Lusitania: An Epic Tragedy
by Diane Preston
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Book Summary Information
Author: Diane PrestonEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2003-05-06
ISBN: 0425189988
Number of pages: 544
Publisher: Berkley Trade
Book Reviews of Lusitania: An Epic Tragedy
Book Review: A Bit Too Deep?
Summary: 4 Stars
A German U-boat off the coast of Ireland torpedoed the British Cunard Line's "Lusitania" on May 7, 1915. Approximately 1200 lives were lost. Diana Preston''s tale "Lusitania: An Epic Tragedy"is an extensively detailed report on the events of that day.Little of note is unreported here. We learn much about the ship itself from its' history, its' state rooms, and its' prominent passengers to the meal preparations to the quantities of water and coal it consumed. The political events leading up to WWI are covered, including the tug and pull in the U.S. between the doves and hawks of the day. Secretary of State William Jennings Bryan was the principal opponent of war. For the record, the German government issued an unmistakably clear message that British ships sailing through the British Isles were military targets. As the ship founders, we follow eyewitness accounts of on board heroism and cowardice as some passengers and crew rise to the occasion. Others are shamefully selfish. Many survivors struggle in the waters of St. George's Channel, still cold in early May. Unexplained is the mystery of the delayed rescue effort from the Irish shore, even though the Lusitania went down in site of land! The heroism/cowardice scenes are replayed as crowded lifeboats refuse to take on desperate swimmers in the water. Preston's reports of the after the fact investigations are mostly satisfying but some stones are left unturned. There is ample evidence that some sort of wartime secrecy prevented the Brits from asking too many painful questions. The head of the investigatory board, Lord Mersey, also led the inquiry of the "Titanic" sinking of 1912. The skipper of that vessel was found blameless despite sailing too fast- at night- in iceberg country! Preston's opines only that a vague charge of "contributory negligence" could be leveled at the British Admiralty for not providing a naval escort through wartime waters or not ordering Skipper Turner to zigzag at maximum speed. Preston does report the facts that the vessel was not carrying Canadian combat troops or live ammunition. There was, she further reports, no second torpedo. In great detail we learn that the critical secondary explosion must have been due to ruptured steam line. Notably unexplained is Winston Churchill's blood curdling remark that the sinking and "dead babies" were worth several divisions of troops as propaganda value! This reviewer was most bothered from learning that the ship held no (!) lifeboat drills, assigned no lifeboat stations and had no lifejacket donning lessons. This was inexcusable for a British ship in designated combat waters, in wartime, only 3 years after the Titanic tragedy. Scores perished due to improperly worn life vests! Finally Preston delves into the angst in Berlin as the higher ups in the German government wrestle with their military leaders about U-boat tactics. LET's strength is also its' weakness. It's long! 53 pages of sources and notes attest to that. History lovers who relish detail will be right at home between the pages. Those who prefer their reading to be more concise should be disappointed. As a warning to the latter group, 4 stars are awarded. The former group can add back the 5th star. Anyone thinking of buying LET should recognize that this is not solely an accident investigation or stirring rescue report but a very broad and deep retelling of a tragic incident hat helped greatly in propelling the United States in to the maelstrom of World war I. The Lusitania tragedy was unique, as were the sinkings of the Andrea Doria and Titanic. Authoress Preston has certainly done her homework in bringing the distinctive details of this maritime disaster to life.
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