Erik Larson opens Dead Wake with a discussion about the history of the Lusitania, a passenger cruiser owned by Britain’s Cunard Steamship Company. The British government finances the development of the Lusitania as well as its sister ship, the Mauretania, in the early 1900s. Britain hopes to build ships that can compete with Germany’s record-breaking passenger liners. In exchange for its financing, the British government requires the Lusitania to be capable of engaging in warfare, though these requirements are later scrapped when outfitting the ship for war proves to be infeasible. As a result, the ship becomes a “passenger liner…that has the hull of a battleship” (12).

When the Lusitania launches in 1907, it immediately sets records as the fastest ship to sail across the Atlantic Ocean, stealing the title of Blue Riband away from German ocean liners. Running the Lusitania proves difficult, however, because it requires almost constant maintenance due to its massive size. The ship also needs to burn immense amounts of highly flammable coal to achieve its high speeds.

William Thomas Turner serves as the captain of the Lusitania for the ship’s journey across the Atlantic that begins on May 1, 1915. Turner has a reputation for being a “stickler for detail and discipline,” and he is respected for his skill at sailing (12).