The RMS Lusitania, which was briefly the world’s largest passenger ship, was one of the greatest casualties of the First World War. The ship was fabricated by John Brown and Company in Clydebank with the interiors designed by Scottish Architect James Miller.
On the afternoon of 7 May 1915, a German U-boat torpedoed Lusitania 11 miles off the southern coast of Ireland and inside the declared war zone. A second, unexplained, internal explosion, probably that of munitions she was carrying, sent her to the seabed in 18 minutes, with the deaths of 1,198 passengers and crew.
Seventeen of the casualties can be definitely identified as Scots, including John Thompson, an ordinary seaman from Annan, aged just 15 and serving on the deck crew, while Alfred R Thorn, a waiter, was listed as 50 years old and born in Greenock.
The tragedy of this event is well documented and created significant tensions between the US (who were at the time neutral) and Germany.
Artist’s Response
I started off by looking at the brief history of the RMS Lusitania which was for a short amount of time the largest passenger ship in the world. This ship in the time of the First World War in 1915, on the 7th May was hit by a torpedo by a German U-boat only 11 miles off the southern coast of Ireland which was at the time inside of the declared war zone.
However it was the second unexplained internal explosion which caused her to sink, hitting the sea bed in 18 minutes. When this tragic event took place, within this single attack the death toll was up at 1,198 and it was this number that made me think about how I could create a piece of work to commemorate all those who died that day. I wanted to recreate the RMS Lusitania just before the torpedo hit the ship so that everyone can remember all those who lost their lives in this tragic event.
Euan Mathie
City of Glasgow College
Instagram: @euanzrd17
Ambitious, brave and practical are just a few words that define Euan as an artist. Going to the extremes when creating artworks, having particular interests in digital manipulation, drawing, performance art inspired by Marina Abramovic and mixed media work inspired by Robert Rauschenberg. Euan’s ambition is shown through the work he produces, with great detail and precision. With enthusiasm and determination Euan strives to achieve his Masters Degree at the Glasgow School of Art.
