“Lusitania” Facts

Sir: In the article “Lost on the Lusitania” (Winter 2016), I noted that it said: “...smoke belched from the four giant red and black funnels”. It may interest readers to know that the fourth funnel was, in fact, a fake, put there purely for appearance by the designers/ship owners. Four funnels were considered more aesthetically pleasing than three, and the fourth gave a sense of speed. This concept was used in many of the liners of the time, including Titanic. Whilst not connected to the boilers, the fourth dummy funnel was not wasted though as it was used for ventilation for the turbine engine room and the reciprocating engine room. — MARK NELSON, SYDNEY,

AUSTRALIA.