Unbeknownst to Turner, the U-20 is trailing the Lusitania, and the maneuver places the Lusitania directly in the U-20’s firing line. Turner is unsure about how to proceed towards Liverpool, and he orders his crew to perform a maneuver called four-point bearing to determine the Lusitania’s exact geographic location. Though the Lusitania will soon sail through the same waters, the Admiralty does not send a battleship to protect and escort the Lusitania to safety.Īs the Lusitania enters the final leg of its journey on the morning of Saturday, May 7, Captain Turner receives vague warnings from the British Admiralty about submarine activity in the waters around the Irish coast. The Admiralty tracks the U-20 as it sails around the coast of Ireland, firing and destroying several British ships as it travels towards Liverpool. The British Admiralty tracks the U-20’s journey through its secret Room 40-the name for an operation that intercepts and decodes German naval communications. The U-20 is commanded by Walther Schwieger, a talented submarine captain known for his ruthlessness in pursuing targets. However, the Lusitania’s passengers are unconcerned by the warning because they believe that the ship is impervious to submarine attacks.Īt the same time that the Lusitania sets sail for Liverpool, a German submarine, the U-20, is ordered to patrol the waters between Britain and Ireland. Many readers interpret the advertisement as a warning that specifically targets the American passengers boarding the Lusitania. On May 1, 1915, the day of the Lusitania’s departure, the Germans publish an advertisement in American newspapers announcing that any British ships-even merchant ships-are vulnerable to German attack. The Lusitania’s captain for its final voyage is William Turner, an experienced officer who previously set the Lusitania’s record for fastest round-trip journey between New York and London. Though these attacks have started harming American citizens, President Woodrow Wilson remains unwilling to enter the war and fight Germany because he hopes to remain neutral and avoid conflict.
In the months before the Lusitania’s final departure, German submarines have begun to target neutral merchant ships more often, placing the lives of innocent civilians at risk. Germany’s U-boats (or submarines) prove to be particularly adept at destroying British warships. Germany and Britain quickly become embroiled in a deadly naval warfare. France, Britain, and Russia form the Allies and Germany and Austria-Hungary form the Central Powers. The conflict quickly splits into two sides. One year prior, World War I breaks out in Europe, and Germany aggressively seeks to expand its power by invading and conquering France. Dead Wake follows the Lusitania’s final journey, which took place during the first week of May 1915.
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