When it was announced that Britain was at war with Germany in 1914, the declaration was greeted with no great surprise by one group of civilian workers. For several years the men of the British shipyards had already been involved in the preparations for conflict.
Plans for this war had long been drawn up and had influenced the design and construction of liners that had been built since the turn of the century. Germany had signalled her intentions two years earlier in 1912 with a Naval act that called for all German merchant ships to carry guns below decks so that they could switch to a military role when war was declared. The British press accused the Germans of 'warmongering', yet the British Government were in no position to castigate the Kaiser as they had been doing exactly the same thing.
At the turn of the century Lord Inverclyde, then chairman of Cunard Line, approached the British Government with a proposal for two super liners that were to be more advanced, luxurious and elegant than anything afloat at that time. In addition they would be able to be rapidly fitted out to take on the role of armed merchant cruisers in time of war. The two ships were the Mauritania and Lusitania. Cunard received a twenty year loan of £2,600,000 fixed at 2.75% - half the Bank of England's rate at that time.
In anticipation of hostilities the Lusitania was given a secret refit in May 1913 when her No. 1 boiler room was converted into a magazine and the mail room and shelter deck were adapted to take four six-inch guns on either side. A month after war was declared Cunard's ledger shows that the Lusitania entered service as an armed auxiliary cruiser. The Admiralty allowed Cunard to keep the Lusitania on her monthly run between Liverpool and New York, while her sisters the Mauritania and Aquitania were despatched as auxiliary cruisers. Two years into the war, more than twelve million tons of allied shipping were being used as auxiliary cruisers, supply ships and troop ships. The U-boats inflicted severe losses on the liners, especially in their role as auxiliary cruisers, and by 1916 over 338 ocean going ships had been sunk.
It had always been the case that Britain's merchant fleet had been regarded as auxiliary ships for the Royal Navy and it was while performing these duties that many liners became casualties of war, leaving behind a rich and historic legacy. Wrecks that are within reach of today's sport and technical divers include:
Otranto 12,124 ton Auxiliary cruiser
Moldavia 9,500 ton Troopship
Tuscania 14,348 ton Troopship
The TUSCANIA had hardly begun her working life when World War I began. Built by Alex Stephens & Sons, she was intended to work a joint Cunard-Anchor Line service from the Mediterranean to New York with her sister ship the TRANSYLVANIA. Having completed only one Atlantic crossing carrying passengers, the 14,348 ton liner had her regular service suspended before being brought back as a troop carrier in early 1917. Having departed New York with over 2,000 U.S troops, she and another 22 ships formed up into convoy HX20 bound for Liverpool. The Tuscania made an uneventful crossing in good winter weather. On the 5th February 1918 the convoy steamed towards the west coast of Scotland and began to turn into the North Channel. At around 5:30 Captain Wilhelm Meyer, aboard the UB77, spotted the convoy on the horizon. He immediately began to manoeuvre his boat into position for a strike. After shadowing the convoy for around three hours, Meyer started to line up for the attack.
As the convoy passed to the north of Rathlin Island off the Northern Irish coast, Meyer let loose a salvo of three torpedoes. The winter darkness was shattered by a blinding explosion as one of the torpedoes hit the Tuscania amidships. Immediately water flooded into the boiler room and Captain McLean didn't need a damage control report to tell him that his ship was finished. He ordered an S.O.S to be transmitted and the launch of the lifeboats. At the time the Tuscania was only seven miles north of Rathlin.
As the boats were being lowered the Tuscania took on a list to starboard and panic began to set in. A number of the lifeboats tilted over throwing their occupants into the frigid Atlantic. Others decided to jump overboard and try to make it to one of the three destroyers (the Grasshopper, Pigeon and Mosquito) that played their searchlights over the stricken ship. Just over an hour after she had been torpedoed, the Tuscania began to sink quickly, bow first, with her stern rising clear of the water. As the destroyers frantically moved around trying to pick up the survivors, the Tuscania slipped below the North Channel. Due to the prompt action of both Captain McLean and the three destroyers 2,064 lives were saved, but 166 had perished through enemy action, even though the slaughter grounds of the Somme were still hundreds of miles away.
Tuscania's sister ship the Transylvania didn't fare any better. On the 4th May 1917 she was carrying troops to Alexandria when she was torpedoed in the Mediterranean, south of the Gulf of Genoa. Again an expedient rescue effort by the Japanese destroyer MATSU (Japan and Britain were allies during WWI) kept the death toll down, however 12 men including the master were lost.
