Lusitanian referred to the peoples and culture of the region, and the name remained in use in later historical and geographical contexts.

The RMS Lusitania was a British ocean liner operated by the Cunard Line. Built by John Brown & Company in the United Kingdom, it was launched in 1906 as one of the fastest and most luxurious transatlantic passenger ships of its time. The vessel, a sister of the Mauretania, featured the then-impressive speed of about 25 knots and was designed to carry passengers, mail, and cargo between Europe and North America. It was part of Cunard’s effort to outperform rival lines and to offer a swift, comfortable crossing.

On May 7, 1915, during World War I, the Lusitania was torpedoed by the German submarine U-20 off the coast of Ireland and sank within about 18 minutes. Of the roughly 1,959 people aboard, 1,198 died, including 128 Americans. The disaster sparked international outrage and contributed to shifting public opinion in neutral countries against Germany. While it did not immediately bring the United States into the war, the sinking, together with Germany’s unrestricted submarine warfare, influenced U.S. policy and Allied public sentiment in the subsequent years.

Today, the Lusitania is remembered both as a historical name for a Roman province and for the infamous sinking that shaped maritime and wartime history.