J. Kent Layton

On 7 May 1915, one of the most beloved and legendary liners of the North Atlantic was torpedoed by a German U-boat, taking 1,187 of her passengers and crew to an untimely demise. She had become a victim of the First World War, the most brutal conflict the world had yet seen. Lusitania: An Illustrated Biography is a comprehensive two-part look at her entire story, from her origins in the shipyards of Clydebank to her terrible, tragic end. It reveals her as she has never been seen before through words, historical photographs, and breath-taking computer-rendered imagery. Volume Two: A Greyhound’s Downfall joins Lusitania on the eve of war, just days after the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand. It tells her story through the First World War, to her violent sinking and the repercussions in her wake; it details how her name, once synonymous with technological marvels and magic, became a rallying cry on the battlefields. Prepare to take a journey back in time. Step aboard one of the largest, fastest and most beloved ocean liners of all time – a triumph of the Edwardian era – and relive her complete history in all its splendour.

On 7 May 1915, one of the most beloved and legendary liners of the North Atlantic was torpedoed by a German U-boat, taking 1,191 of her passengers and crew to an untimely demise. She had become a victim of the First World War, the most brutal conflict the world had yet seen. Lusitania: An Illustrated Biography is a comprehensive two-part look at her entire story, from her origins in the shipyards of Clydebank to her terrible, tragic end. It reveals her as she has never been seen before through words, historical photographs, and breath-taking computer animations. Volume One: Life of a Greyhound tells how Lusitania came to be built, shows her construction, discusses her technical marvels and reveals her incredible seven-and-a-half-year career. As you feel her magic stir in these pages, you will see why passengers travelled on her again and again, even after larger and more comfortable liners like White Star’s Olympic and Titanic came on the scene. Prepare to take a journey back in time. Step aboard one of the largest, fastest and most beloved ocean liners of all time – a triumph of the Edwardian era – and relive her complete history in all its splendour.

‘An evocative and exciting collection of rare and unusual images of the vessel known as “the ship beautiful”.’ – Shipping Today and YesterdayRMS Aquitania was in service for decades, and was very much beloved. The third in Cunard Line’s ‘grand trio’ of express liners, running mate of the lost Lusitania and the legendary Mauretania (1907), Aquitania was the last surviving four-funnelled ocean liner. Aquitania was pressed into service during both world wars and was one of the longest serving passenger liners of the twentieth century. She was also one of the most elegant, nicknamed the ‘ship beautiful’. Maritime authors J. Kent Layton and Tad Fitch have collaborated to put together the most evocative and exciting collection of rare and unusual imagery relating to this historic vessel ever shown.

On the night of 14–15 April 1912, Titanic, a brand-new, supposedly unsinkable ship, the largest and most luxurious vessel in the world at the time, collided with an iceberg and sank on her maiden voyage. Of the 2,208 people on board, only 712 were saved. The rest perished in the icy-cold waters of the North Atlantic, and the tragedy has fascinated and perplexed the world ever since. This stunning book tells the story of not just the Titanic, but also of its sister ships, Olympic and Britannic. Maritime experts J. Kent Layton, Tad Fitch, and Bill Wormstedt tell the stories of these legendary liners with a compelling narrative alongside original artwork from up-and-coming artists, bringing to life the design, construction and service of the ships together with the wrecks of the ill-fated Titanic and Britannic. From the cold, starry night when Titanic collided with her iceberg to the tragic wartime loss of Britannic and the impressive reliability of the long-lived Olympic, this cinematic and immersive new study captures all of the glory and drama of the Olympic-class age and allows readers to visualise Titanic and her sisters like never before.

Showcasing photographs and illustrations from a variety of collectors’ archives, The Unseen Mauretania 1907 reveals the Cunard company’s most luxurious ocean liner of the early twentieth century as you have never known her before. When the Mauretania took to the North Atlantic for the first time in November 1907, she was the largest and fastest ship in the world, serving with her sister ship, the Lusitania, for nearly eight years. Although the Lusitania’s life was cut short during the First World War, the Mauretania continued to have an impressive presence at sea, holding the Blue Riband for the fastest transatlantic crossing until 1929. This evocative visual history by maritime expert J. Kent Layton follows her glorious career, which spanned four decades of the twentieth century.

