At 2:15 P. M., on a clear but cold day off the Old Head of Kinsale in Ireland, near Queenstown, RMS Lusitania was struck amidships on the starboard side by a torpedo fired from a German submarine. Eighteen minutes later, the ship rolled on her side amidst a great burst of steam and quickly slid beneath the surface, taking 1,198 passengers and crew with her. The sinking of the Lusitania was one of the major incidents that aroused public sentiment against Germany during World War I and helped prompt the U. S. entry into the war.
Owned by the British Cunard Line, RMS Lusitania was built in 1907. She weighed 31,950 tons, and won the Transatlantic Blue Ribbon on her maiden voyage with a cruising speed of 25.88 knots. The ship’s lines and speed inspired her description as “Greyhound of the Seas.” With the advent of World War I, the Lusitania continued her transatlantic sailing under the auspices of the Cunard Line, but, under a 1902 agreement with the British government, the ship had been modified to take up her role as an armed cruiser beginning in May 1913.
On May 1, 1915, the Lusitania set sail from New York City for Liverpool, England. On the shipping news pages of many newspapers, the Imperial German Embassy in Washington had printed the famous warning of Germany’s unrestricted submarine warfare with the now-tragic caveat of “travelers sailing in the war zone on ships of Great Britain’s on her allies do so at their own risk.” Submarine warfare represented a sharp departure from past practices of sea warfare and a violation of international law. The rules of warfare required belligerent ships to stop their prey at sea and confiscate or destroy contraband. Belligerent ships had no right to destroy a ship if it was neutral, and naval officers were required to assure the safety of all aboard. Germany, in its own defense, claimed that British ships could easily target its U-boats, if they surfaced.
Approaching the coast of Ireland six days after setting sail from New York, the Lusitania was warned by the British Admiralty of submarine activity. Captain William Turner received six warnings in all, the latest at 11:52 A. M. on May 7. The ship failed to avoid headwinds, steer a mid-channel course, and operate at full speed. By 1:20 p. M., Captain Walter Schwieger, commanding the U-20, sighted the Lusitania and fired upon the ship. A little over an hour later, the lives of over a thousand people, including 120 Americans, were lost. The incident was particularly significant because it sparked an incredible wave of antiGerman resentment in the United States and helped draw the United States into a war to protect American interests and honor.
Further reading: Thomas A. Bailey, The Lusitania Disaster: An Episode in Modern Warfare and Diplomacy (New York: Free Press, 1975).
—Paul Edelen
World History
