Summary

There was a slight delay in departure when the Admiralty commandeered another British ship, the Cameronia, and had its relatively few passengers transferred to the Lusitania. Preston Richard, a 29-year-old medical student took advantage of the delay and snapped some photos of the harbor and New York skyline. He was traveling alone to visit his mother in London. There was another delay which Turner was responsible for. His niece was on board to bid farewell to several passengers. When she went to leave, the gangplank had already been removed and had to be replaced so she could return to shore.

These delays didn’t seem important at the time but they would have significance later. Finally at noon, the huge ship eased backward out of its docking position and was escorted out of the harbor by two tug boats. While still...