FURTHER attempts to solve the mysteries of the torpedoed first World War cruise liner Lusitania will be made this summer in a series of planned dives to the wreck off the south coast.
The 30,400 ton Cunard liner was torpedoed off the Cork coast by a Gerrnan U boat on May 7th, 1915 and sank with the loss of more than 1,200 lives.
Controversy about whether the liner carried 12 naval cannon as an "auxiliary cruiser" and was transporting arms from New York to Liverpool has not been resolved. Germany claimed the attack was justified as the vessel was furthering its enemies aims.
A US businessman, Mr F. Gregg Bemis, who has established legal ownership of the wreck in courts in the US and Britain is determined to establish the truth.
His agent, Mr Des Quigley of Irish Technical Diving, has applied for a licence from the Government to inspect the wreck, which lies 11 miles off the Old Head of Kinsale. A spokesman for the Department of Arts and Culture said Mr Quigley's licence application should be granted, subject to conditions, in the near future.
Mr Quigley said Mr Bemis was planning a $2 million dive this year. "I am trying to establish if there is evidence that the Lusitania was carrying 280,000 lb of mustard gas," said Mr Quigley.
"Gregg is finalising dates and he will be looking for the famous grab marks he alleges the British navy left behind when they removed the cannon after it sank.
"He will also be looking to see if any of the 12 six inch naval cannon are still on board. She sank on her side, so some may still be there If the Lusitania was carrying those guns it would have been a formidable fighting machine as it was capable of 26 knots."
Mr Quigley said Mr Bemis had already had talks with Scottish experts in "saturation" diving techniques which allow divers to work for longer periods at the 315 foot depth of the wreck. About $700,000 of the estimated cost of the venture would be met by the sale of US television rights, he said.