Dead Wake: The Last Crossing of the Lusitania
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • From the bestselling author and master of narrative nonfiction comes the enthralling story of the sinking of the Lusitania
“Both terrifying and enthralling.”—Entertainment Weekly
“Thrilling, dramatic and powerful.”—NPR
“Thoroughly engrossing.”—George R.R. Martin
On May 1, 1915, with WWI entering its tenth month, a luxury ocean liner as richly appointed as an English country house sailed out of New York, bound for Liverpool, carrying a record number of children and infants. The passengers were surprisingly at ease, even though Germany had declared the seas around Britain to be a war zone. For months, German U-boats had brought terror to the North Atlantic. But the Lusitania was one of the era’s great transatlantic “Greyhounds”—the fastest liner then in service—and her captain, William Thomas Turner, placed tremendous faith in the gentlemanly strictures of warfare that for a century had kept civilian ships safe from attack.
Germany, however, was determined to change the rules of the game, and Walther Schwieger, the captain of Unterseeboot-20, was happy to oblige. Meanwhile, an ultra-secret British intelligence unit tracked Schwieger’s U-boat, but told no one. As U-20 and the Lusitania made their way toward Liverpool, an array of forces both grand and achingly small—hubris, a chance fog, a closely guarded secret, and more—all converged to produce one of the great disasters of history.
It is a story that many of us think we know but don’t, and Erik Larson tells it thrillingly, switching between hunter and hunted while painting a larger portrait of America at the height of the Progressive Era. Full of glamour and suspense, Dead Wake brings to life a cast of evocative characters, from famed Boston bookseller Charles Lauriat to pioneering female architect Theodate Pope to President Woodrow Wilson, a man lost to grief, dreading the widening war but also captivated by the prospect of new love.
Gripping and important, Dead Wake captures the sheer drama and emotional power of a disaster whose intimate details and true meaning have long been obscured by history.
Finalist for the Washington State Book Award • One of the Best Books of the Year: The Washington Post, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Miami Herald, Library Journal, Kirkus Reviews, LibraryReads, Indigo
“Both terrifying and enthralling.”—Entertainment Weekly
“Thrilling, dramatic and powerful.”—NPR
“Thoroughly engrossing.”—George R.R. Martin
On May 1, 1915, with WWI entering its tenth month, a luxury ocean liner as richly appointed as an English country house sailed out of New York, bound for Liverpool, carrying a record number of children and infants. The passengers were surprisingly at ease, even though Germany had declared the seas around Britain to be a war zone. For months, German U-boats had brought terror to the North Atlantic. But the Lusitania was one of the era’s great transatlantic “Greyhounds”—the fastest liner then in service—and her captain, William Thomas Turner, placed tremendous faith in the gentlemanly strictures of warfare that for a century had kept civilian ships safe from attack.
Germany, however, was determined to change the rules of the game, and Walther Schwieger, the captain of Unterseeboot-20, was happy to oblige. Meanwhile, an ultra-secret British intelligence unit tracked Schwieger’s U-boat, but told no one. As U-20 and the Lusitania made their way toward Liverpool, an array of forces both grand and achingly small—hubris, a chance fog, a closely guarded secret, and more—all converged to produce one of the great disasters of history.
It is a story that many of us think we know but don’t, and Erik Larson tells it thrillingly, switching between hunter and hunted while painting a larger portrait of America at the height of the Progressive Era. Full of glamour and suspense, Dead Wake brings to life a cast of evocative characters, from famed Boston bookseller Charles Lauriat to pioneering female architect Theodate Pope to President Woodrow Wilson, a man lost to grief, dreading the widening war but also captivated by the prospect of new love.
Gripping and important, Dead Wake captures the sheer drama and emotional power of a disaster whose intimate details and true meaning have long been obscured by history.
Finalist for the Washington State Book Award • One of the Best Books of the Year: The Washington Post, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Miami Herald, Library Journal, Kirkus Reviews, LibraryReads, Indigo
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Community Reviews
Erik Larson has a unique way of making non fiction books read as if they are fiction. Knowing very little about the Lusitania, this one started slow but the second half was one I could not stop until it was done.
This was a re-read for me. But with his new Civil War book that's been published I don't see myself reading anymore of his books.
One of my goals for myself this year was to take my total reading goal (50 books) and devote 10% of that to historical books in the non-fiction realm. I mistakenly thought Dead Wake was fiction so it now counts as my historical goal.
Larson writes such an engaging story that you flow along with it like it is fiction. Hence, my mistake.
I choose to add the historical goal because of the current landscape in America. The old adage stands true:
Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it. (George Santayana)
When I was reading Cleopatra, I kept thinking that the current political landscape looks the same as Cleopatra's political landscape, although we have less bloodshed. The same backbiting, sabotage, propaganda, etc are still going on today. And sadly, we still have the masses of people that believe the lies. If we haven't learned anything from the BC period, what else have we forgotten?
You know that the Lusitania sank. It happened a few years after the Titanic sinking. But my guess was, there was more to it. Things that we could have learned from, backroom dealings that could have made a difference in saving over 1,100 lives. I was right.
