Source: Erik Larson. Dead Wake - The Last Crossing of the Lusitania (2015)
The first attempts to lower lifeboats shattered the illusion of security for the crew and passengers, since the list was so severe that the lifeboats on the starboard side had swung out so far that a gap of 5 - 8 feet existed; most that faced that predicament chose to jump the gap. Lifeboats on the port side swung in and were unusable. Some lifeboats being lowered fell into the sea so unevenly that the passengers were jettisoned into the sea. It was obvious to Turner that the Lusitania would sink; he put on his lifejacket but remained on the bridge, as did a few other officers. The list reached 25 degrees starboard, and water started to surge over the bow at 2:25 pm. Schwieger, seeing the unbelievable happen through the periscope, ordered U-20 to dive to 20 meters depth and leave the area. The crew was jubilant, having sunk the pride of the British, the Lusitania.
Only 5 of the 22 conventional lifeboats were successfully lowered into the sea. As the ship was sinking, there was one member of the crew who was in the sea treading water (without a lifejacket after trying to lower a lifeboat), and he saw Turner at the bridge, going down with the ship. Those in the sea swam away from the ship as fast as possible, not wanting to get sucked under, which was something that didn’t actually occur in this case. When the Lusitania sank, it has traveled two miles from where it had been struck by the torpedo; it was also 12 miles from the Old Head at Kinsale. The starboard list actually decreased to 5 degrees, since huge amounts of water had reached the port side. However, as the Lusitania finally went under the water, it did so with a 45 degree list starboard. As U-20 traveled west, Schwieger took one more look from his periscope, seeing some lifeboats, but no Lusitania.
Only 5 of the 22 conventional lifeboats were successfully lowered into the sea. As the ship was sinking, there was one member of the crew who was in the sea treading water (without a lifejacket after trying to lower a lifeboat), and he saw Turner at the bridge, going down with the ship. Those in the sea swam away from the ship as fast as possible, not wanting to get sucked under, which was something that didn’t actually occur in this case. When the Lusitania sank, it has traveled two miles from where it had been struck by the torpedo; it was also 12 miles from the Old Head at Kinsale. The starboard list actually decreased to 5 degrees, since huge amounts of water had reached the port side. However, as the Lusitania finally went under the water, it did so with a 45 degree list starboard. As U-20 traveled west, Schwieger took one more look from his periscope, seeing some lifeboats, but no Lusitania.
After sinking, there was a terrible mass of debris, such as funnels, masts, lifeboats . . . and people. Survivors reported that the water where the Lusitania sank rose in a massive bubble in all directions. Those without lifejackets went under quickly, especially those that wore multiple layers. One of the most frightening sights of those in the lifeboats were seeing hundreds of hands reaching out of the water at the same time, desperate to be saved. Turner was on the bridge, wearing a lifejacket and moving from port to starboard as the ship sank, seen doing so by at least one crew member. That same crew member stated that he had never seen any captain as calm and cool as Turner. Turner’s pocket watch, which would eventually find its way into a Liverpool museum, read 2:36:15 pm.
The US Consulate in Queenstown by the last name of Frost saw about two dozen vessels of various sizes heading out to help rescue people in the water, including the Juno. Once Frost confirmed that the Lusitania was sunk, he cabled US Ambassador to England Robert Page. The Juno could cover the 12 miles to where survivors were in the water in a little less than an hour, where most other vessels would need 3 - 4 hours. But then the Admiralty RECALLED the Juno, since it was policy that no warship to go the site of a U-Boat attack to rescue survivors. The captain of the Juno, before receiving the message, had already turned the Juno back to Queenstown, since he had decided on his own that there was an “urgent necessity” for the Juno to go to the site, which simply wasn’t true, since hundreds were floating in the 55 degree water.
The US Consulate in Queenstown by the last name of Frost saw about two dozen vessels of various sizes heading out to help rescue people in the water, including the Juno. Once Frost confirmed that the Lusitania was sunk, he cabled US Ambassador to England Robert Page. The Juno could cover the 12 miles to where survivors were in the water in a little less than an hour, where most other vessels would need 3 - 4 hours. But then the Admiralty RECALLED the Juno, since it was policy that no warship to go the site of a U-Boat attack to rescue survivors. The captain of the Juno, before receiving the message, had already turned the Juno back to Queenstown, since he had decided on his own that there was an “urgent necessity” for the Juno to go to the site, which simply wasn’t true, since hundreds were floating in the 55 degree water.
The initial reports that Page received indicated that the Lusitania was indeed sunk, but the passengers were fine, so he continued to the dinner party that he and his wife were hosting. By the time the guests arrived, all the talk was about the Lusitania. Page read every report he received to his guests, and with every message it became clear that it was a nightmarish disaster. Colonel House was at the dinner party, and he told fellow guests that the US would be at war with Germany inside of a month.
