Читать книгу Over Here and Over There - Harry Bobonich - Страница 27

From the beginning of the war in August 1914, the British had enforced a blockade, which extended over the North Sea that prevented food and military supplies from reaching Germany.Then in early February 1915, the Germans effectively set up a submarine blockade around Great Britain: even ships from neutral countries were potential enemies.

On April 30^th 1915, the Lusitania, which was docked at Pier 54 in New York, was being loaded with food, medical supplies, machinery and oil. The huge four-stack British liner was a merchant and passenger vessel, but she was also secretly carrying munitions for the war (unknown to her passengers) and destined for Liverpool, England. It would be her 202^nd crossing of the Atlantic Ocean: its last and fateful voyage.

The German Embassy had placed advertisements in New York newspapers in April prior to the ship’s departure warning travelers sailing in the war zone on ships from Britain or her allies do so at their own risk. Nevertheless, on May 1 at 12:20 p.m. the great luxury liner, which was the fastest ship in service departed with 1,960 people on board; most of the passengers, however, viewed the newspaper advertisement as an idle threat.

The Lusitania’s Captain, William Thomas Turner, was pleased that the five-day voyage across the Atlantic was uneventful. On May 5^th Captain Walter Schwieger, who commanded the German submarine U-20, was rounding the southwest tip of Ireland looking for enemy ships. On May 7th at around 1:30 p.m., the Lusitania had entered the Irish Channel. Unfortunately, that’s when the Lusitania and the U-20 crossed paths, and when Schwieger spotted the huge liner. At 2:10 that afternoon, Schwieger finally maneuvered his submarine close enough to attack: he fired a torpedo, which struck the starboard side of the Lusitania just behind the bridge. There was a large explosion followed by another large second explosion, which was apparently due to a broken high-pressure steam line. The Lusitania quickly tilted to the right side causing lifeboats on the port side to crash against passengers on the deck and impossible to launch: chaos reigned.

Most of the passengers never had a chance, in less than thirty minutes the huge ship sank beneath the ocean. According to author Erik Larson, Captain Turner said, “The whole ship seemed to be plucked from my feet by a giant hand. Hundreds of bodies were being whirled about among the wreckage. Men, women and children were drifting between planks, lifeboats and an indescribable litter.”

The Liner Lusitania Goes Down

After spending several hours in the water wearing his life jacket, Turner was taken aboard a lifeboat and later transferred to the Bluebell. Later, when interviewed by The New York Times, Turner said, “I am satisfied that every precaution was taken, and that nothing was left undone that might have helped to save human lives that day.”

One submarine fired one torpedo, which sank one luxurious ocean liner: that’s all it took. Of the total 1,959 passengers and crew aboard, 1,195 perished including 123 Americans, (other sources report 128 Americans lost) and only 764 survived. The three German stowaways that were hiding aboard brought the total number of deaths to 1,198. Of the 33 infants that were also passengers, only six survived. The bodies of over 600 people aboard were never recovered. (Larson 2015)

The sinking enraged the United States and played an important role in turning public opinion against Germany. The debate over the sinking went on for weeks, as the press stirred war fervor. The last time there was such outrage was the 1898 explosion of the USS Maine. The British also won the hearts and minds of Americans with effective government propaganda over the loss of their huge liner. While the U.S. was not ready to go to war, the sinking won over many Americans that began to think more seriously of supporting the Allies. President Wilson strongly protested the action and sent three notes to Berlin.

Diplomatic discussions between the United States and Germany regarding the sinking went on for almost two years. Agreements were made and then reversed, but the matter was never resolved.

In 2008, a diving expedition discovered that the Lusitania was indeed carrying a hidden cargo of munitions and contraband—which some had denied--destined to England to help them in the their war against Germany.