In April 1918 the German Admiralty ordered comprehensive U-Boat operations in both the English and North Channel. For the U-Boat men of the Flanders Flotilla, the journey to their hunting grounds in the English Channel meant running the Dover Barrage; a series of nets, acoustic mines, huge searchlights and fast patrol craft, all of which had proved deadly to dozens of U-Boats. One commander though, Ober-Leutnant Johann Lohs of the UB-57, had run the barrage many times before and had become adept at skilfully dodging and out-manoeuvering the obstacles.
One of the regular troopships using south coast ports was the Peninsular & Oriental (P&O) Steam Navigation liner MOLDAVIA. Built in 1903 on the Clyde by Caird and Co. the Moldavia and her sister the MONGOLIA were to relieve the burgeoning London-Sydney route. Having become firm favourites with ocean going passengers, the Moldavia was requisitioned and armed with eight 4.7" guns for her initial role was as an auxiliary cruiser.
Despite reservations the Admiralty persisted in their use of the liners as armed merchant cruisers and the Moldavia's guns were replaced by larger 6" guns and she was sent to patrol the North Atlantic. Acting as a blockade ship, she was one of a number of ships that forced the German super-liners 'VATERLAND', 'KAISER WILHELM II' and 'KRONPRINZ WILHELM' to stay in the (then) neutral harbour of New York.
During the Gallipoli campaign a number of the big Atlantic liners were given an ideal task, the transport of large numbers of people and goods over long distances. The TITANIC's sister OLYMPIC, the MAURITANIA and AQUITANIA moved thousands of British, Canadian and Australian troops into the Aegean. The Admiralty had learned their lesson and most of the auxiliary cruisers were switched to troopship duties.
In May 1918 the Moldavia began her run up the English Channel loaded with 907 American troops. Earlier that month and in roughly the same spot, the Olympic had a close call when carrying over 5,000 American troops. The U.103 was preparing to attack her when it was spotted by the Olympic's skipper, Captain Albert Haddock. Rather than try and evade the U-Boat, Capt. Haddock steered the Olympic straight at it making 22 knots. The U-boat had no chance to dive as the Olympic slid past and was sucked into the stern to be sliced clean in two by the huge propeller.
The UB-57 though, had once more made it through the Dover Barrage and was waiting in the dark stillness of dawn. Before long the crew heard the distant drone of ship's engines and Ober-leutnant Lohs moved off to investigate. In the dim light he spotted the convoy. Continuing to run on the surface he manoeuvred into a position astern of the convoy and then, at the last possible moment, he dived. The cross hairs of his periscope were fixed on the Moldavia and he fired his torpedoes. The Moldavia was hit amidships and although it initially seemed that she hadn't been badly damaged, she slowly began to settle in the water. The escort ships busied themselves laying depth charge patterns as the convoy continued, afraid of further torpedo attacks. Having satisfied themselves that the U-Boat was put down for the time being, the escorts moved into the Moldavia and began to take the troops off the sinking ship. However 56 men had been sleeping directly behind the spot where the explosion had occurred and they stood no chance.
The escorts chased after the convoy the Moldavia began to sink amid clouds of steam rising from her still lit boilers. Like the Tuscania, the Orient Steam Navigation Company ship 'OTRANTO' only managed a short working career before being called up.
Launched in 1909 at the Belfast shipyard of Workman Clark & Co, for the Australia run, both the Otranto and her sister the ORVIETO were very comfortably fitted out. After being requisitioned, the Otranto was fitted with eight 4.7" guns and despatched to the South Atlantic to patrol as an auxiliary cruiser. Her first encounter with the enemy was at Coronel in the South Pacific where the German ships under the command of Admiral Von Spree inflicted heavy losses on the British. The Otranto was ordered to flee the battle. In 1918 the Otranto was switched to troop ship service. A little over six weeks before the Armistice and end of the war she was part of convoy HX50, bound for Glasgow and Liverpool, bringing over 20,000 U.S servicemen. The convoy had made good progress across the Atlantic although a bout of Spanish flu amongst the troops had killed several men.
On 5 October the American escort handed over to British ships off the west coast of Ireland and the convoy began the final leg of its journey through the North Channel. The weather took a turn for the worse as a fierce force 11 storm forced the convoy to disperse over a wide area. Due to this appalling weather the convoy had to rely on dead reckoning for navigation. On the morning of 6th October, amidst mountainous seas, the watch aboard Otranto spotted land. It was reported to Captain Ernest W.G Davidson RN, that the land must be Northern Ireland's Inishtrahull. The Otranto's rudder was put over hard to port. At the same time the master of the P&O liner KASHMIR, correctly identified the land as being Islay and turned his wheel hard to starboard.
