Above: RMS Lusitania in New York 1915. Source: War History Network license. Click to enlarge.
On 7 May 1915, the German U-boat U-20 torpedoed and sank the British-owned Cunard luxury steamship Lusitania off the coast of Ireland in one of the deadliest maritime disasters in history. The passenger vessel was carrying 1,959 people at the time, of which only 761 survived. Hundreds of people perished, with 128 Americans among them. The incident sparked an international uproar due to its devastating impact and prompted a strong reaction from all over the world, particularly in the United States.
As a result, anti-German sentiment skyrocketed and President Woodrow Wilson proposed an embargo on all weapons being sent to Germany as a means of pressuring them into compliance with US demands for reparations for sinking the Lusitania. The German government refused to comply, further exacerbating diplomatic tensions between the two countries that eventually led to the US entering World War I in April 1917. As a passenger liner, Lusitania was one of the fastest ships ever built at that time and had a capacity for nearly 2000 passengers and crew members.
It had made several successful transatlantic crossings before it was commissioned for military service during WWI by Britain’s Admiralty. At 11:40 AM local time on May 7th 1915, disaster struck when U-20 fired a single torpedo without warning at the vessel while it sailed just 14 miles off Kinsale Head on its way to Liverpool from New York City.
Above: The New York Times article expressed the immediate recognition of the serious implications of the sinking, this lead story on 8 May having a section (below what is pictured here) titled "Nation's Course in Doubt". Source: Public Domain.
The impact caused an immense explosion that ripped through three decks and created a huge hole beneath its waterline causing it to sink within 18 minutes in what would prove to be one of World War I’s most heartbreaking incidents due to the high number of casualties recorded. Although exact numbers vary depending on source materials consulted, approximately 1,195 passengers died including many women and children as well as 129 Americans (this figure includes non-US citizen passengers who were travelling onboard).
In addition to human loss of life and suffering, sinking of Lusitania also marked a significant turning point in World War I as it highlighted Germany’s disregard for international law and neutrality thus triggering strong condemnation from all around globe – particularly from United States which declared war against Central Powers two years later in April 1917 following failed attempts at diplomacy.
On 22 April, the German Embassy in America published the following notice in 50 American newspapers: "NOTICE! TRAVELLERS 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 any of her allies, are liable to destruction in those waters and that travellers sailing in the war zone on the ships of Great Britain or her allies do so at their own risk. IMPERIAL GERMAN EMBASSY. Washington, D.C. 22 April 1915. Source: Public Domain.
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