Source: Erik Larson. Dead Wake - The Last Crossing of the Lusitania (2015)
The Lusitania was set to start its voyage across the Atlantic on 1 May 1915, with 949 British citizens and 189 Americans; the only other nationality that had more than 20 passengers was Russian. Cunard allowed each passenger a maximum of 20 cubic feet for their luggage, which meant a lot of trunks and “extension suitcases” for dresses, tuxedoes, etc.; the largest of the “extension suitcases” could hold 40 mens suits. For the poor passengers, that amount of space pretty much allowed them to bring all of their clothes. That amount of space wasn’t nearly enough for the wealthiest passengers, so they brought as much bling as the could bring.
30 April 1915: U-Boat #20 (U-20), under the command of Captain Walter Schwieger (age 32), started to make its way to the war zone. Schwieger had already proven to be among the most capable U-Boat commanders in the German navy, with his superiors even consulting him on submarine tactics. Schwieger was one of the few U-Boat captains that had already been in the submarine service before the Great War. The top cruising speed for U-Boats was 15 knots on the surface, and if the speed was reduced to 8 knots, a U-Boat had a maximum range of 5200 nautical miles. It was a different story when the U-Boat submerged, since the diesel engines had to be turned off, and two battery-powered engines were used, since diesel engines consumed far too much oxygen. Even at
5 knots when submerged, the range of a U-Boat was only 80 nautical miles; there were even times when submerged U-Boats couldn’t move forward in the face of a strong current. U-Boats only submerged when the weather was terrible, when they were under attack, or when they were trying to get away from destroyers.
30 April 1915: U-Boat #20 (U-20), under the command of Captain Walter Schwieger (age 32), started to make its way to the war zone. Schwieger had already proven to be among the most capable U-Boat commanders in the German navy, with his superiors even consulting him on submarine tactics. Schwieger was one of the few U-Boat captains that had already been in the submarine service before the Great War. The top cruising speed for U-Boats was 15 knots on the surface, and if the speed was reduced to 8 knots, a U-Boat had a maximum range of 5200 nautical miles. It was a different story when the U-Boat submerged, since the diesel engines had to be turned off, and two battery-powered engines were used, since diesel engines consumed far too much oxygen. Even at
5 knots when submerged, the range of a U-Boat was only 80 nautical miles; there were even times when submerged U-Boats couldn’t move forward in the face of a strong current. U-Boats only submerged when the weather was terrible, when they were under attack, or when they were trying to get away from destroyers.
U-Boats, at least in the beginning of the Great War, traveled alone, and were out of radio contact soon enough after leaving the safety of their port, which meant that the captain of a U-Boat could proceed in any manner he chose. Germany only had around 25 active U-Boats in the seas that could travel great distances by 1 May 1915, but only 7 were active at the same time, since there was a lot of maintenance to do once back in port to get a U-Boat sea-ready again.
Schwieger’s orders were to attack transports between Liverpool and Ireland, and to get to that area fast by going around Scotland. Schwieger was also ordered to hold his position in his patrol in the war zone as long as possible before returning to port. U-20 was 210 feet long, 20 feet wide, and 27 feet tall. However, the space occupied by the crew was only a cylinder centered in the middle, a space which included the engines, storage, bunks, etc. Under Schwieger’s command, U-20 developed a reputation for ruthlessness, sinking three merchant ships off the coast of france without warning on 30 January 1915. On 1 February 1915, U-20 fired a torpedo at a hospital ship; it missed, but it represented a new low in U-Boat warfare.
Schwieger’s orders were to attack transports between Liverpool and Ireland, and to get to that area fast by going around Scotland. Schwieger was also ordered to hold his position in his patrol in the war zone as long as possible before returning to port. U-20 was 210 feet long, 20 feet wide, and 27 feet tall. However, the space occupied by the crew was only a cylinder centered in the middle, a space which included the engines, storage, bunks, etc. Under Schwieger’s command, U-20 developed a reputation for ruthlessness, sinking three merchant ships off the coast of france without warning on 30 January 1915. On 1 February 1915, U-20 fired a torpedo at a hospital ship; it missed, but it represented a new low in U-Boat warfare.
Schwieger created a pleasant and positive atmosphere on U-20 for the crew, being fair-but-firm, with his default setting being kind. Schwieger made sure there was at least one dog on board, sometimes as many as six dachshunds. Schwieger preferred to save his few torpedoes for the best-and-biggest targets, which meant to sind smaller ships, U-20 had to use its deck cannon. While Schwieger’s skill at managing men was tops, conditions on a U-Boat were harsh, with the most unpleasant aspect being the air in the submarine. No crew member could bath, anything cooked lingered, the single lavatory reeked, and diesel fuel was a constant presence. When deep underwater, it was like a tropical swamp in a U-Boat, with unpleasant smells with dense humidity.
