Seagulls dove among corpses and survivors alike. Turner later told his son, Norman, that he found himself fending off attacks by the birds, which swooped from the sky and pecked at the eyes of floating corpses. Rescuers later reported that wherever they saw spirals of gulls, they knew they would find bodies. Turner's experience left him with such a deep hatred of seagulls, according to Norman, that until his retirement he used to carry a .22 rifle and shoot every seagull he could.
In Erik Larson's "Dead Wake: The Last Crossing of the Lusitania," a haunting image emerges of seagulls preying on both the deceased and the living during a tragic disaster. Witnessing these birds dive towards the ocean, Turner recounted the horrific scene where they targeted the eyes of bodies drifting in the water. The presence of gulls became a grim indicator for rescuers, signaling the location of victims in the aftermath of the catastrophe.
This traumatic experience profoundly affected Turner, instilling in him a lasting aversion to seagulls. His son, Norman, shared that Turner harbored such animosity that he resorted to carrying a rifle, aiming to eliminate as many seagulls as possible, a habit he maintained until his retirement. This reflects how intense experiences can shape our perceptions and reactions long after the events have passed.
