Alexei Monreal Collection
On board the RMS Lusitania 100 years ago, Tuesday, 4 May 1915:
From the diary of second cabin passenger William Meriheina:
Tuesday – Resumption of games on deck today. Dandy sunshine weather – feel fine.
From the letters of second cabin passenger Nellie Huston:
I went to Church on Sunday in the 1st saloon, it was awfully nice. The orchestra played for hymns. The writing room was too full on Sunday night for me to write.
It rained most all day Sunday and Monday. We had a jolly whist drive last night and I got 2nd prize. It was a manicure set something like the one I got from Lucy for Christmas. The sun is shining today and it is much pleasanter. I felt rather like being seasick last night but the feeling past off.
Meanwhile, the German submarine U-20 sails in poor visiblity south of Ireland. Kapitanleutnant Walther Schwieger has not found any targets to attack the entire day. Fog descends that evening. At 7:55 p.m., Schwieger sites a 1,500-ton steamer and places his submarine 90 degrees from the ship’s oncoming path. At about a mile away, the ship veers off course, leaving the submarine unable to catch up. Schwieger notes with frustration:
It was impossible that the steamer could have seen us.
Schwieger later identifies his escaped prey as the Swedish ship Hibernia, with neutral signs and flying no flag. Schwieger orders the U-20 to surface and sail south through the night.
Sources:
Jim Kalafus, USA
Geoff Whitfield, UK
Kalafus, Jim, Michael Poirier, Cliff Barry and Peter Kelly (2013) “Lest We Forget : The Lusitania.” Gare Maritime (ref: #10962, accessed 27th April 2015 03:24:39 PM)
URL : http://www.encyclopedia-titanica.org/lest-we-forget-the-lusitania.html
Larson, Erik. Dead Wake: The Last Crossing of the Lusitania, pages 166, 170, 171. Crown Publishers, New York, 2015.
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