There has been much speculation about its quick demise, many pointing to the second explosion that occurred after the initial torpedo strike. The British ocean liner Lusitania was sunk by a German U-boat on May 7, 1915.

Credit: Three Lions/Hulton Archive/Getty Images, About 1915. Credit: Hulton Archive/Getty Images, About 1907, New York City. The liner was completed the following year, at which time it was the largest ship in the world, measuring some 787 feet (240 metres) in length and weighing approximately 31,550 tons; it was surpassed the following year by its sister ship, the Mauretania. On 7 May 1915, the Lusitania had almost reached its destination of Liverpool when she crossed in front of the German submarine U-20, captained by Kapitänleutnant Walther Schwieger.

Although luxurious, the Lusitania was noted more for its speed. Credit: Topical Press Agency/Hulton Archive/Getty Images, Operated by Ancestry Ireland Unlimited Company. The Lusitania was a British passenger ship that was owned by the Cunard Line and was first launched in 1906. Following reports of German U-boat activity along the Irish coast, the Lusitania was warned to avoid the area and to adopt the evasive tactic of zigzagging. The ship’s captain, William Thomas Turner, chose to ignore these recommendations, and on the afternoon of May 7 the vessel was attacked.

Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students. Winsor McCay recreates the sinking of the ocean liner Lusitania by a German U-boat in this propaganda piece designed to stir up anti-German sentiment during World War I. The loss of the liner and so many of its passengers, including 128 U.S. citizens, aroused a wave of indignation in the United States, and it was fully expected that a declaration of war would follow, but the U.S. government clung to its policy of neutrality. He is seen to be having visions of those who perished on the ship and in the surrounding waters and seems to be driven mad with sorrow and shame for what he did. Nearly 1,200 people were killed. In early 1915, submarines began to be used in the German maritime campaign against the British.

A second explosion occurred moments later and rocked the boat further. The captain ignored these recommendations, and the ship was sunk by a torpedo on May 7. On 7 May 1915, RMS Lusitania, a British ocean liner, was sunk by a German U-Boat, resulting in the deaths of 1,198 passengers and crew and eventually leading to America’s entry into the First World War. g. Get an answer. Instead, so some believe, they were hoping that the Lusitania would be attacked and that the sinking would encourage the United States to join the war against the Germans alongside the British. The film documents the voyage of the vessel from its departure from Liverpool to its landing in New York City at pier 54 with the silhouette of Manhattan looming in the fog. To this day the British government have never confirmed the presence of ammunition on the ship, despite the fact that 4 million American-made bullets were found in and around the shipwreck in 2008. The sinking of a passenger liner without warning caused an international uproar, and the loss of 128 American citizens is widely considered to be one of the main reasons that the United States eventually declared war on Germany in 1917. Wilful Murder: The Sinking of the Lusitania | Preston, Diana, Barnes, Michael Tudor | ISBN: 9781842833902 | Kostenloser Versand für alle Bücher mit Versand und Verkauf duch Amazon. Expert answered|Jeromos|Points 6920| Log in for more information. Walther Schwieger’s eyewitness account stated this as well as countless others, who managed to escape from the ship onto the lifeboats. The sinking led to the deaths of 1,198 people, including 128 U.S. citizens, which led to a wave of indignation in the United States. The Lusitania, carrying 1,959 passengers across the Atlantic was hit and sunk by a German submarine off the coast of southern Ireland in the spring of 1915. Get exclusive access to content from our 1768 First Edition with your subscription.

Of the 1,961 verified passengers aboard the ship, only 764 survived. Some reject the British Admiralty’s official version of events. Text by Deutsche Kinemathek - Museum für Film und Fernsehen, Your single access point to films, images and texts from selected collections of 38 film archives across Europe. Credit: Hulton Archive/Getty Images, May 1915, Ireland. For months following the sinking, bodies washed up along the Irish and British shores and were buried in local graveyards. Question. The Sinking of the Lusitania The Lusitania, carrying 1,959 passengers across the Atlantic was hit and sunk by a German submarine off the coast of southern Ireland in the spring of 1915. Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. It is widely accepted that there were two explosions on the RMS Lusitania. Some believe damage to the steam room and pipes caused the latter blast, hastening the Lusitania’s sinking. It is widely accepted that there were two explosions on the RMS Lusitania. Omissions? This note and two following ones constituted the immediate limit of U.S. reaction to the Lusitania incident. During the afternoon of May 7, 1915, a German submarine torpedoed the British ocean liner RMS Lusitania—18 minutes later it was at the bottom of the sea. Lusitania, British ocean liner, the sinking of which by a German U-boat on May 7, 1915, contributed indirectly to the entry of the United States into World War I. After only 18 minutes, the Lusitania had completely sunk. The note was written by Secretary of State William Jennings Bryan, a pacifist who was leery of issuing too forceful a rebuke out of fear that it might draw the United States into the war. The Lusitania was carrying a cargo of rifle ammunition and shells (together about 173 tons), and the Germans, who had circulated warnings that the ship would be sunk, felt themselves fully justified in attacking a vessel that was furthering the war aims of their enemy. Makeshift morgues were set up along Queenstown’s wharf and at its city hall—local family members poured in to identify the bodies.

