Description:At 790 feet long, 32,000 tonnes in weight and with 70,000 horse power, the Lusitania was still somewhat smaller than its rival White Star Line’s Olympic, Britannic and Titanic ships. Nevertheless, the Lusitania was still a luxurious ocean liner and considerable rival to these larger vessels. Famously sunk in 1915 by a German U Boat, the Lusitania had operated a transatlantic service from London, Liverpool, Queenstown and Paris with its sister ship, Mauretania during a time of intense competition for speed and luxury.
The layout plan featured above has several prices and room choices marked, the most prominent of these being the staterooms A20 and A22, which are circled in pencil and annotated ‘Duke’. However, although an en suite ‘with bath and toilet’, these were not the most luxurious rooms circled on the plan. The ‘Parlour Suite – with bath and toilet’ was over double the price of the en suite and the top suite on the Promenade Deck.
Throughout the plan only the most expensive rooms on each deck are circled, demonstrating the lavish lifestyle of the Sutherland family.