RMS Lusitania May 1915 redux, but SS Manhattan Sept 1939

History Learner · Aug 11, 2025

GrauGeist said:
Ok, allow me to refine that question so as to fall into the original post's posit:
How many ships sunk, were American luxury liners or luxury liners that had a predominately American passenger list?

None, as far as I am aware but I have not checked the ship type on all the vessels listed in the registry I posted earlier to confirm this. Seemed redundant given they were civilian ships regardless.

GrauGeist · Aug 12, 2025

History Learner said:
None, as far as I am aware but I have not checked the ship type on all the vessels listed in the registry I posted earlier to confirm this. Seemed redundant given they were civilian ships regardless.

Merchant ships (freighters, tankers, colliers, etc.) don't capture the public's sympathetic outrage nearly as much as a luxury liner packed full of civilians on holiday getting torpedoed and/or shelled by an evil empire.

SaparotRob · Aug 12, 2025

GrauGeist said:
Merchant ships (freighters, tankers, colliers, etc.) don't capture the public's sympathetic outrage nearly as much as a luxury liner packed full of civilians on holiday getting torpedoed and/or shelled by an evil empire.

MV Sun Oil Hauler no. 6 doesen't have quite the same cachet as RMS Lusitania.

Shortround6 · Aug 12, 2025

only one ship had more than 30 people killed in one attack and sorting out US ships and crew (not all crewmen were US citizens) so the newspaper headlines may have been smaller and in fewer papers than hundreds killed in one sinking.
Not sure how many US papers were reporting on British ship losses in 1939-30-41 and number of British/allied merchant seamen lost. East coast newspapers might have done more reporting than mid-west newspapers.

RMS Lusitania May 1915 redux, but SS Manhattan Sept 1939

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