Scott, who writes his Baltic Blog from Tallin, has been researching the sinking of the Estonia, a luxury ship, off the coast of Sweden in 1994. 850 people died; only 137 were saved.

The official outcome of the investigation was that the tragedy was an accident - pure and simple. One man, though, 71 year old American Greg Bemis, is convinced that there has been a cover-up. His assumption is based on research he has done into the sinking of the Lusitania, which was downed by a German U-boat during World War One. It was an act that provoked outrage in the United States, in spite of the fact that the government there had been warned by the German authorities that the ship would be a target. 128 Americans lost their lives.

Baltic Scott doesn’t have much time for Bemis’ arguments, though, and to be honest, why should he, when Bemis is quoted in none other than the Washington Times as saying:

[The sinking of the Lusitania] served a purpose; it helped get the U.S. into World War I, something Churchill wanted. Nevertheless I think it should be exposed as such.

Nice idea, but of course Churchill was Prime Minister during the Second World War. World War One saw Asquith and, latterly, Lloyd George at the helm. Churchill, at the time of the sinking, had been recently demoted and sent to the front following the disastrous Dardanelles Campaign.

1. Politeness at the party
   Much fun. A posh party last night in a posh room in Somerset House, where I've always planned to visit, but so far never been....
   
   
2. Rounding it all up
   And another week gone so soon. I switched to gyming in the evening after the bus-vomit-trousers incident. I didn't want to risk being that full...
   
   
3. Goeten morgen
   Wollen sie essen met mir heute abent kommen. Hmmm... It might be a bit too phonetic to work on screen and I seriously doubt my...