The Washington times., 1935-05-07
X LUSrTANIA TRAGEDY TWENTY YEARS AGO TODAY
DENIES At TACK
WAS PLANNED
IN ADVANCE
Great Loss of Life Is Laid
To Explosion on Liner
As Torpedo Landed

On the Twentieth anniversary
OF the sinking of the LuSitGnid,
an officer of the German
U-boat Which sent the British
ship to the bottom oft the
Irish coast tUith a loss OF 1913
ltUeS. today told for the first
time the full story of the 1DGr
tragedy as Uie1Ded from the sub
marines periScope. In the fol-
lo1oing interUieD, giUen to In
tern1tionGl News SerDice by
Karl Scherb, first officer of
the submarine U-20, the events
inside the U-boat at the time
the LuSitdnid W1S torpedoed
are described in graphic detail.
(world Copyright. 1885 by International
News Service. Reproduction in Whole
or Part Strictly Prohibited)
BRUNSWICK, Germany, May
= 0.N.SO-"At noon on May
2, 1915, the U-2O rose to the
surface after many hours under
water. The crew, off duty at
the time, walked about on deck,
and somebody Justify played
the accordion, the inevitable
piano of the sailors.
"Three hours later we sent
the Lusitania to the bottom"
The speaker was Karl Scherb,
formerly Observation-Disclosures
in the Imperial German Navy,
first officer of the submarine
which sank the crack British liner
with loss of 1,198 lives on a
Hateful spring afternoon, just 20
years ago today.
Full Story Told
He welcomed the chance to tell
for the first time the full story
Of what took place inside the
steel walls of the destructive sub
sea boat, for he renewed Ger.
many'S now historic explanation
that the submarine campaign
was undertaken in defense against
the British blockade, and that
the Lusitania sank with her ap-
palling death toll because of the
explosion" of contraband NUM-
tions in her hold.
But Scherb's story is important |
chiefly because, up to now, the
only first-hand story of one of |
the blacklist chapters in the
World War from the German
viewpoint has been the log of
the late Capt. Walther Schwieger,
commander of the U-20. In de-
tail and in drama Scherb's &C
count pales the log almost into
tnsignificance. He said:
81 had returned with the U-S3
from the English Channel in
the middle of April, 1915, and
was on vacation when 1 re-
ceived orders to report immedi-
ately aboard the U-20 to replace
the first officer, who had fallen
i'll.
START ON CRUISE
"After the usual trial cruises
we went down the Ems River
at a. M, on April 30, lovely
spring morning. At Borkumr-
hede Lieutenant Commander
Gayer addressed the crews with
q grave speech and sent us on
our way.
eve had orders to wage war
against enemy merchantmen.
sour route proceeded across
the Dogger Bank, to the North
around the Shetland Islands and
thereafter South along the Irish
West Coast.
con May S in the afternoon
our craft rounded the South
western corner of Ireland off
Fastnet Rock and in the even
ing we sank a small sailing YES
eel carrying paving stones.
Fog closed in after a surface
attack on a 3,OO0-ton steamer
failed, and the next day we sank
the Centurian, 6,0OO-ton
freighter. Toward noon a $4,000
ton White Star liner was sighted
but we failed to get her in front
of our Guns. We succeeded in
sinking the 6,OOO-tOnner Candi-
date in the afternoon but the
fog cOnspired against us.
FUEL RUNS LOW
eve had intended to attack
transports off Liverpool, but our
fuel was running low and Cap
tain Schwieger decided to cross
off Queenstown. At noon on
May we rose to the surface.
Everyone heaved a sigh of
relief and took in the fresh air
in what was now perfectly clear,
sunny weather. The crew, off
duty at the time, walked about
on deck and somebody Justify
played the accordion, the in
evitable piano of the sailors.
"At great speed, the U-2O, with
its merrymaking crew aboard,
forged ahead to reach the south
coast of Ireland. At 2:2O p. m.
Berlin time), while 1 was on
guard duty, l made out the tops
of two maStS on the horizon and
some time later four smoke
stacks. 1t appeared as If one Of
the sO-calIed British cruisers of
the Getty" class was about to
cross our bow.
"A little later we noticed we
were facing a big commercial
liner, which took course to-
ward Galley Head.