Great disasters always attract conspiracy theories and this is just as true of disasters at sea as it is of those on land or in the air. The sinkings of the Titanic and the Lusitania, two of the great maritime disasters of the twentieth century, have attracted more than their share of these theories. Was the sinking of the Titanic a plot by J. P. Morgan to remove opponents to his plan to create a US Federal Reserve Bank? Was the construction of the ship substandard? Was the ship that hit the iceberg that night even the Titanic at all? Might it not have been her sister Olympic instead? And was the Lusitania deliberately allowed to sail into harm’s way to provoke the US into joining the First World War? Was her name obscured so the U-boat captain did not know what ship he was firing on? And how much ammunition was she carrying aboard? In this book, maritime historian and ocean liner expert J. Kent Layton examines these and more conspiracy theories and helps lay them to rest.

Report into the Loss of the SS Titanic is a complete re-evaluation of the loss of Titanic based on evidence that has come to light since the discovery of the wreck in 1985. This collective undertaking is compiled by eleven of the world’s foremost Titanic researchers – experts who have spent many years examining the wealth of information that has arisen since 1912. Following the basic layout of the 1912 Wreck Commission Report, this modern report provides fascinating insights into the ship itself, the American and British inquiries, the passengers and crew, the fateful journey and ice warnings received, the damage and sinking, rescue of survivors, the circumstances in connection with the SS Californian and SS Mount Temple, and the aftermath and ramifications that followed the disaster. The book seeks to answer controversial questions, such as whether steerage passengers were detained behind gates, and also reveals the names and aliases of all passengers and crew who sailed on Titanic’s maiden voyage. Containing the most extensively referenced chronology of the voyage ever assembled and featuring a wealth of explanatory charts and diagrams, as well as archive photographs, this comprehensive volume is the definitive ‘go-to’ reference book for this ill-fated ship.

On the night of 14/15 April 1912, a brandnew, supposedly unsinkable ship, the largest and most luxurious vessel in the world at the time, collided with an iceberg and sank on her maiden voyage. Of the 2,208 people on board, only 712 were saved. The rest either drowned or froze to death in the icy-cold waters of the North Atlantic. How could this ‘unsinkable’ vessel sink and why did so few of those aboard survive? The authors bring the tragedy to life, telling the story of the ship’s design, construction and maiden voyage. The stories of individuals who sailed on her, many previously known only as names on yellowing passenger and crew lists, are brought to light using rarely-seen accounts of the sinking. The stories of passengers of all classes and crewmembers alike, are explored. They tell the dramatic stories of lives lost and people saved, of the rescue ship Carpathia, and of the aftermath of the sinking. Never again would a large passenger liner sail without lifeboats for all. Despite the tragedy, the sinking of the Titanic indirectly led to untold numbers of lives being saved due to new regulations that came into force after the tragedy. Profusely illustrated, including many rare and unique views of the ship and those who sailed on her, this is as accurate and engrossing a telling of the life of the White Star Line’s Titanic and her sinking as you will read anywhere. Made special by the use of so many rare survivor accounts from the eye witnesses to that night to remember, the narrative places the reader in the middle of the maiden voyage, and brings the tragic sinking to life as never before.

A brief illustrated history of the great Atlantic liners from Lusitania and Titanic to Queen Mary 2. Since the end of the nineteenth century there has been a stunning succession of transatlantic liners, from the White Star Line's Oceanic of 1899 to the Cunard Line's Queen Mary 2 of 2004. These floating palaces often contained luxurious staterooms, ballrooms and lounges for the rich, and noticeably more modest and basic accommodation for poorer travellers. Their designs and powerplants were often cutting-edge as each competed to be the largest, most luxurious and fastest ship on the Atlantic. As the tides of passenger demand rose and fell through the years and the world plunged twice into global conflict, these ships had to adapt to survive. Many of these vessels – including Mauretania, Olympic, the first Queen Mary and France – had long and glorious careers; others – Titanic, Lusitania and Normandie among them – suffered tragic endings. J. Kent Layton describes the heyday of the superliners and explains what life was like for passengers, both rich and poor.

Samuel Halpern has written many books and articles on Titanic and often used the 1912 wreck report as a source of reference. It occurred to him one day how fascinating it would be if a team of dedicated, passionate and expert authors were to issue a modern-day report, with the knowledge we have today - what would such a report look like? In this book we have the answer. Sam has gathered a team of experts of write the ultimate Titanic reference book, with all the benefits of hindsight. Following the basic layout of the report, this team provides fascinating insights into the ship herself, the American and British inquiries, the passengers and crew, the fateful journey and ice warnings received, the damage and sinking, protocol and process of rescue, the circumstances in connection with the SS Californian and SS Mount Temple, and the aftermath and ramifications around the world. These experts offer the last words on the subject, 100 years on.