<Tr> <Td> Crew: </Td> <Td> 850 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Notes: </Td> <Td> First ship of Cunard's four funneled grand trio, along with RMS Mauretania and RMS Aquitania </Td> </Tr> <P> RMS Lusitania was a British ocean liner that a German submarine sank in World War I, causing a major diplomatic uproar . The ship was a holder of the Blue Riband, and briefly the world's largest passenger ship until the completion of her sister ship Mauretania . The Cunard Line launched Lusitania in 1906, at a time of fierce competition for the North Atlantic trade . She made a total of 202 trans - Atlantic crossings . </P> <P> German shipping lines were aggressive competitors in the transatlantic trade, and Cunard responded by trying to outdo them in speed, capacity, and luxury . Both Lusitania and Mauretania were fitted with revolutionary new turbine engines that enabled them to maintain a service speed of 25 knots (46 km / h; 29 mph). They were equipped with lifts, wireless telegraph, and electric light, and provided 50% more passenger space than any other ship; the first class decks were noted for their sumptuous furnishings . </P>

Was the lusitania the sister ship of the titanic