Book Review: Dead Wake: The Last Crossing of the Lusitania

Book Review: Dead Wake: The Last Crossing of the Lusitania by Erik Larson

One hundred years ago this month, May 7, 1915, the Cunard Lines ocean liner Lusitania was sunk by a German submarine, the U-20, killing over a thousand crew and passengers (and three German stowaways whose true identities were never determined.)  123 of the dead were American citizens.

With this centennial, it’s not surprising that there’s a new book out on the subject, by the author of The Devil in the White City, among other non-fiction bestsellers.  This book weaves together the story of the Lusitania and those aboard with that of the U-20 and its crew, and the background of World War One.  The sinking was a confluence of many factors, including the German realization of how best to use their submarines, even though it violated maritime customs of war.

There’s a lot of material available about the Lusitania, some of which is only relatively recently available, such as the role of Room 40, the British Navy’s codebreaking division.  Mr. Larson has done his research, and this may be the most complete book on the disaster.

We learn of the many factors that slowed or sped the fateful encounter.  Wartime conditions that took one of the Lusitania’s boiler rooms offline, the U-20’s frustration as its torpedoes failed to explode on other targets, confusing instructional telegrams from the British Admirality, a sudden break in the foggy weather.

There is the testimony of the survivors that gives glimpses of life aboard ship on the trip, during the sinking, and the long wait for rescue…too long for many.  One of the passengers, Preston Pritchard, apparently was quite memorable.  He did not survive, and his body was never found, but many letters to his mother describe him and his activities.  “…as though he resided still in the peripheral vision of the world.”

There are many odd factoids; Captain von Trapp (of later musical fame) was a U-boat commander.  We see romance blossom for President Woodrow Wilson even as the nation moves closer to war, and Winston Churchill plots against the stricken ship’s captain to conceal British secrets.

The endpapers are maps of the area of the sinking, and there’s one photograph of the Lusitania, but there are no other illustrations.  The end notes are extensive and contain more factoids that Mr. Larson was not able to get into the main narrative.  There’s an extensive bibliography and index.

I found the narrative compelling and well-written.  Recommended to history fans, especially those who haven’t already read a  book on the subject, or one of the ones published before the release of classified material.

Disclaimer:  I received a copy of this book from “Blogging for Books” for the purpose of reviewing it.  No other compensation was involved.

And here’s a video of the Lusitania launching on that final voyage…