40 heritage for peace and reconciliation | manual for teacherContentsOn the afternoon of 7 May 2015, the Lusitania was torpedoed by a German U-boat11 miles off the southern coast of Ireland, and sank with a loss of 1,198 lives. The lossof 128 US citizens who were on board was one of the many reasons that contributedto the US declaration of war on the German Empire in 1917.Suggested student exerciseCivilians, including families and children, died in the sinking of the Lusitania withouthaving any involvement in the war or its strategies.• Describe the last voyage of the Lusitania, the situation at the time and the warningthat had been received.• Was it right to transport ammunition on the passenger ship and to allow theship to travel despite the explicit warning?• What was the situation of the passengers?• Compare the situation to the two later Baralong incidents.• Compare this situation with situations in war today and our responses to them.tt Teaching tipUnderwater cultural heritage gives us the opportunity to engage the students in anexercise in historical criticism.The description of a shipwreck and the type of life that the close community of itscrew had, may not always be a pure, unaltered reflection of a historical time period,but rather that of a concrete environment and circumstances. Many externalfactors before, during and after the sinking can subject the understanding of theshipwreck and its story to various alterations. Therefore, conclusions about historicalevents based on underwater archaeological sites, or on our interpretations ofthe past based on shipwrecks should, as in any testimony to an event, be treatedwith care. 2For example, it is possible that certain goods were thrown overboard in an attempt toreduce the weight and improve the stability of a ship in view of a catastrophic sinking.These objects might not be found anywhere near the shipwreck. In other cases, such asthe Lusitania, wrecks have also been deliberately altered after their sinking.2 Martin Gibbs, 2006, ‘Cultural Site Formation Progress in Maritime Archaeology: Disaster Response,Salvage and Muckelroy 30 Years On’, The International Journal of Nautical Archaeology.
Contentsassessment points for peace education based on heritage41The actual incident of sinking is often an unusually unnerving experience, in which peoplemay not think rationally. Studies indicate that few sailors are capable of respondingto such disasters in ways that are fast or efficient. Decisions taken at the time are notalways rational and can influence the situation and environment in which the shipwreckwill eventually be discovered. After the accident takes place, natural phenomena such astides and storms can also have a negative impact on shipwreck preservation.RMS Titanic, photographed in June 2004. The wreck of RMSTitanic is located about 370 miles (600 km) south-southeast ofthe coast of Newfoundland, lying at a depth of about 12,500feet (3,800 m). © NOAAIn addition, the testimonies of survivors are often greatly influenced by the traumatizingcharacter of the experience they had to go through. Telling the story of thecatastrophe can takemany forms. Sometimesit merely serves atherapeutic purpose, atother times it can serveas a justification of thedecisions made, or evena cry for attention. Inthis way, the narrativecan even take on mythicalproportions. Mostmyths about the Titanic,for example, seem tolive on in people’s memoriesin a particularlypersistent way.© Frank Leloire, association ANGES, www.plongee-anges.comReflecting on the recreationof the facts of anevent constitutes an interestingclass exercise,showing how our viewof the past can be disturbedby various incidentsand coincidences.Much information canbe acquired through localor national heritageagencies.
Change language