Sinking of the RMS Lusitania
World War I maritime disaster / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The 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 (20 kilometres) off the Old Head of Kinsale, Ireland. The attack took place in the declared maritime war-zone around the UK, shortly 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. The passengers had been warned before departing New York of the danger of voyaging into the area in a British ship.
Date | 7 May 1915 |
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Time | 14:10 – 14:28 |
Location | North Atlantic Ocean, near Old Head of Kinsale, Ireland |
Coordinates | 51°25′N 8°33′W |
Cause | Torpedoed by German U-boat U-20 |
Outcome |
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The Cunard liner was attacked by U-20 commanded by Kapitänleutnant Walther Schwieger. After the single torpedo struck, a second explosion occurred inside the ship, which then sank in only 18 minutes.[1][2]: 429 The U-20's mission was to torpedo warships and liners in the Lusitania’s area. There were 761 survivors out of the 1,266 passengers and 696 crew aboard,[inconsistent] and 123 of the casualties were American citizens.[3] The sinking turned public opinion in many countries against Germany. It also contributed to the American entry into the War two years later; images of the stricken liner were used heavily in US propaganda and military recruiting campaigns.[2]: 497–503
The contemporary investigations in both the United Kingdom and the United States into the precise causes of the ship's loss were obstructed by the needs of wartime secrecy and a propaganda campaign to ensure all blame fell upon Germany.[1] At time of her sinking she was carrying 4,200,000 rounds of Remington .303 rifle/machine-gun cartridges, almost 5,000 shrapnel shell casings (for a total of some 50 tons), and 3,240 brass percussion artillery fuses, but argument over whether the ship was a legitimate military target raged back and forth throughout the war.[4][5]