The RMS Ausonia and RMS Lexia

The Ausonia and Lexia 2 - The Facts

In the end, the Ausonia sank in 1 hour and 39 minutes and the Lexia sank in 1 hour and 42 minutes. It turns out, both the Ausonia and Lexia struck two mines that fell off of a battleship. The Ausonia and Lexia were bigger than the Titanic. They both had five smokestacks, the fifth was used just for ventilation. The two ships were going to have 4 smokestacks but because they were so massive and they didn't look right, they added a fifth funnel to both ships. The Ausonia and Lexia were the only five-funneled liners in history. A couple passengers on the Lexia said they saw a plane crashing into the ocean while the two ships were sinking. This plane was called DC-53 that departed North Carolina in the USA with 67 people onboard. An engine malfunctioned causing the plane to crash into the Atlantic Ocean and founder, killing all 67 people onboard. Some people believe that someone planted a bomb in the second smokestack of the Ausonia, causing the explosion in it and making it collapse. Two young female teenagers were leaning against the railing on the deck. When the Ausonia struck the mine, it caused the two teenagers to fall over the railing and off the ship. They could swim, however, they were getting sucked in the still-moving starboard propeller. After many screams, they got killed by the propeller. When the SS Lestic was coming to the rescue, one of its engines stalled, causing the Lestic to be delayed for 8 minutes. The HMS Maritime was in the middle of a transatlantic voyage, but when it got a distress call, the captain turned the Maritime around and headed straight towards the Ausonia and Lexia. The captain of Lexia survived, however, the captain of the Ausonia died in the sinking. The Ausonia and Lexia were almost the same size although the Lexia was slightly bigger. Both ships were equipped with 40 lifeboats, however, 56 were successfully launched in total when 80 could have been launched. Passengers claimed they heard faint shuddering noises deep in the Lexia and Ausonia. Just like Titanic, many people could not decide if the Lexia broke in half or not. When the wreck of the Lexia was first discovered, it was in two pieces, confirming the Lexia did indeed break in half when it sank. Like Titanic, due to physical stresses the Lexia could not support, it broke in two pieces. The wreck of the Ausonia and Lexia were discovered in 1987, 51 years after they sank. The Ausonia is lying in one piece, on her starboard side. The wreck is in excellent condition. The wreck of the Lexia's bow was found upright, in also quite good condition. The wreck of the Lexia's broken off stern was found lying on its port side, half a mile away. Who knows, maybe they could be raised one day...