Tides of War
At Pier 54, the crowds of passengers walked along as loved ones said their goodbyes and either waved as friends and family alike traveled up into the ship or were among the hundreds climbing up the ramps and stepping inside through the gangway doors on the side. Flags flew proud overhead with the American and Union Jack sharing the spotlight whilst the White Star Line colors blew in the breeze at the stern of the ship. Captain William Murdoch, stepping out of the bridge to gaze down as passengers boarded the RMS Titanic, checked the time on his watch for departure which was fast approaching them. Close by, one of Titanic’s chief rivals was also preparing for departure, the RMS Lusitania was also readying for her journey, though she would be delayed as she was expecting additional cargo bound for Britain and would have to wait for Titanic to go first.
With the loud bellow of the ship's whistles, Titanic started forward slowly as Murdoch returned to the bridge where the helmsman and other officers stood at attention. “Slow ahead.” “Yes sir!” came the reply back, as Titanic moved out and away from the pier and towards the open ocean. As she was escorted by a pair of tug boats, a notice was within the newspaper that said the following.
“Ocean Steamships: White Star
Europe VIA Southampton
TITANIC” below it, the notice came from the Imperial German Embassy and would say; “Travelers intending to embark on the Atlantic voyage, are reminded that a state of war exists between Germany and her allies and Great Britain and her allies; that the zone of war includes the waters adjacent to the British Isles; that in accordance with formal notice given by the Imperial German Government, vessels flying the flag of great Britain, or of any of her allies, are liable to destruction in those waters and travelers sailing in the war zone on ships of Great Britain or her allies do so at their own risk.”
This notice did little to convince many not to make the crossing, however, as evident by the huge crowds boarding the Lusitania along with other ships close by. Titanic now found herself sailing towards an unknown future, passing by the statue of liberty to her port side, as she began her journey across the Atlantic once more like she had done so often before.
As the Titanic steamed across the Atlantic, war had descended across the continent of Europe between the members of the Triple Alliance and Triple Entente. Germany and Austria-Hungary stood together against the Anglo–Russo-French alliance in the largest war yet known to man. Other powers on the European Continent would partake too, including the Kingdom of Italy, Portugal, Ottoman (Turkey) and Japan among others. For Britain especially, this war would prove its first major test after centuries of being the World’s predominant power on the global stage. This position which it had held for up to a century was no under threat from the upstart German Empire, ruled by a relative of the British Royal Family and King of Great Britain, Kaiser Wilhelm II.
After the deaths of Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife in Sarajevo back in July, the Great War escalated as nations followed their treaty obligations into taking up arms for one another. The wider world itself was still affected, even despite the fact many were not directly involved. German U-Boats and commerce raiders prowled the seas, whilst his majesty's navy blockaded the continent and closed off imports to the surrounding central powers. The Colonial War was underway, as German colonies found themselves isolated and surrounded by their British and French counterparts.
Right now, the seas around Britain were a warzone, under threat of German U-Boats despite the presence of the Home-fleet. For many passengers, boarding ships heading for Britain, it was a tense yet thrilling crossing. For some, it was a chance to see for themselves the supposed war. For others, a chance to meet with and assure that family and friends alike were alright. Many would be returning home, whilst others were on business trips abroad. Whatever the case, none of those could ever have imagined what would happen in the next few days.
Closer to the British isles, on the surface and on the prowl, a German submarine was in the midst of its latest hunt. Already she had sunk a number of unlucky merchant vessels and was approaching the end of her run before she returned to port for refueling and re-arming. Under command of Kapitänleutnant Walther Schwieger, the U-boat was cramped and uncomfortable, with hardly any room to walk and move around. Finishing writing down his thoughts in his war diary, Schwieger checked the time briefly before looking over at his second in command. “Number of Torpedos left?”
Pausing briefly, the man replied back- “One.” Nodding, Schwieger was already considering heading home, yet with one last torpedo still onboard, perhaps they could try for one last kill. Checking the log of ships once again, Schwieger briefly looked over a list of ships under the ensign for British merchants, before flipping a few pages and seeing a list of ocean liners. Amongst them, the Titanic, Olympic, Lusitania and Mauritania. All would be unlikely prey due to their size, and no doubt would tank any torpedo fired at them. Yet the prospect of giving one a ‘bloody nose’ was still a thought. At least it would scare her passengers and give a warning as to not travel to Britain again. “Only if we can find her…” Closing the log book, Schwieger went ahead to oversee his U-Boats course and navigation, his mind still wondering over the prospect of going after one of the “Big Three” White Star-liners out there.