ARTS MINISTER HEATHER Humphreys has confirmed that one of the telegraphs from the Lusitania has been recovered from the ocean floor off the coast of Cork.
Diver Eoin McGarry raised the telegraph from the seabed on Saturday morning. He had previously brought up the pedestal for the bridge telegraph in summer 2016.
The wreck of the Lusitania is owned by Greg Bemis.
On 7 May 1915, six days after leaving New York, the vessel was attacked and struck by a torpedo fired by a German submarine U-20.
In just 18 short minutes, the boat sank and 1,198 people lost their lives. While described as ‘murder by savages’ by the British press, a German newspaper said it was “with joyful pride we contemplate this latest deed of our navy”.
Minister Humphreys said: “It is great news that the telegraph was safely on shore and will now be conserved by Mr Bemis, who hopes to place the artefacts recovered from the Lusitania on display locally, which of course would be of great benefit to the people of Kinsale.”
Mr Bemis added: “I would like to congratulate Mr McGarry and his team for their diligence and success in very difficult recovery efforts, made all the more difficult by weather, tides, and lack of visibility at 90+ meters.”
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