THE 94th anniversary of the sinking of the Lusitaniain which more than 1,100 people died, including 94 children, will be marked today in Cobh, Co Cork, with a ceremony, prayers and laying of wreaths.
On May 7th, 1915, the Cunard liner Lusitaniasank after being struck by a torpedo fired by the German submarine U-20 off the old Head of Kinsale.
Among those who died was millionaire Alfred Gwynne Vanderbilt and renowned Irish art collector Sir Hugh Lane.
The liner was en route from New York to Liverpool when a single torpedo struck the vessel.
Most of the 764 saved were landed in Cobh, Co Cork. Only 289 bodies were recovered and 169 of these are buried in the Old Church cemetery in Cobh in three mass graves and 20 plots.
Forty five of those buried were unidentified at the time and their coffins were merely marked with a number. Other victims are buried in the grounds of the Church of St Multose in Kinsale, Co Cork.
The Lusitaniaceremony will commence at the graves in the Old Church cemetery at 3pm today. Following prayers, musical honours by St Colman's Pipe Band and the laying of wreaths the proceedings move to Cobh Town Centre.
A parade led by representatives of the Royal Naval Association and other maritime and historical groups will leave from the Clock Tower Gallery on Lynch's Quay at 3.30pm to the LusitaniaPeace Memorial in Casement Square.