Although both liners could see each other climbing and falling through the atrocious seas, a combination of foul weather and problems with the Kashmir's steering saw the two liners to close on each other until, at 08:45, the Kashmir reared over the crest of a wave and came crashing down into the Otranto's port side.
The Kashmir's bow stuck into the Otranto amidships until another immense wave broke the two ships apart. Captain Davidson ordered an immediate damage control report and commanded that the liner should head for Islay as an 'SOS' was transmitted by the radio officer. An hour after the initial collision the water level reached the Otranto's engine room and the engines stopped. She was now totally at the mercy of the weather. Captain Davidson ordered the anchors dropped to hold the ship from drifting any further towards the huge black cliffs of Islay.
One of the destroyer escorts - HMS MOUNSEY picked up the S.O.S and began to steam towards the perilous coastline. Her commander, Lieutenant F.W.Craven brought his little ship in close to the side of the liner. He knew that the only way to save those aboard the Otranto was to transfer them to his ship. In a series of daring rescues, Lt Craven brought his ship alongside the Otranto and allowed the American troops to jump aboard. After four rescue bids HMS Mounsey had nearly 600 men aboard and was in danger of being swamped. Considering his options Lt Craven steamed for Belfast, a journey that would take nearly ten hours and would see soldiers lashing themselves to anything offering the faintest hope of security. Those still aboard the Otranto began to feel the ship break apart beneath them. Of the 400 men left behind, only 16 would survive the swim to shore as the Otranto finally succumbed to the sea. The Kashmir survived, made it to the Scottish mainland and disembarked all her troops. At the subsequent inquiry into the disaster, both masters were found equally to blame for what had been the worst convoy disaster of the war. The soldiers who survived were doubly lucky since within a month the war was over.

THE SHORT CAREER OF THE BRITANNIC
The Britannic slid off the slipway at Harland & Wolff shipyard on a frigid February morning in 1914. She had benefited from many major changes that had been made to the design of the ship in the light of a Board of Trade Inquiry held into the tragic sinking of her sister.
Though only two years had passed since the Titanic disaster, the world that the Britannic entered into was very different from the age that had seen the launch of her two smaller sisters. Europe was on the eve of war and the Britannic would never have the opportunity to carry fee paying passengers. Her namesake, the White Star Liner Britannic (1874 - 1903), had established a reputation for regularity and speed on the North Atlantic run. However, just as her predecessor had ferried troops from the Boer War at the end of the 1890's, the Britannic was requisitioned and re-fitted as a hospital ship.
The Britannic was one of three enormous liners that were sent to Turkey to aid in the Gallipolli campaign. The Mauritania and Aquitania were also on duty evacuating wounded Australian, British and New Zealand troops from the relentless bombardment of the Austro-Hungarian fortifications.
On 21 November 1916 the Britannic struck a mine that had been laid only hours earlier by the U-73. Despite the modifications made by Harland and Wolff, including a double skin and improved watertight compartments, the liner began her plunge to the seabed after only fifty-five minutes. The casualties from the sinking were remarkably light, yet twenty one people died when their lifeboat was struck by one of the Britannic's still rotating propellers.

Richard Stevenson rates the Tuscania as one of the best wreck dives in the UK:
'Diving the Tuscania is a fascinating experience. Any diver who has dived a deep wreck in the UK will agree that it is surely one of the most challenging avenues of advanced diving. The team planning and commitment required to dive a deep wreck is similar to a small military operation, except you don't get shot at!
The rewards are worthwhile. The Tuscania lies in 102m of water off the coast of Islay. I would rate these two dives as some of my most memorable, simply due to the position of the wreck and the visibility we encountered. Descending the shotline, the lights didn't go out as they usually do, but instead changed to a dark green. As the wreck loomed up, I checked depth and was pleasantly surprised to find I was at 80m, and could still read my gauges without the aid of light!! The team landed just before the bows on a flat upright decking. This was too good to be true. The conditions were excellent, so after checking strobe positions we all went our separate ways. It was possible to swim alongside the side of the wreck and look down towards the seabed. A quick trip down to the bows confirmed the maximum depth of 102m, but there was no point in being there, so an ascent had me back on the decking again where most of the superstructure is in relatively good condition. The dives were done in the pre scooter days, and if I could have had access to my scooter that day, I would have lapped the whole 15,000 ton wreck in one dive.
Open circuit diving limited the bottom times to a very swift 25 minutes, so before we knew it, the team was greeting each other back at the shot line. Decompression passed slowly as it always does, but the sense of satisfaction and achievement is unlike anything I have ever experienced. Well worth it!!' Thanks to Norman Woods for help with some of the information.

