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Mitch Peeke
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The Lusitania Story Kindle Edition

by Mitch Peeke (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.2 out of 5 stars 18 ratings
The Lusitania Story is the complete story of this most famous ocean liner, told for the first time in a single volume. The Lusitania is today most remembered for controversy surrounding her loss by a German submarine attack in 1915, during the First World War. But this book also tells of her life before that cataclysmic event. It tells of the ground-breaking advances in maritime engineering that she represented, as well as a hitherto unheard of degree of opulence. This book also takes a close look at the disaster which befell her and, with the help of leading experts, the authors examine the circumstances of her loss and try to determine why this magnificent vessel was lost in a mere eighteen minutes.
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  1. Print length
    242 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Pen & Sword Maritime
  4. Publication date
    June 6, 2002
  5. File size
    23.4 MB
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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Kevin Walsh-Johnson is a founding member of the Lusitania Historical Society.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00CLEAY2M
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Pen & Sword Maritime (June 6, 2002)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ June 6, 2002
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 23.4 MB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 242 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.2 out of 5 stars 18 ratings

About the author

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Mitch Peeke

Mitch Peeke

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Mitch Peeke was born in South London in 1962. As a young lad, he was very much into aviation and enjoyed being an Air Cadet, especially with the opportunities for flying that went with it! He was also a flying member of the Kent Gliding Club.

Following a career in the photographic and print trades, he spent 15 years driving a Black Cab, before becoming a Driving Instructor in 2007.

His first book was a biography of Captain W T Turner, the last master of the Cunard liner RMS Lusitania, which he co-wrote with Kevin Walsh-Johnson. It was published in 2001. His next project was a biography of the Lusitania, which first came out in 2002 and was re-published as an updated centenary version in 2015.

Book three was something of a departure from the maritime theme. Lost Souls of the River Kwai was a survivor's account of being a POW of the Japanese in WW2.

His latest project is the story of 1940. This has been a labour of love spanning some thirty-odd years! 1940: The Battles to Stop Hitler is now out as an e-book, published 24/6/2015.

All Author's royalties from his books are paid directly to the Medway Queen Preservation Society's restoration fund, to help preserve the ship that became known as "the Heroine of Dunkirk".

Mitch currently writes for numerous journals, magazines and web blogs. He has also acted as a Historical Adviser to film and television companies.

Mitch is married with one daughter and one son. He and his family have lived here (with his wife's menagerie of rescued animals!), since 1995. In 2019, Mitch raised a memorial here to the crew of a B 17 bomber which crashed on his local beach in June of 1944.

As you can see from one of his profile pictures, Mitch loves nothing more than riding around on his rather unique 1450cc custom Harley-Davidson! The other picture on this page shows him sitting in the cockpit of a Mk IX Spitfire. A rare opportunity and frankly, a dream come true! If only he had the keys!!!!

Customer reviews

4.2 out of 5 stars
18 global ratings

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Top reviews from the United States

  • Leonard Carpenter
    4.0 out of 5 stars Inside Secrets of the Lusitania
    Reviewed in the United States on April 12, 2007
    This book contains vital answers to some questions that have been missed, and others that still trouble us regarding the fate of the torpedoed ocean liner.

    Why didn't she run faster? Why no escort? What was in the hold, and why did Lusitania sink so fast? All are answered here, and quite credibly in the light of other historical accounts I've studied. Even a superb, dramatic account like "Lusitania: An Epic Tragedy" by Diane Preston can still leave formidable uncertainties.

    For instance: the biggest military secret, which was only obscured by the court inquest, is asked: what were the Lusitania's final orders from the British Admiralty? Whether or not you accept the authors' conclusion on this matter, it is an intriguing possibility that must be considered.

    To anyone who has caught the Lusitania bug, this volume ia a good fast read, and the comprehensive passenger-and-crew list is a useful resource.

    This fine historical volume suggests to me that the co-authors, as London taxi drivers, may have had access to some rare "scuttlebutt" from historians or members of the Admiralty.

    Leonard Carpenter
    2 people found this helpful
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  • Kindle Customer
    5.0 out of 5 stars The Forgotten Lusitania
    Reviewed in the United States on August 17, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    Not being a maritime expert, this book fills in the blanks. Reconizable names, dates and history at one's fingertrips. Great reference. Well worth the read.
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  • Allan Eòghan
    1.0 out of 5 stars What a waste!
    Reviewed in the United States on January 20, 2005
    The torpedo hit the forward magazine? I don't think so. Schweiger saw his missle hit the ship clearly; the torpedo hit right under the bridge as he stated; at the farthest forward, the torpedo hit just in front of the bridge, which was still a good distance away from the magazine. And port-side lifeboats slamming across the boat deck? Only one of them broke free, but the rest of the boats just swung into the superstructure and then back into their positions again. In any case, none of the lifeboats that were lowered safely came from the port side.

    And explosives in the magazine? No, what the Lusi carried was little more than fuses, bullets and shrapnel, all of which were in separate cases and therefore could not have ignited even if the torpedo did hit that far forward. Besides, if the explosives did go off, wouldn't it have destroyed the magazine? The pictures of the wreck show clearly that the bow is intact, save for some damage that was probably just part of the impact at the bottom. Conclusion? Nothing in the magazine exploded.

