CAPTAIN TURNER EXPLAINS

Evening Star, Issue 16033, 9 February 1916, Page 4

CAPTAIN TURNER EXPLAINS

Captain Turner, who commanded the-, Lusitania when she was torpedoed last May, and who now commands tho cargo steamer Ultonia, has given to the ' New York Times ’ an answer to criticisms directed against the crew. The gist of his statement is that erorything possible was done to avoid disaster, bnt that the Germans had laid their plans so well that nothing could have prevented their success. Two or even throe submarines, in Captain Turner’s belief, wore concerned in the affair. Captain Tinner is still _ unable to speak regarding the instructions which he received from the Admiralty. Tho captain says: *‘ It has been suggested that I might have slowed down on Thursday, and, thus passed the -Msh coast at night. My instructions from the Cunard Company were to arrive at the Mersey light ship at 4 on Saturday mornmg, so that I could tako the ship over the bar without stopping for a pilot. All Friday (the day of the catastrophe! forenoon the Lusitania was down to 15 knots, and was pat np -to 18 knots about two hours before she was torpedoed. Going by et night would not have obscured my ship from the look-out on the submarine, because in that-northern latitude in May the night only lasts two hours and a-half. It was practically twilight, and that was illuminated by tho moon. No matter what we had done, or -vyhat speed the Lusitania had been going at, the submarines would have got her, as they had planned it all by getting the angles on the course approaching the Irish coast, and were just waiting to blow her up with all on board.”