Dead Wake: The Last Crossing Of The Lusitania

After its rendezvous with the British warships, the Lusitania heads towards Liverpool, achieving its top speed of 21 knots. Turner chooses a course that avoids icebergs by following a southerly route. Turner is calm despite reports from Britain’s Admiralty that U-boat activity has increased. These reports include orders that reduce the risk of U-boat attacks, such as only using wireless communication when “absolutely necessary” (145). The Admiralty also advises the Lusitania to steer towards any U-boats it sees because the Lusitania’s size would immediately destroy a fragile submarine. Finally, the Admiralty forbids merchant ships, such as the Lusitania, from rescuing any other ships attacked by submarines because such rescue missions would leave them vulnerable to attacks. 

Room 40 intercepts numerous communications about increased U-boat activity in British seas. Unfortunately, the Admiralty is focused on protecting its new powerful warship, the HMS Orion, rather than the Lusitania.

In the past month, the Admiralty declared that the previously closed “North Channel” route was safe for merchant and military ships to travel along. This route allows ships to approach Liverpool by going around the northern coast of Ireland. Information about the new route, however, is not communicated to the Cunard Steamship Company or Captain Turner.

In Queenstown, Ireland, an American consul, Wesley Frost, reads about the German Embassy’s warning to British merchant ships. Frost believes that the warning is an empty threat, and he does not think that the Germans will actually attack a passenger ship. 

After breaching, Schwieger discovers a group of patrol boats and destroyers, and he immediately orders his crew to submerge their ship. Schwieger suspects that the British ships are an “antisubmarine cordon,” which means that they are positioned to discover and eliminate any German submarines that might be traveling in British waters (151). Schwieger does not want to attempt passing the cordon, and his ship remains submerged until 7:00 p.m. When the ship surfaces, he sees that no British ships are nearby, and he is able to continue on his journey. During the night, Schwieger’s patrol man alerts him about a nearby Danish passenger liner. Lanz, Schwieger’s war pilot, uses a book containing images of every country’s ships to help Schwieger identify the passenger liner. Schwieger is willing to attack the passenger liner, which does not pose an immediate threat to Germany, but he is unable to launch any torpedoes at it because the liner is not within range. 

In this short section, Larson describes daily life onboard the Lusitania. Each day, Captain Turner orders lifeboat drills and fire drills to ensure that the crew is ready for any emergencies. A recent German attack on an American oil tanker made the federal government nervous about the safety of the Lusitania. Passengers, however, were unaware of the attack. Life aboard the ship revolves around daily meals and drinking. Larson describes several of the passengers, including Theodate Pope, a prominent female architect and spiritualist, who suffers from depression. Every evening, select passengers are chosen to sit and dine with either the staff captain or Captain Turner, when Turner chooses to socialize. 

As Schwieger’s U-20 continues on its course towards Liverpool, Schwieger spies a possible target. Though the target is flying a Danish flag, Schwieger believes that it is actually a British ship in disguise. Schwieger orders his crew to fire a torpedo at the ship. Though torpedoes are deadly weapons, torpedo attacks fail around 60 percent of the time. Schwieger’s crew fires a torpedo at the target, but the torpedo misfires and does not leave the tube. 

In this two-page section, Larson quotes from several letters written by passengers of the Lusitania. The letters describe warm, sunny weather and games played by the passengers. 

The HMS Orion is ordered to set sail on Tuesday, May 4, leaving its port under the cover of night. Room 40 receives no new communications from Schwieger’s U-20 because the submarine is outside the range of wireless communication. 

Schwieger’s U-20 nears the coast of Ireland after a difficult trek through deep fog and bad weather. The U-20 attempts to attack a steamship, but the steamship gets away before the U-20 can fire a torpedo. 

Winston Churchill makes a secret trip to Paris to discuss Italy’s recent entry into the war and its alliance with Britain and France. While Churchill is away, First Sea Lord Jacky Fisher takes charge of the Admiralty. Churchill and Fisher have a tense relationship due to Churchill’s close control of the Admiralty. Churchill and numerous members of the Admiralty question Fisher’s abilities because Fisher is frequently anxious about the war. He has also started showing signs of mental deterioration due to his old age. Usually, Churchill constantly works and sends memos to the Admiralty, but his trip to Paris offers the Admiralty a respite from his incessant orders.

President Woodrow Wilson continues his courtship of Edith Galt, eventually professing his love for her and asking her to marry him. Edith refuses, telling Wilson that she does not believe he truly loves her. Instead, she believes that he is using her to distract himself from the pain and loneliness he feels as a result of his wife’s death. Later that evening, Edith sends Wilson a letter that explains her refusal and promises him that they will be close friends. However, Wilson remains distraught after reading the letter, and the ongoing conflict in Europe only worsens his mood.

Wilson finds that it is becoming increasingly difficult for America to remain neutral in the war. The British have begun intercepting neutral American ships heading to Germany, which angers numerous American businessmen. Wilson also sees Germany’s attack on an American oil tanker as a flagrant escalation of conflict. After the United States ambassador in Berlin receives a message from the Germans that American ships traveling in war zones are at risk of attack, Wilson prepares a statement to denounce Germany’s attack on the American oil tanker.

Passengers on the Lusitania receive updates on the war through the Cunard Daily Bulletin, a newspaper published by the Cunard Steamship Company. However, the newspaper reports on the war as “if [it] were a game played with tiles and dice, not flesh-and-blood men” (180). The newspaper’s war reports do not describe the severity of trench warfare, which leaves men severely injured. In New York, the Cunard Steamship Company releases the “full cargo manifest” to United States Customs, expanding upon the brief manifest initially provided by Captain Turner. This 24-page manifest details the numerous goods that the Lusitania carries. The cargo includes a large amount of ammunition intended for British soldiers on the western front. 

