Page 14 - Boca Club News - August '19

Page 14, Boca Club News
The Arts

Book Review: “Dead Wake:

The Last Crossing of the Lusitania”

By Nils A. Shapiro cross paths with the Lusitania off the Irish coast—information presence of U-Boats
There were two reasons why I was he gathered from the daily log kept by the vessel’s Captain in areas which they
immediately attracted to this book Walther Schwieger. were about to enter,
when I came across it on the shelf of Then, in alternating chapters, we follow the two ships, how could Room 40
a local library a couple of weeks ago. day by day as they head toward the inevitable: issue such a warning
The first reason was one word without the Germans
in the book’s sub-title: Lusitania. The Lusitania, called “the Greyhound of the Seas,” had becoming suspicious?
Throughout my entire adult life, that broken all speed records for ocean liners, had already The British became
word had been filed away somewhere made 201 Atlantic crossings, and its Captain, William creative in resolving
in my memory as a vague reference to the name of an ocean Thomas Turner, was the most seasoned of all in the such problems, but
liner that had been sunk by a submarine. But that’s all I knew. Cunard Lines’ employ. On the morning of the Lusitania’s sometimes had to
Never in any high school nor college class did I learn much departure, New York newspapers reported a German “bite the bullet,”
more about that tragic historic event. warning that all ships entering British waters would run and run risks they
Instead, thanks to two major Hollywood motion pictures, the risk of attack. Captain Turner assured his passengers would otherwise have
the Titanic’s collision with an iceberg in 1912 is fixed in most that (1) the Lusitania was more than twice the speed of any preferred to avoid.
Americans’ minds as history’s most horrible sea disaster. submarine and could out-run a U-Boat if necessary, and One such decision
In reality, the sinking of the Lusitania---known to be an (2) upon entering British waters the Royal Navy would be by the Admiralty was
innocent passenger liner---by a German U-Boat submarine sending Destroyers to escort it to port in Liverpool. As a an instruction for all
on the afternoon of Friday, May 7th, 1915, was far more result, the word “submarine” became a subject of humor ships, including private boats, not to assist as escorts or in
consequential: the single most important factor in President for many passengers during the voyage, though not for all. rescues when a sinking occurred, for fear that submarines
Woodrow Wilson’s decision to end America’s position of might still be patrolling those same waters and would
neutrality and enter World War One against Germany. The Unterseeboot-20 (U-20) was one of a growing fleet present a danger to the escorts and rescuers.
Consider the following, as related by author Erik Larson: of submarines that was growing in importance as a There remains one additional---and haunting---suspicion
“Of the Lusitania’s 1,959 passengers and crew, only 764 weapon in Germany’s military arsenal. At first assigned that has lingered for the more than one hundred years
survived; the total of deaths was 1,195. The 3 German to attacking only enemy warships, that policy gradually since the sinking of the Lusitania: Britain had been hoping
stowaways brought the total to 1,198. Of 33 infants aboard, shifted to include all vessels that entered British waters, for almost two years that America would enter the war
only 6 survived. Over 600 passengers were never found. in part because some ships changed their flags to those against Germany. As the author’s research shows, Winston
Among the dead were 123 Americans.” of neutral nations in an effort to avoid German attacks. Churchill and his Admiralty leaders believed that the loss of
Despite what was universally condemned as an U-20’s Captain Walther Schweiger was 32 years of age innocent American lives on a passenger ocean liner would
unwarranted attack against an unarmed civilian passenger at the time this story takes place, and had already made be the final blow to convince the U.S. President. Was that the
ship, it took almost two years after the event for President a name for himself among the most successful in the reason why Captain Turner failed to receive the messages
Wilson to finally make his decision to bring the United States submarine fleet. he needed about the close position of submarine U-20...and
into the war! The entire story of the Lusitania’s ill-fated got no escort through the dangerous waters of the Irish Sea?
voyage across the North Atlantic, from its departure on May But there are other, highly important and influential Meanwhile, President Wilson---who had recently
1st out of New York City’s west side Hudson River dock characters in this story, as well, and what we learn about lost his beloved wife, Ellen---had finally come out of
toward its intended Liverpool, England, destination is related them will be surprising---perhaps even shocking---to most mourning, thanks to his having fallen head over heels in
in an incredibly detailed, day-by-day drama as gripping as readers. love with the charming Edith Galt, and was wooing her with
the most suspenseful mystery novel. The fact that today we A number of chapters reveal the inner working of a poetry, candlelight dinners and garden walks in an almost
know the final outcome doesn’t matter at all, because so much top-secret operation that took place in England known as schoolboy-ish romantic courting until she finally accepted
extraordinary research has gone into the writing of this book “Room 40.” Under the control of the Admiralty (whose top and they wed. With all that was going on in his personal
that you feel as if it is all new! gun was Winston Churchill), this was where the British had life, did that distraction contribute to his taking almost two
And that is the second reason why I was attracted to this broken the Germans’ wireless codes, and were successfully years after the sinking of the Lusitania for his decision to
book when I came across it in the library: the name of the intercepting all two-way messages between the enemy’s have America enter the war?
author, Erik Larson, is a sure-fire guarantee of a book that will military high command and its field forces, including naval Day by day, literally hour by hour---and despite the
be impossible to put down once begun. Each of his previous fleets and submarines. perhaps deliberate lack of warning and aid---Erik Larson
works rocketed to the top of the national bestseller lists. I had It was critical that word of this ability to intercept and recreates a drama that could still have been averted but for
earlier read, and reviewed in this column, two of his books. decode such secret messages remain unknown by Germany. several changes of fate, and decisions made in seconds and
“Devil in the White City,” his revelation about the case of This created a dilemma for the Admiralty. For example, minutes, above and below the Atlantic waters.
the serial killer who took advantage of the celebration of when it became necessary to warn British ships about the
the 1893 World’s Fair in Chicago to lure his victims to their
ends. Another of his ten history bestsellers, “Thunderstruck,”
had me riveted with the story of how the Italian, Guglielmo
Marconi’s, new invention of the wireless was used to solve
a crime on the high seas. Once you get hooked on an Erik
Larson book, you want more.
His presentation in “Dead Wake” is brilliantly paced.
A chapter about the day of the Lusitania’s departure from
New York, describing in remarkable detail the specific
activities of some of the interesting passengers---which
Larson has researched from surviving letters, diaries and
other documents---is followed by a chapter describing
precisely what is happening on that same day inside German
submarine U-20, the ship that will, six days later, fatefully

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