The Shocking True Story of a Tragedy at Sea

Ideal for conspiracy theorists
The sinking of the Lusitania is veiled in conspiracy theory-ready mystery. The British Admiralty, which had broken German codes and was monitoring them continually, picked up chatter that Lusitania was a target. British intelligence also knew a German U-20 submarine was in the area. Despite these forewarnings, nothing was done to prevent the tragedy. In fact, the Lusitania was ordered to travel with one of her coal-burning boilers shut down, despite the fact that passengers were assured that the ship’s great speed would keep it safe from a German attack. Larson notes that many passengers were sent mysterious private warnings not to embark on the voyage, and Winston Churchill himself, then First Lord of the Admiralty, went on a trip to France right before the disaster.
The story of two boats
While the most visible recent account of the Titanic focuses on class distinctions dividing the passengers, Larson hits on an aspect of the Lusitania disaster that is rarely noted: the difference between life on the luxury liner and that on the U-Boat that sunk her. Larson notes that even third class passengers on the Lusitania enjoyed plenty of food, fresh air, and comfortable quarters. In contrast, the men aboard the U-20 lived lives of squalor and discomfort in hot, oily, and tight space under the waves. The author paints vivid portraits of experienced, confident Captain Turner on the Lusitania, and cooly amoral Captain Schwieger of U-20, who complied when ordered to engage in “total war” on all vessels, including civilian ones.
Strikingly modern
1915 was one hundred years ago, but the world that saw the Lusitania sink wasn’t as primitive as modern readers might imagine. The U-boat that sunk the Lusitania ran on powerful batteries, and most of the communications during the period were conducted wirelessly. The Lusitania itself was a modern marvel of engineering, capable of traveling at 26 knots when under full power. The Queen Mary II is the fastest passenger liner in operation today, and it can manage 30 knots under certain conditions.
Interesting passengers
The Lusitania was a floating soap opera filled with fascinating people leading fascinating lives. Passengers included the first female architect in America, Theodate Pope, who fought her whole life against sexism and the assumption that women should not pursue intellectual fulfillment; bookseller Charles Lauriet, who had packed priceless books and drawings; and Dwight Harris, carrying both a custom-made life jacket and an engagement ring—surviving to deliver the latter because of the former. Larson’s cast of characters includes President Woodrow Wilson, a recent widower who found new love and a reason to live just before the Lusitania pulled him and the country he led into war.
The second explosion
Unlike the Titanic, which sank over a period of hours, the Lusitania sank within twenty minutes from a single torpedo fired by U-20. Ironically, because of what had happened to the Titanic, the Lusitania had plenty of lifeboats, but lacked the time to deploy them. The submarine crew and the survivors both report a mysterious second explosion that suddenly accelerated the sinking, dooming most of the passengers and crew. The most likely explanation is that the torpedo hit ammunition the ship was bringing to Britain from America—which would have made the ship a legitimate target. Whatever the truth, the sinking of the Lusitania was a sudden, explosive tragedy that shook the world and brought America into war.
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