The first report of the Lusitania Disaster reached President Wilson at 1 pm as he was leaving for his dally round of golf. The report didn't mention casualties, but he canceled his golf game nonetheless. Wilson did take his daily drive in the country in his Pierce Arrow, but other than that, he was in the White House waiting for additional reports. At 7:55 pm, Wilson received the first report of massive loss of life, and he took a walk outside the rain. At 10 pm, Wilson received a cable that estimated that at least 1000 were dead, and that among the dead would be many Americans.
The first report of the Lusitania Disaster reached President Wilson at 1 pm as he was leaving for his dally round of golf. The report didn't mention casualties, but he canceled his golf game nonetheless. Wilson did take his daily drive in the country in his Pierce Arrow, but other than that, he was in the White House waiting for additional reports. At 7:55 pm, Wilson received the first report of massive loss of life, and he took a walk outside the rain. At 10 pm, Wilson received a cable that estimated that at least 1000 were dead, and that among the dead would be many Americans.
A "Boddy" life jacket did not guarantee survival in 55 degree water. Many had their lifejackets on wrong, and as a result they struggled to keep their heads above water. Those that had the lifejackets on properly were floating among corpses that were in strange positions, given that their lifejackets were put on wrong. For those that were floating with their lifejackets on right, hypothermia was the threat. While the water was 10 degrees warmer than the temperature of the water during the Titanic Disaster, 55 degree water would lower the body’s core temperature to dangerous levels very soon.
A drop in the body’s temperature of just 3 or 4 degrees was enough to kill if not addressed. Those in the water found their lower bodies became numb within minutes, despite the warm sun. Assuming there weren’t too many layers, a coat actually provided some insulation which protected the heart. Children, the thin, the old, and women lost heat the fastest, and when the shivering subsided, the danger of hypothermia began. In one or two hours, exhaustion and loss of consciousness occurred, and after that the skin became blue-gray, the body became rigid, and the heart slowed to almost no activity . . . and then death. Finally, the first wave of rescue vessels arrived, and very soon the rescuers found that the retrieval of corpses far outnumbered the living.
A drop in the body’s temperature of just 3 or 4 degrees was enough to kill if not addressed. Those in the water found their lower bodies became numb within minutes, despite the warm sun. Assuming there weren’t too many layers, a coat actually provided some insulation which protected the heart. Children, the thin, the old, and women lost heat the fastest, and when the shivering subsided, the danger of hypothermia began. In one or two hours, exhaustion and loss of consciousness occurred, and after that the skin became blue-gray, the body became rigid, and the heart slowed to almost no activity . . . and then death. Finally, the first wave of rescue vessels arrived, and very soon the rescuers found that the retrieval of corpses far outnumbered the living.
Schwieger was the only one on
U-20 that saw the disaster unfold, and according to his log, he didn’t express any remorse. Five minutes after leaving the scene of the Lusitania, he readied to fire one of his last two torpedoes on a 9000 ton tanker, and he lined up U-20 perfectly at a 90 degree angle only 500 meters away. Schwieger gave the order to fire, but he soon knew something wasn’t right, and since he couldn’t look out of the periscope, he didn’t know why there wasn’t an explosion; he doubted that the tanker even knew it had been targeted.
The tanker was a US vessel, the Narrangasett, and the ship was fully aware of the torpedo attack. The first officer had spotted U-20’s periscope, and a hard turn at maximum speed meant the torpedo missed, but only by 10 meters astern. Despite all the challenges of weather, fuel, etc., this was the most successful mission for U-20 and for Schwieger. U-20 traveled 3006 nautical miles (250 under water), sinking 42,331 tons of shipping.
Addendum:The Nightmare Continues . . .
U-20 that saw the disaster unfold, and according to his log, he didn’t express any remorse. Five minutes after leaving the scene of the Lusitania, he readied to fire one of his last two torpedoes on a 9000 ton tanker, and he lined up U-20 perfectly at a 90 degree angle only 500 meters away. Schwieger gave the order to fire, but he soon knew something wasn’t right, and since he couldn’t look out of the periscope, he didn’t know why there wasn’t an explosion; he doubted that the tanker even knew it had been targeted.
The tanker was a US vessel, the Narrangasett, and the ship was fully aware of the torpedo attack. The first officer had spotted U-20’s periscope, and a hard turn at maximum speed meant the torpedo missed, but only by 10 meters astern. Despite all the challenges of weather, fuel, etc., this was the most successful mission for U-20 and for Schwieger. U-20 traveled 3006 nautical miles (250 under water), sinking 42,331 tons of shipping.
Addendum:The Nightmare Continues . . .