Dead Wake (54 page)

1
“Small boat containing”: Telegram, Head of Kinsale to Admiralty, May 5, 1915, “Home Waters: General Operation Telegrams,” May 1–5, 1915, Admiralty Papers, ADM 137/112, National Archives UK.

ROOM 40: SCHWIEGER REVEALED

1
gunfire in the fog: Telegram, Naval Center to Admiralty, May 5, 1915, Lusitania Various Papers. Admiralty Papers, ADM 137/1058, National Archives UK. This spooky telegram reads: “Old Head Kinsale reports five forty three sounds of gunfire south, foggy, Brow Head.”

2
The new message: Telegram, Head of Kinsale to Admiralty, May 5, 1915, “Home Waters: General Operation Telegrams,” May 1–5, 1915, Admiralty Papers, ADM 137/112, National Archives UK.

3
The captain of a British ship: Telegram, Naval Center Queenstown
to Admiralty, May 5, 1915, “Home Waters: General Operation Telegrams,” May 1–5, 1915, Admiralty Papers, ADM 137/112, National Archives UK.

4
Now came a fourth message: Telegram, Naval Center Queenstown to Admiralty, May 5, 1915 (9:51
P
.
M
.), “Home Waters: General Operations Telegrams,” May 1–5, 1915, Admiralty Papers, ADM 137/112, National Archives UK.

5
A detailed record: Ledger, Ministry of Defence Papers, DEFE/69/270, National Archives UK.

6
They accompanied the dreadnought: Telegram,
Orion
(via Pembroke) to Admiralty, May 5, 1915, “Home Waters: General Operation Telegrams,” May 1–5, 1915, Admiralty Papers, ADM 137/112, National Archives UK.

7
The
Orion
continued: Ibid.

8
“most important to attract neutral shipping”: Beesly,
Room 40
, 90; Ramsay,
Lusitania
, 202.

LUSITANIA: HELPFUL YOUNG LADIES

1
“wakened by shouts”: Letter, Pope to Ada Brooks Pope, June 28, 1915, Riddle Papers.

2
“we mustered the cooks”: Testimony, John I. Lewis, Petition of the Cunard Steamship Company, April 15, 1918, U.S. National Archives–New York, 587.

3
“The men were not efficient”: Myers account, quoted in Kalafus et al.,
Lest We Forget
.

4
“On Thursday morning”: “Narrative of Mrs. J. MacFarquhar,” Lusitania Papers, Microcopy 580, Roll 197, U.S. National Archives–College Park.

5
“We were not issued with paint brushes”: Morton,
Long Wake
, 101. Mike Poirier contends Morton may in fact have encountered two Crompton girls.

6
A boy named Robert Kay: Robert Kay Account, courtesy of Mike Poirier. Special thanks also to Robert Kay.

7
“It’s alright drilling”:
New York Times
, May 10, 1915.

U-20: SPECTACLE

1
Thursday morning, May 6: Schwieger, War Log.

2
St. George’s Channel: Anyone interested in getting a better sense of where all these places and bodies of water are in relation to one another need only type the names into a Google search box.

LUSITANIA: LIFE AFTER DEATH

1
Theodate too was a member: For more on the Society for Psychical Research and on spiritualism at the end of the nineteenth century and the start of the twentieth, please see my own
Thunderstruck
, 386–87.

2
“If you wish to upset the law”: Ibid., 11, 13, 401.

3
Theodate claimed her own turban levitated: S. Smith,
Theodate Pope Riddle
, Notes, 8.

4
In 1907, the year Theodate turned forty: Katz,
Dearest
, 69.

5
Though only in his twenties: Ibid., 103; S. Smith,
Theodate Pope Riddle
, ch. 8, p. 1.

6
“There were passages that illustrated”: Letter, Pope to Ada Brooks Pope, June 28, 1915, Riddle Papers.

7
“All around us”: Quoted in “The Story of the Sinking of the
Lusitania
,” by Deborah Nicholson Lines Davison. Courtesy of Ms. Davison.

8
As of noon Thursday: Memorandum, “ ‘Lusitania’—American Proceedings,” Admiralty Papers, ADM 1/8451/56, National Archives UK.