On Wednesday, May 5, Schwieger’s U-20 travels along Ireland’s southern coast, passing the well-known Fastnet Rock. In the late evening, he spots what he believes to be a large sailing ship. After getting closer, Schwieger learns that the ship is in fact a “small schooner” (185). However, he still decides to proceed with the attack, warning the schooner before shooting and destroying it. Later that night, Schwieger spots a large steamship. Despite the ship’s Norwegian markings, he suspects that the ship is actually a British steamship that is flying false flags. Schwieger launches a torpedo at the ship, but the ship is able to avoid the torpedo and escape. 

In this one-page section, Larson quotes a brief communication sent to the British Admiralty on May 5. The communication reports that a drift ship has found a boat with a crew of five men—the crew of the schooner sunk by Schwieger. 

Room 40 receives reports of the U-20’s attacks on the schooner and the steamship as well as other reports of submarine sightings along Ireland’s southern coast. The reports allow the Admiralty to locate the U-20 “in the heart of one of Britain’s primary sea-lanes,” which is where the Lusitania plans to sail in a few days (189). However, the Admiralty does not warn the Lusitania of the submarine or send any escorts to bring it safely to Liverpool. Several months earlier, Churchill had written memos expressing his hope that the Germans might attack an American ship, forcing the Americans to join the war and ally with Britain. 

Early in the morning on May 6, the Lusitania begins sailing through the Celtic Sea just south of Britain. As a precaution, Captain Turner orders that all of the lifeboats be swung out so that they will be ready for use in the event of an attack. The commotion wakes numerous passengers. Other passengers discover the lifeboats later in the morning. While some ignore the lifeboats, others fear that they are a sign of an impending attack. Throughout the day, the Lusitania’s crew continues its daily maintenance of the ship. One sailor, Morton, is tasked with repainting one of the lifeboats. As he paints, two teenage girls, Anna and Gwendolyn Allan, offer to help him, spilling paint on their clothes in the process. 

Schwieger’s U-20 enters St. George’s Channel, a body of water between Ireland and Wales that leads to the Irish Sea. Though a fog creates poor visibility, Schwieger spots a steamship and orders his crew to pursue it. After a two-hour chase, Schwieger is able to successfully strike the steamship, the Candidate. The steamship’s passengers escape via lifeboats, and Schwieger continues to shoot at the Candidate until it sinks. Afterward, Schwieger spies another ship, but he is unable to position the U-20 to successfully attack it. Later that day, Schwieger spots a large freighter named the Centurion. He torpedoes the Centurion twice, causing the freighter to sink. As Schwieger makes his getaway, he realizes that his U-20 is running out of fuel and that it is still far away from its destination—Liverpool. 

This section focuses on the Lusitania passenger Theodate Pope, the famed, American, female architect. Pope travels with her close friend, Edwin Friend. Both Pope and Friend are deeply involved in spiritualist movements, which investigate whether human life continues in some form after death. Pope is a member of Britain’s Society for Psychical Research, and she frequently attends séances and other occultist rituals. On Thursday, May 6, Pope and Friend sit on the Lusitania’s deck while Friend reads passages from Henri Bergson’s book, Matter and Memory, to Pope. 

Schwieger decides to “abandon his effort to reach Liverpool” because he suspects that continuing to follow the mission will place him in danger (204). The fog has not let up, which increases the chances of the U-20 being attacked or run over in the heavily patrolled Irish Sea. The U-20 is also running out of torpedoes; it only has three left for attacks. The U-20’s diminishing fuel means that its only option for returning to Germany from Liverpool is through the North Channel, where British warships patrol with increasing frequency. Schwieger decides to position the U-20 within the Bristol Channel and attack any merchant ships or warships he finds there before returning to Germany. 

The Lusitania receives two messages that inform Captain Turner of German submarine activity along the southern coast of Ireland and around Fastnet Rock, which the Lusitania will pass the next day. The second message also includes orders for the Lusitania to avoid the submarines, offering seemingly contradictory advice. For instance, the Lusitania is ordered to both speed past harbors and to stop at a port at Mersey Bar to pick up a pilot who will help the ship navigate to Liverpool. On Thursday evening, the Lusitania’s passengers enjoy a celebratory dinner because it is the second-to-last meal of their journey. Turner interrupts the evening’s celebration to tell the passengers about the news of the submarine activity. Turner also tells the passengers that the navy will escort the Lusitania to safety. The Lusitania’s crew is ordered to close all of the ship’s portholes and cover them with curtains. This will prevent light from the ship from being visible and prevent water from pouring in through the potholes during an attack. The crew is unable to access portholes in the passenger’s rooms. Several passengers decide to teach each other how to use the ship’s life jackets in case there is an emergency.

The British Admiralty receives news of the sinking of the Candidate and of more submarine sightings. The German attack on the Gulflight, an American oil tanker, receives increasing attention in the American press. However, heartbreak over Edith Galt consumes President Woodrow Wilson. He writes to Edith and explains that while he accepts her offer of friendship, he remains deeply in love with her and hopes that she will reciprocate his feelings. In her return letters, Edith expresses her fondness for Wilson, but she notes the intense pressure of engaging in a relationship with the president of the United States. Edith is especially concerned about the intense scrutiny she will face if they were to date.

Meanwhile, Germany’s Chancellor Bethmann is increasingly upset by German U-boat attacks on neutral ships, which he believes will force neutral countries to declare war on Germany. Room 40 intercepts a German communication to submarines that announces that the Lusitania will embark on its journey to New York on May 15. 

A dense fog remains in place through Friday morning, hampering the U-20’s ability to spot or attack any ships. Schwieger decides to begin his journey back to Germany.