Joe Walker spent a week on Islay exploring the Otranto's final resting place.
'Having used the shore transits to place you over the wreck, approximately half a mile offshore, it's relatively easy to locate the remains of the Otranto. The wreckage covers an area something like a hundred square metres so you'd have to be pretty unlucky to miss it! The stern lies in the southwest area of the debris field and the bow is nearer the northern end of the bay.
Following the wreck at depths of between 9 and 16m you can begin to build up a picture of the way she is lying, the boilers are lined up in two rows and provide a useful direction reference. The boilers and deck guns are generally in shallower water whereas the deeper water reveals more of the hull, plating and girders.
We spent a week diving the wreck in June and what was very noticeable was the lack of marine life on the wreckage. There was plenty of marine life in the kelp forests nearer the shore, but the wreck site itself was very barren. Visibility was a good 10m all week and we were able to cover just about all areas of the wreck extensively. The fore'd section of the wreckage reveals the most interesting artefacts as numerous shell cases can still be found despite years of amateur salvage. N.B. Be sure to check on the wreck ownership and permission to dive, also ask the farmer's permission to cross his field and launch at Kilchiaran Bay'

Paul Owens can list the Lusitania amongst his dives, yet the Moldavia is one of his favourite wrecks.
'The Moldavia is always an exciting dive, although in the early days, because of it's distance from shore (approximately 25 miles) it was regarded as a difficult wreck to dive and an advanced dive. Over the years, with the advent of faster and bigger dive boats and the increase in technical diving, it has become more readily accessible and is dived by more and more people. The wreck has changed over the years, deteriorating in the time that I have been diving it and has collapsed in different areas. Most of the occasions that I have dived the Moldavia have been with Tim Bennetto on Spartacus and the journey out has varied from flat calm (we could be water skiing) to the big ride on a roller coaster. Tim can shot the wreck with great accuracy, placing you wherever you wish to dive. I would recommend the stern, which stands high to approximately 35 metres, as the first dive. To get a feel of the wreck and how it is lying, go forward to the deeper depth where the wreck has collapsed. One of the ideal features of this wreck is that lying on her port side at approximately 46 - 48 metres, she stands high at approximately 30 metres. A useful point to gather one's thoughts, check your buddy and reflect on the size of the wreck. At this high point you can hardly avoid seeing rows of portholes and the hammer, chisel and crowbar marks made by various divers trying to ease them off. Personally it is not the way I would want to spend my dive. The metal is too solid, the portholes on too firmly and there is a lot of easier prey on other wrecks. Look, give the intact glass a rub and carry on with your dive.
This wreck, with its distance from shore, is normally one of the better visibility wrecks. Quite often the visibility can be exceptional, however on occasion, after gales, it is possible to get bad visibility. As with any other wreck, it needs to be treated with caution, particularly as it is lying on its side. If you haven't taken precautions such as reeling off or using strobes it is easy to become disorientated, and the bang on the head as you start to surface can be your first indication that there is a problem. The ship is in two parts, the stern being the more intact. She was fitted with eight 6 inch guns which at one time were pointing straight up, though some have now fallen into the sand and shingle seabed. A lot of the brass artefacts have disappeared over the years. One, which now resides in my bathroom, is the cover fitted into the deck to allow air and light into the engine room. Suitably cleaned and fitted with mirrors, they make an excellent ornament for the bathroom or bedroom, although my wife says they would look much better in somebody else's bathroom or bedroom.
There is normally a lot of life on the wreck, a great variety of fish, big lobsters and also crabs. One of the more unusual sights on the wreck was seen when Kingston BSAC were diving it. Dave Wilkins saw what he believed to be a porbeagle shark on the wreck and, reasoning that no diver had ever been attacked by a shark in U.K. waters, he decided to stay down there. Other divers on the decompression line completing their six and three metre stops, Bruce Grahmslaw, Alan Dunster and Paul Walls, also saw the shark which came over to inspect them, very carefully sniffing Alan's neck, two inches away. These divers then decided to see just how fast they could get to the surface and back into the boat. If one could imagine three penguins coming out of the water and onto the back of the deck of the boat, that is exactly the picture.
This wreck is normally a decompression dive and Tim, the skipper, will quite rightly always insist that all the divers use SMB or a deco station and drift off together. Otherwise he is faced with the entertaining spectacle of some divers hanging on the line and then miles away other divers drifting off, not what you want for safe U.K. diving'.

By Ron Mahoney.