    "he realized that his shot had struck the ship further forward of where he had first thought (he was aiming for a hit in the Lusitania's forward boiler room)," How would Schwieger know the layout of the ship?

    The "complete story"? Ha! There seems to be very little focus on the sinking itself and of the people. This is more about what could have happened to cause the sinking. Lusitania: An Epic Tragedy, by Diana Preston, describes the human side much more and gives many more possible causes of what might have happened to cause the sinking without supporting any particular point.

    I'm not sure what I was expecting... but I wasted my money and time on this book. And boring? Let's not get started on that. Do not waste anything on this book. Oi!
    11 people found this helpful
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  • Michael Poirier
    1.0 out of 5 stars Poorly written attempt at history
    Reviewed in the United States on December 21, 2004
    The jacket claims this book is "authoritative" and the "complete story". To the contrary, it is far from it. The book is riddled with errors from the passenger list down to spurious claims about lifeboats careening down the deck,smashing into people. The latter was introduced in the Hickey/Smith book. There was no evidence other than a misinterpretation of surviving officer Albert Bestic's account. Had they checked his original testimony, testimony they said they used, he never said anything of the kind. No one on the port side made this claim or that they had to duck out of the way of lifeboats sliding down the deck. Including Isaac Lehmann who said the boat that swung inboard ( whose account they partially use ), but swung back into its original position- not down the deck. The authors also do not site the original source, 'Seven Days to Disaster.' They claim the last piece of music was 'Blue Danube'. Incorrect- many survivors from the dining room said it was 'Tipperary'. They again, misinterpreted the account of survivor Oliver Bernard. Some things seem almost serialized, not straight reporting of history. Like sequences detailing Captain Turner's day to day actions. The cause of the sinking is examined and readers will note it is similar to Colin Simpson's claim. With todays resources, the authors could have actually turned up new and interesting information, but, sadly, there is nothing new in this book and what is in this book is generally wrong.
    10 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

  • Londoner
    4.0 out of 5 stars A good effort but limited in some areas
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 8, 2014
    Verified Purchase
    A rather slim book, with about one third of its 160-odd pages dedicated to a list of passengers and crew on its final sailing and also to a listing of some of the clauses within the contract between its owners, Cunard, and the British government under which the vessel could be utilised during times of war. Although these sections may be relevant or important to some readers, they are probably of limited general interest, other when you reach the final pages prior to the Appendix listings.

    An especially interesting question is raised within its Forward, "Why is it that several films have been made about the sinking of the Titanic, which was accidental, and none about that of the Lusitania (a deliberate act of war)?". It is valid question but one that no other had asked.

    There is a substantially larger, significantly more comprehensive and analytical book published at around the same time and written by Diana Preston, 'Wilful Murder; The Sinking of the Lusitania', which examines the political influences that led to the sinking and also those that pertained in the years after the event and to the entry of the US into WW1. It also examines the factors that may have caused the ship to sink within 15-20 minutes of the torpedo strike and provides several explanations for the high loss of life. However, in retrospect, it misses some highly relevant data that the authors here may well have stumbled upon and allowed them to draw a probable explanation.

    Years after its sinking, the wreck was purchased by an individual who later agreed that the famous wreck finder and diver, Bob Ballard, would investigate the site. These facts are briefly mentioned within this book and in Preston's. It was Ballard who found the evidence to disprove long-maintained British and US claims about how the vessel was covertly employed. Although Ballard had not dived on the vessel until the mid-1990s, about 80 years after its loss, it was during subsequent dives that the evidence finally came to light. Ballard's investigations may well have renewed interest in the vessel and prompted the publication of several Lusitania-related books, this included.

    If you want a mostly less detailed coverage, or require passenger or crew information, then this is clearly the better choice. It is also the only one that also ventures to offer arguments for and against several conjectural explanations for the rapid sinking of the vessel and great loss of life, and includes some well-researched information that other writers had either ignored or failed to question, fully investigate or understand. If their research and their deductions are correct, they had clearly succeeded where others had not.
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  • Amazon Customer
    5.0 out of 5 stars well researched and takes you back to those days when ...
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 3, 2015
    Verified Purchase
    well researched and takes you back to those days when the liners were majestic, but the horror of the sinking will stay in peoples thoughts for ever, it will mine because my grandfather was aboard when she sank, he did not survive.
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  • Welshlil
    4.0 out of 5 stars Good read
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 17, 2017
    Verified Purchase
    Bought for Father who said it was a good read
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  • lyndon wilkes
    5.0 out of 5 stars The Lusitania Story
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 15, 2012
    Verified Purchase
    An excellent well researched chronicle of the RMS Lusitania a must read for any maritime historian I was totally hooked by this book from start to finish it only took me 3 days to finish it
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  • Amazon Customer
    4.0 out of 5 stars Four Stars
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 12, 2015
    Verified Purchase
    A pretty thorough look at the Lusitania, both past and present.
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