Announcing our NEW encyclopedia for Kids! Whether the conspiracy theories bear some truth or not, the sinking of the RMS Lusitania naturally became a very effective propaganda tool for the United States and Great Britain against Germany. The following month it won the Blue Riband for fastest Atlantic crossing, averaging nearly 24 knots. Some passengers jumped overboard and clung onto rafts, while others were offered refuge when the collapsible lifeboats floated out of the sinking ship.

The tragedy made headlines across the globe and solidified U.S. opinion of Germany, eventually drawing America into the conflict in 1917. Lusitania Fact 29: Outraged at the death of American citizens, the sinking of the Lusitania turned public opinion against Germany and its allies. Until today, the Sinking of the Lusitania is considered a controversial event and there are several conspiracy theories surrounding it. Instead it is still considered a violation of maritime law that the German U Boat fired a torpedo at a passenger cruiser. Another theory suggests that the Lusitania was deliberately placed into danger by the British Admiralty that supposedly knew but failed to warn the crew that the ocean liner was in the way of a German U-boat. The Lusitania, which was owned by the Cunard Line, was built to compete for the highly lucrative transatlantic passenger trade. Search for an answer or ask …

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Corrections? During World War I the Lusitania was sunk by a German torpedo, resulting in great loss of life. The sinking of the Lusitania was important because it helped switched the American opinion into joining the war, thus leaving the neutrality view. A torpedo struck and exploded amidships on the starboard side, and a heavier explosion followed, possibly caused by damage to the ship’s steam engines and pipes. In May 1915 the British ocean liner was sailing from New York City to Liverpool, England. Built for the transatlantic passenger trade, it was luxurious and noted for its speed. The 1918 film, “The Sinking of the Lusitania”, from the archives of the Cinémathèque Royale de Belgique, was made by American animator Winsor McCay in the style of a documentary and aimed to inspire an anti-German sentiment by describing the incident as “the most violent cruelty that was ever perpetrated upon an unsuspecting and innocent people” and as "the crime that shocked Humanity". The film also shows an excerpt which appears to be from a German newspaper and reads, “With joyful pride we contemplate this latest deed of our navy”. Asked 5 days ago|10/30/2020 6:31:51 PM. The ship tilted to one side, meaning that lifeboats on this side became completely unusable and only the six remaining lifeboats could successfully be launched. Construction began in 1904, and, after completion of the hull and main superstructure, the Lusitania was launched on June 7, 1906. Even with these rules in place it was quite clear that ships, which sailed in the seas around the British isles were at risk of being attacked by German submarines. Despite outrage over the incident, the U.S. government continued to pursue a policy of neutrality for another two years. Later, in 1917, however, the United States did cite German submarine warfare as a justification for American entry into the war. 0 Answers/Comments. Irish rescuers rushed to the scene, transporting survivors and victims to shore throughout the night. Similarly, “Lest We Forget”, a 1918 British film from the Imperial War Museum’s archive, stresses the fact that the ship was unarmed and refers to the Germans as Huns who must be stopped. Interestingly, there is an American film in the collection of the Deutsche Kinemathek which portrays “the German” quite differently.

In 1915 it was sunk by a German U-boat, resulting in the death of 1,198 people, including 128 Americans.

Lusitania, British ocean liner, the sinking of which by a German U-boat on May 7, 1915, contributed indirectly to the entry of the United States into World War I. There is no actual footage of the sinking of the ship but re-enactments were shot after the tragic event. Be on the lookout for your Britannica newsletter to get trusted stories delivered right to your inbox. In May 1915 the Lusitania was returning from New York to Liverpool with 1,959 passengers and crew on board. Survivors of the disaster have mentioned that the threat of being attacked was taken light-heartedly and was even the subject of jokes on board the ship. This diplomatic impasse ended with Germany’s agreement to respect the rights of neutral nations, which allowed for an improvement in diplomatic relations until January 1917, when Germany announced that it was re-establishing the policy of unrestricted submarine warfare. The German embassy in Washington D.C. placed a warning advertisement in American newspapers telling passengers travelling to Great Britain that they did so at their own risk. Usually this happened in accordance with the Cruiser Rules, which stated that “a warship…may not sink or render incapable of navigation a merchant vessel without having first placed passengers, crew and ship’s papers in a place of safety”.