The Lusitania was a British ship, one of their most regal and best passenger liners, that was embarking on a trip from NY to Liverpool. They did learn from the Titanic disaster and made sure there were enough lifeboats for every soul on board. How little that actually helped.
Captain William Thomas Turner was at the helm for this journey. He was already crippled by British orders in that 1) he had to take on more passengers from another ship that was being commandeered by the Royalty for war usage (that caused a 2 hour delay in leaving port) and 2) He had been ordered to not fire off all 4 boilers for speed in order to save money. He could use 3 and only travel about 20 knots, top speed, instead of the famed 25 knots that The Lusitania was known for. Speed could have saved the ship in the end, along with those extra 2 hours.
Keep in mind this is wartime, First World War, and Germany is already using U boats (aka submarines) to torpedo any ship they deem suitable. Most passenger liners were getting convoyed to their destination across waters under attack by destroyers. Interestingly enough, The Lusitania did not get that type of assistance.
As I read, it became obvious that there were many things that the British Intelligence chose to keep to themselves that could have made a difference to the passengers and crew of The Lusitania. Did they have an end game? Why gamble with The Lusitania, as renowned and regal as it was, and the lives on board?
America was neutral at this time in the war under Woodrow Wilson. It could be a conspiracy theory but I call it a theory, because it's hard to look at this disaster and not come to the conclusion that Britain wanted America to come into the war and fight on their side. What better would cause the sway of public opinion than the tragedy of The Lusitania being torpedoed by a German U boat and over 100 American lives being lost?
But we still did not go to war.
Through propaganda and use of Intelligence and pressure, Britain finally was able to convince Wilson to enter the First World War (clearly not called the First yet.....).
A lot of what British Intelligence did to manipulate world opinion, including standing back and letting over 1000 people die, disgusted me. But in the end, I was more disgusted by the treatment of Captain Turner. The Royalty needed a scapegoat to blame the entire incident on and they chose Turner. Even Churchill went after Turner in order to keep their super-secret Room 40 Intelligence a super secret.
Larson, again, is an amazing writer who brings history to life and places you right in the middle. I highly recommend this book. And ask you: did we learn from this? Or are these very things still happening? I know what my opinion is.
Larson writes such an engaging story that you flow along with it like it is fiction. Hence, my mistake.
I choose to add the historical goal because of the current landscape in America. The old adage stands true:
Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it. (George Santayana)
When I was reading Cleopatra, I kept thinking that the current political landscape looks the same as Cleopatra's political landscape, although we have less bloodshed. The same backbiting, sabotage, propaganda, etc are still going on today. And sadly, we still have the masses of people that believe the lies. If we haven't learned anything from the BC period, what else have we forgotten?
You know that the Lusitania sank. It happened a few years after the Titanic sinking. But my guess was, there was more to it. Things that we could have learned from, backroom dealings that could have made a difference in saving over 1,100 lives. I was right.
The Lusitania was a British ship, one of their most regal and best passenger liners, that was embarking on a trip from NY to Liverpool. They did learn from the Titanic disaster and made sure there were enough lifeboats for every soul on board. How little that actually helped.
Captain William Thomas Turner was at the helm for this journey. He was already crippled by British orders in that 1) he had to take on more passengers from another ship that was being commandeered by the Royalty for war usage (that caused a 2 hour delay in leaving port) and 2) He had been ordered to not fire off all 4 boilers for speed in order to save money. He could use 3 and only travel about 20 knots, top speed, instead of the famed 25 knots that The Lusitania was known for. Speed could have saved the ship in the end, along with those extra 2 hours.
Keep in mind this is wartime, First World War, and Germany is already using U boats (aka submarines) to torpedo any ship they deem suitable. Most passenger liners were getting convoyed to their destination across waters under attack by destroyers. Interestingly enough, The Lusitania did not get that type of assistance.
As I read, it became obvious that there were many things that the British Intelligence chose to keep to themselves that could have made a difference to the passengers and crew of The Lusitania. Did they have an end game? Why gamble with The Lusitania, as renowned and regal as it was, and the lives on board?
America was neutral at this time in the war under Woodrow Wilson. It could be a conspiracy theory but I call it a theory, because it's hard to look at this disaster and not come to the conclusion that Britain wanted America to come into the war and fight on their side. What better would cause the sway of public opinion than the tragedy of The Lusitania being torpedoed by a German U boat and over 100 American lives being lost?
But we still did not go to war.
Through propaganda and use of Intelligence and pressure, Britain finally was able to convince Wilson to enter the First World War (clearly not called the First yet.....).
A lot of what British Intelligence did to manipulate world opinion, including standing back and letting over 1000 people die, disgusted me. But in the end, I was more disgusted by the treatment of Captain Turner. The Royalty needed a scapegoat to blame the entire incident on and they chose Turner. Even Churchill went after Turner in order to keep their super-secret Room 40 Intelligence a super secret.
Larson, again, is an amazing writer who brings history to life and places you right in the middle. I highly recommend this book. And ask you: did we learn from this? Or are these very things still happening? I know what my opinion is.
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