U-20: CHANGE OF PLAN

1
On Thursday afternoon: Schwieger, War Log.

LUSITANIA: MESSAGES

1
“Submarines active”: Telegram, Censor, Valencia to Admiralty, May 7, 1915, Lusitania Various Papers, Admiralty Papers, ADM 137/1058, National Archives UK.

2
“Submarines off Fastnet”: Ibid.

3
After dinner, Preston Prichard: Letter, Guy R. Cockburn to Mrs. Prichard, Sept. 6, 1915, Prichard Papers.

4
On past voyages: “Programme in Aid of Seamen’s Charities,” R.M.S.
Lusitania
, Sept. 21, 1912, DX/728, Merseyside; “Programme of Entertainment,” April 21 and 22, 1915, D42/PR3/8/25, Cunard Archive.

5
“I was keenly interested”: Lauriat,
Lusitania’s Last Voyage
, 5.

6
Under certain conditions: Ramsay,
Lusitania
, 164.

7
“that no suggestion would be made”: “Statement of Mr. A. J. Mitchell,” May 14, 1915, Lusitania Papers, Microcopy 580, Roll 197, U.S. National Archives–College Park.

8
“She was only too happy”: Josephine Brandell Account, quoted in Kalafus et al.,
Lest We Forget
.

9
“Hope you have a safe crossing”: Record of Wireless Signals, May 6, 1915, “Lusitania Various Papers,” Admiralty Papers, ADM 137/1058, National Archives UK.

LONDON; WASHINGTON; BERLIN: TENSION

1
“in sight for five minutes:” Telegram, Naval Center Queenstown to Admiralty, May 6, 1915, “Home Waters: General Operation Telegrams,” May 6–10, 1915, Admiralty Papers, ADM 137/113, National Archives UK.

2
“heart failure, accelerated by shock”:
New York Times
, May 6, 1915;
Washington Times
, May 5, 1915.

3
“running amok”:
Washington Times
, May 5, 1915.

4
“There are some things”: Wilson to Galt, May 5, 1915, Wilson Papers.

5
“I can hardly see”: Wilson to Galt, May 6, 1915, Wilson Papers.

6
“There was the fear”: Wilson,
My Memoir
, 66–67.

7
“Oh, so many things swarmed”: Ibid., 67.

8
“all the problems which confronted him”: Ibid.

9
“unwelcome publicity”: Ibid.

10
“This fact is eminently bound not only to alter our good relations”: Link,
Wilson: Struggle
, 398.

11
That evening:
Washington Times
, May 6, 1915.

12
At midnight that Thursday: Intercepted telegram, “Norddeich to all Ships,” Admiralty Papers, ADM 137/3959. Here’s the actual text:

M
AY
6, 1915

NORDDEICH TO ALL SHIPS

NO. 48

S.S. LUSITANIA
LEAVES
L
IVERPOOL FOR
N
EW
Y
ORK ON
M
AY
15
TH
. S.S. TUSCANIA
LEAVES
G
LASGOW ON
M
AY
7
TH FOR
N
EW
Y
ORK VIA
L
IVERPOOL
. S.S. CAMERONIA 11,000
TONS LEAVES ON
M
AY
15
TH FOR
N
EW
Y
ORK
.

U-20: FOG

1
Schwieger and his crew: Schwieger, War Log.

PART III: DEAD WAKE

THE IRISH SEA: ENGINES ABOVE

1
Early Friday morning a number of passengers: “Statement of Mrs. Theodore Naish,” Lusitania Papers, Microcopy 580, Roll 187, U.S. National Archives–College Park; “Statement of Maude R. Thompson,” Lusitania Papers, Microcopy 580, Roll 187, U.S. National Archives–College Park; Ramsay,
Lusitania
, 77.

2
“We had been told”: “Statement of Mrs. Theodore Naish,” Lusitania Papers, Microcopy 580, Roll 187, U.S. National Archives–College Park.

3
“I do not like this”: Ibid.

4
“As the horn was blowing”: Lauriat,
Lusitania’s Last Voyage
, 5, 69–70.

