Cruise ship news, shipping reports at MARITIME MATTERS

Cruise ship news, shipping reports at MARITIME MATTERS: "LUSITANIA Revisited
April 1: Ireland's Supreme Court ruling allows LUSITANIA dive to proceed. Santa Fe venture capitalist Gregg Bemis seeks to conduct a forensic dive to solve remaining mysteries about the sinking of the Cunard ship by a German submarine May 7, 1915. The wreck lies within Ireland's territorial waters, approximately 12 miles off the southwest coast, 300 feet below the surface. Previously a license for the dive had not been granted by Ireland which claims the LUSITANIA is an archaeological site. Bemis will be searching for evidence of the cause of the second explosion heard by survivors, many believe the ship was carrying high explosives and not just the munitions and chemicals listed on its manifest. Others argue an explosion in the ship's steam-generating plant was the cause. Bemis hopes to recover more items from the LUSITANIA for museums to display, although valuable art, rumored to have been on board the ship, belongs to the Irish government. The dive may commence as early as summer 2008 when divers will cut a circular 6-foot hole in the hull to begin the exploration."