Question: How many ships were there with the name of Tuscania?

 Answer: Of the Major Shipping Lines, the Anchor Line had two ships in its inventory named Tuscania.

Tuscania I - 1915 to 1918 having Two Smoke Stacks. 

Tuscania II - 1922 to 1961 that had a Single Smoke Stack, Tuscania II was renamed Nea Hellas in 1939, and later renamed again as the New York in 1955.

 

Question: Were there any notable or famous person that were aboard the Tuscania I?

 Answer: Yes, Harry R. Truman, whom was buried alive when Mount St. Helens erupted on May 18, 1980.

 

Richard Outcault Jr. was the son of a famous cartoonist.

 

Dan D. Casement was inducted into the National Cowboy Hall of Fame in 1958 and the American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame in 1986. He was also the son of Brevet Brigadier General John S. Casement.

 

Leonard E. Read, an author and founder of the Foundation for Economic Education.

 

Elmer E. Holmes was a Pennsylvania State Republican legislator.

 

Benjamin Wade was the Grandson of a United States Senator and the son of a Major General.

 

Mathew B. Juan (alias Mathew Rivers) the first Arizonian lost in WWI and perhaps he might be also the first Native American killed in WWI (not substantiated). There may be more individuals which I am unaware of as of yet.

 

Question: I have never heard of the Tuscania, why do you find this event so significant?

 Answer: There are several reason. The Tuscania was the first ship carrying American Troops to Europe to be torpedoed and sunk. It was also the only ship carrying American Troops to Europe to be torpedoed and sunk while under a British convoy. It was the first time since the American Civil War, in which America had felt the impact of mass casualties in a single day. The news of the sinking was plastered over the front page across nation, and several days would pass before the names of the casualties were announced. Nothing prior to this event united the masses for war, it was to WWI what Pearl Harbor was to WWII, at least in uniting the masses for a common cause. Much of WWI history faded as a result of WWII, in recent years historians and researchers have been sparking and interest in some of these lost histories, as a result there have been some new books and television programs produced.

 

Question: Was there any investigation or inquiries as to why there were so many losses from the Tuscania?

 Answer: Yes, both the British and the U.S. Army had there own incident investigations. The U.S. Army took statements from survivors about the incident to both understand what happened, and draw conclusions on how to make corrective action on procedures that went wrong. A new Maritime law was introduced as a result, in which is still enforced today, and that is that all passengers on Ocean Liners be instructed in Lifeboat drills before a ship leaves harbor of its port of origin, that includes specific instructions on how to lower lifeboats as well.