5
“just the loom of the land”: Testimony, Leo Thompson, Petition of the
Cunard Steamship Company, April 15, 1918, U.S. National Archives–New York, 673.

6
“Number and directions”: Telegram, Kilrane to Director Naval Intelligence, London, May 7, 1915, “Home Waters: General Operation Telegrams,” May 6–10, 1915, Admiralty Papers, ADM 137/113, National Archives UK.

7
Booth quit breakfast: Testimony, Alfred Booth, “Investigation,” Lines 262–65, 276–77; “Answers of Petitioner to Interrogatories Propounded by Hunt, Hill & Betts,” Petition of the Cunard Steamship Company, April 15, 1918, U.S. National Archives–New York, 1, 3.

8
“Submarines active”: Telegram, May 7, 1915, 11:25
A
.
M
., cited in “Answers of the Petitioner to the Interrogatories Propounded by May Davies Hopkins,” Petition of the Cunard Steamship Company, April 15, 1918, U.S. National Archives–New York, 8.

9
“It was a beautiful day”: Lauriat,
Lusitania’s Last Voyage
, 70.

10
“just flat as a billiard table”: Francis Burrows, interview,
Lusitania
, BBC Written Archives Centre.

11
“The view was grand”: “Narrative of Mrs. J. MacFarquhar,” Lusitania Papers, Microcopy 580, Roll 197, U.S. National Archives–College Park.

12
“All of a sudden”: Schwieger, War Log.

13
A seven-year-old girl: As you perhaps have guessed, these and other details that follow also come from lists of belongings recovered from the unidentified dead of the
Lusitania
. “Unidentified Remains,” R.M.S. Lusitania: Record of Passengers & Crew, SAS/29/6/18, Merseyside; “Lusitania: Effects of Unidentified Bodies,” in Wesley Frost to William Jennings Bryan, June 4, 1915, decimal file 341.111L97/37, U.S. National Archives–College Park.

14
“I pinned the big diamond brooch”: Letter, Dwight Harris to Mother, May 10, 1915, Harris Papers.

15
“I replied that his word”: “Statement of Mrs. Theodore Naish,” Lusitania Papers, Microcopy 580, Roll 187, U.S. National Archives–College Park.

16
“Submarines 5 miles south”: “Memorandum as to Master’s Actions,” Admiralty Papers, ADM 1/8451/56, National Archives UK.

17
At his periscope: Schwieger, War Log.

18
“After I was through swearing”: Thomas,
Raiders
, 96.

19
“Unusually good visibility”: Schwieger, War Log.

LONDON; WASHINGTON: THE KING’S QUESTION

1
“We spoke of the probability”: Seymour,
Intimate Papers
, 1:432; also in Ramsay,
Lusitania
, 77–78.

2
“Suppose they should sink”: Seymour,
Intimate Papers
, 1:432; Cooper,
Walter Hines Page
, 306; Ramsay,
Lusitania
, 78.

3
severe shortage of artillery shells: Keegan,
First World War
, 199; Churchill,
World Crisis
, 437.

4
“incurring unjustifiable risks”: Churchill,
World Crisis
, 437.

5
“Without actually taking part”: Ibid.

6
“suffering from every form of horrible injury:” Ibid., 438.

7
“In this clear morning air”: Letter, Wilson to Galt, May 7, 1915, Wilson Papers.

THE IRISH SEA: FUNNELS ON THE HORIZON

1
U-20 moved: Schwieger, War Log.

2
“At first I thought”: Thomas,
Raiders
, 97.

3
“Ahead and to starboard”: Schwieger, War Log.

4
At about 1:30
P
.
M
.: Bailey and Ryan,
Lusitania Disaster
, 143.

5
But as he watched: Robert Kay Account, courtesy of Mike Poirier.

6
“I suggested that the passengers”: Kessler, quoted in Kalafus et al.,
Lest We Forget
.

7
Just as Pilot Lanz arrived: Schwieger, War Log.

8
That the ship “was not sent”: Ibid.

9
Charles Lauriat went to lunch: Lauriat,
Lusitania’s Last Voyage
, 73.

10
“A young Englishman at our table”: Letter, Pope to Ada Brooks Pope, June 28, 1915, Riddle Papers.