Dead Wake: The Last Crossing of the Lusitania

 Larson, Erik. Dead Wake: The Last Crossing of the Lusitania. 2015. 430p. ISBN 9780307408860.

In 1915, the First World War was raging in Europe. German forces were engaged against combined British and French armies on the Western Front, while America remained neutral and did not wish to become embroiled into a foreign war. Americans, however, continued to support commerce, so when the British implemented a naval blockade of Germany, Americans complained loudly. To counteract this British move, Germany sent submarines to break the blockade and sink Allies ships.

Despite the war, passenger ships still ferried people between the United States and Great Britain. The passenger ships of the time were faster than any submarine, and their speed was deemed protection enough against attacks. In theory, the only way a submarine could sink an ocean liner would be to find itself at the right place at the right time, something very hard to accomplish in the thousands of square miles in the North Atlantic. 

The Lusitania was the pride of the Cunard Line, and it could cross the ocean in less than 8 days. Along with more than 1,900 passengers and crew members, the ship was carrying 173 tons of badly needed munitions from American factories to be delivered to the British army in Liverpool. On May 7, 1915, as the ship was nearing the end of its transatlantic voyage from New York to Liverpool, it was torpedoed by a U-Boat, and 1,200 people drowned, including 128 American citizens. Though this did not result in the United States entering the war, popular opinion moved decisively against Germany.

Dead Wake tells the story of the Lusitania and of the people on board, and pairs it with the story of Captain Schwieger, commander of the U-Boat, and the people on board the submarine. Told in riveting action-packed chapters, this naval tragedy marked the consciousness of the country at the time, and it continues to elicit conspiracy theories to this day. Fans of history will love the narrative tale woven by Larson about a moment in history most of us have heard about, but in the end know very little about it.