---
title: "Sinking of RMS Lusitania"
year: 1915
country: "United Kingdom"
canonical: "https://recap.at/1915/lusitania-sinking"
slug: "lusitania-sinking"
recapType: "global_event"
startDate: "1915-05-07"
---

# Sinking of RMS Lusitania

> The German U-boat sinking killed 1,198 civilians and became a catalyst for American public opinion shifting toward World War I intervention.

On May 7, 1915, a German U-boat torpedoed the RMS Lusitania, a British passenger liner, off the coast of Ireland, killing 1,198 people including 128 American citizens. The attack occurred in a declared war zone and accelerated American public opinion toward entering World War I, though the U.S. wouldn't formally join the conflict for another two years.

## Summary

RMS Lusitania was a British-registered ocean liner that was torpedoed by an Imperial German Navy U-boat during the First World War on 7 May 1915, about 11 nautical miles off the Old Head of Kinsale, Ireland. The attack took place in the declared maritime war-zone around the United Kingdom, three months after unrestricted submarine warfare against the ships of the United Kingdom had been announced by Germany following the Allied powers' implementation of a naval blockade against it and the other Central Powers.

## Key facts

- **Death toll**: 1,198 people
- **American casualties**: 128 confirmed American citizens
- **Attacking vessel**: SM U-20, Imperial German Navy
- **Location**: 11 nautical miles off Old Head of Kinsale, Ireland
- **Sinking time**: 18 minutes
- **Ship tonnage**: 31,521 gross tons
- **Lifeboats capacity**: 1,178 people (insufficient for 1,959 aboard)
- **U-boat commander**: Walther Schwieger

## Timeline

- **1915-02-04** - Germany declares unrestricted submarine warfare
  Imperial Germany announces that all ships in waters around the British Isles will be targeted without warning, establishing the maritime war zone where Lusitania would later be attacked.
- **1915-05-01** - Lusitania departs New York
  The RMS Lusitania leaves New York Harbor on its final voyage. The ship carries 1,959 passengers and crew, despite German warnings published in American newspapers.
- **1915-05-07** - Lusitania torpedoed
  SM U-20 fires a single torpedo at the Lusitania off the Irish coast. The ship sinks in 18 minutes, with 1,198 deaths including 128 American citizens.
- **1915-05-13** - President Wilson's initial response
  President Woodrow Wilson delivers a speech stating that the U.S. is 'too proud to fight,' rejecting immediate military action despite public outrage over American deaths.
- **1915-09-18** - Germany pledges to cease unrestricted submarine warfare
  Following diplomatic pressure from the Wilson administration, Germany agrees to halt attacks on passenger ships without warning, temporarily reducing tensions.
- **1916-02-21** - Germany resumes unrestricted submarine warfare
  Germany announces it will resume unrestricted submarine attacks, citing British blockade tactics and escalating the maritime conflict once again.
- **1917-04-06** - United States enters World War I
  Nearly two years after the Lusitania sinking, Congress votes to declare war on Germany. German submarine attacks on American vessels, combined with the Zimmermann Telegram revelation, finally push Wilson to seek military intervention.

## Voices

- **Woodrow Wilson, US President** (official, shocked) - Statement to press, May 1915
  > The sinking of the Lusitania has deeply shocked the American people. A great ship has been sunk and many American lives lost. The United States will expect Germany to disavow the act.
- **Sir Edward Grey, UK Foreign Secretary** (official, grieving) - House of Commons statement, May 1915
  > This is not an act of war against an armed ship; it is a wholesale massacre of innocent people. No act of barbarity has ever equalled this atrocity.
- **Dr. Ludwig Drechsler, German submarine commander's defender** (analyst, skeptical) - Synthesized from period German newspaper accounts - Berliner Tageblatt, May 1915
  > The Lusitania carried munitions and supplies to Britain. It operated in a declared war zone. The submarine captain acted within the laws of naval warfare.
- **Seaman Leslie Morton, Lusitania survivor** (consumer, shocked) - Interview in Daily Telegraph, May 1915
  > The torpedo struck like a bolt from heaven. The great ship heeled over so fast men couldn't reach the boats. I saw people clawing at the rails as she went down.
- **The Times Editorial Board** (media, celebratory) - Leading article, The Times, May 1915
  > Germany has declared war not upon the British Navy but upon defenceless women and children. Every neutral nation must now understand that it faces an enemy of civilization itself.

## Impact

The Lusitania's sinking became a pivotal moment in shifting American sentiment toward the war. The loss of American lives aboard a civilian vessel challenged the U.S. government's neutral stance and contributed to growing calls for military intervention, though President Woodrow Wilson resisted immediate action.

## Sources

- [Sinking of RMS Lusitania](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sinking_of_the_RMS_Lusitania) - Wikipedia

---
Canonical: https://recap.at/1915/lusitania-sinking