In colder waters, condensation developed, since the inner core was relatively warm, soaking clothing and creating colonies of mold. Temperatures could reach 100 degrees Fahrenheit, but the worst fear of the crew was slowly suffocating to death while submerged. A close second was dealing with a destroyer, which could reach speeds up to 40 knots There were no depth charges yet, but destroyers could hit a submarine from a mile away with artillery, or could simply run down and ram the U-Boat. In addition to the serious threat posed by destroyers, by 1915, the British were hanging nets between buoys in the war zone, featuring explosives.
In colder waters, condensation developed, since the inner core was relatively warm, soaking clothing and creating colonies of mold. Temperatures could reach 100 degrees Fahrenheit, but the worst fear of the crew was slowly suffocating to death while submerged. A close second was dealing with a destroyer, which could reach speeds up to 40 knots There were no depth charges yet, but destroyers could hit a submarine from a mile away with artillery, or could simply run down and ram the U-Boat. In addition to the serious threat posed by destroyers, by 1915, the British were hanging nets between buoys in the war zone, featuring explosives.
The Lusitania carried 48 lifeboats, of which 22 were traditional lifeboats of various sizes. The largest lifeboat had space for 69, and the smallest 51. When lowered by two ropes, it was the equivalent of being lowered from a six story building into the water. The remaining 26 were collapsibles, which looked like flattened version of the traditional lifeboats. The collapsibles had canvas sides that needed to be extended up and locked into place. After the Titanic Disaster, there now had to be space in the lifeboats for all passengers, but there wasn’t enough space, even on the Lusitania, for all the lifeboats to be normal size.
The collapsibles were stored underneath the traditional lifeboats, and could be lowered from the same davits afterwards. The designers never took into account that the collapsibles might actually enter the water before being prepared to do so. If all 48 lifeboats were full, 2605 was the maximum number, which was more passengers than the Lusitania could carry. Adding to the challenges for Turner was that it was now very hard finding quality workers for the crew, since the Great War took the top hands. Lifeboat drills exposed the lack of wherewithal among the existing crew members, with regular seafaring passengers recognizing the low quality of workers, even on the Lusitania. Turner knew his current crew needed all the practice they could get, and he also knew that they would never reach he level of performance that he expected in his crew.
The collapsibles were stored underneath the traditional lifeboats, and could be lowered from the same davits afterwards. The designers never took into account that the collapsibles might actually enter the water before being prepared to do so. If all 48 lifeboats were full, 2605 was the maximum number, which was more passengers than the Lusitania could carry. Adding to the challenges for Turner was that it was now very hard finding quality workers for the crew, since the Great War took the top hands. Lifeboat drills exposed the lack of wherewithal among the existing crew members, with regular seafaring passengers recognizing the low quality of workers, even on the Lusitania. Turner knew his current crew needed all the practice they could get, and he also knew that they would never reach he level of performance that he expected in his crew.
Within the Admiralty in London, there was the “Old Building” (OB), and a top secret operated, centered around Room 40 (R40). It was the Admiralty’s codebreaking center, which received telegrams (kind of like a forwarded email) of intercepted German cables. Germany had to rely on wireless since Britain had cut Germany’’s underwater cables in 1912. By October 1914, R40 had three German codebooks in its possession. The most prized among the three came courtesy of the Russians, who simply gave Britain a captured codebook. R40 now had the cipher in order to decode German wireless messages.
Winston Churchill, the 1st Lord of the Admiralty, ordered that R40 be kept secret. Britain needed any advantage possible since the war was expanding, and it appeared that Germany was ascendant, in part due to its U-Boat fleet. On 19 January 1915, Germany launched two zeppelins across the English Channel, which dropped bombs over Britain, causing mostly psychological terror. On 31 January 1915, Germany sent nine zeppelins to Britain, with Liverpool being one of the targets.
Addendum: More on the Lusitania and R40 . . .
Winston Churchill, the 1st Lord of the Admiralty, ordered that R40 be kept secret. Britain needed any advantage possible since the war was expanding, and it appeared that Germany was ascendant, in part due to its U-Boat fleet. On 19 January 1915, Germany launched two zeppelins across the English Channel, which dropped bombs over Britain, causing mostly psychological terror. On 31 January 1915, Germany sent nine zeppelins to Britain, with Liverpool being one of the targets.
Addendum: More on the Lusitania and R40 . . .