[Sailor Steve]

May 6:

Irish Sea, between Ireland and Wales: Walther Schwieger in U-20 sinks two big freighters - SS Candidate, 5,858 tons, heading from Liverpool to Jamaica with a General cargo, and then SS Centurion, 5,495 tons, bound from Liverpool to South Africa, also with a general (mixed) cargo. His score is now 9 ships and 31,999 tons.



Atlantic Ocean: At 1952 hours Captain William Thomas Turner of RMS Lusitania, en route from New York to Liverpool, receives a warning from the British Admiralty: "SUBMARINES ACTIVE OFF SOUTH COAST OF IRELAND."

When passengers attending the Seamen's Charities Concert express concern, Captain Turner tells the audience that there had indeed been a submarine warning, but that "On entering the war zone tomorrow we shall be securely in the care of the Royal Navy."

At 2030 there is a second Admiralty Warning: "TO ALL BRITISH SHIPS: TAKE LIVERPOOL PILOT AT BAR AND AVOID HEADLANDS. PASS HARBOURS AT FULL SPEED. STEER MID-CHANNEL COURSE. SUBMARINES OFF FASTNET." Turner orders that Lusitania maintain 21 knots unless fog is encountered, in which case he is to be awakened immediately. He also orders the lifeboats swung out, watertight bulkheads and portholes closed, lookouts doubled and the ship blacked out.



North Sea: Johannes Spieß, commanding U-9, stops the trawler Merrie Islington, 147 tons, and scuttles her, bringing his score to 10 ships and 1,901 tons.

Walter Forstmann in U-39 sinks the small freighter SS Truro, 836 tons, headed from Christiania to Grimsby with a load of wood, giving him 8 ships for 3,011 tons.



Red Sea: The monitors' convoy leaves the Suez Canal. Once in open water they begin to encounter a heavy following sea.



German East Africa: At 0635 HMS Chatham anchors above the wreck of Short 119 and sends divers down to examine the remains.

HMS Fly has spent all night towing Short 122 back to HMS Laconia. At 0735 they arrive and the seaplane is hoisted back aboard the armed merchant cruiser.



Saudi Arabia: As they descend the eastern slopes of the Hijaz Mountains Suleiman Pasha informs Hellmuth von Mücke that his territory does not quite reach Al Ula, and that the Sheik of that region is Suleiman's enemy. That Sheik is also unhappy with the Germans, as they had declined to hire his camels for the four hours they would be in his territory. Suleiman has put the word out to his people, and every few hours they are joined by another band of his followers. By the time they reach the desert again their party numbers more than four hundred men.