1915 : LUSITANIA SINKS:
On the afternoon of May 7, 1915, the British ocean liner Lusitania is
torpedoed without warning by a German submarine off the south coast of
Ireland. Within 20 minutes, the vessel sank into the Celtic Sea. Of
1,959 passengers and crew, 1,198 people were drowned, including 128
Americans. The attack aroused considerable indignation in the United
States, but Germany defended the action, noting that it had issued
warnings of its intent to attack all ships, neutral or otherwise, that
entered the war zone around Britain.
When World War I erupted in 1914, President Woodrow Wilson pledged
neutrality for the United States, a position that the vast majority of
Americans favored. Britain, however, was one of America's closest
trading partners, and tension soon arose between the United States and
Germany over the latter's attempted quarantine of the British isles.
Several U.S. ships traveling to Britain were damaged or sunk by German
mines, and in February 1915 Germany announced unrestricted submarine
warfare in the waters around Britain.
In early May 1915, several New York newspapers published a warning by
the German embassy in Washington that Americans traveling on British
or Allied ships in war zones did so at their own risk. The
announcement was placed on the same page as an advertisement of the
imminent sailing of the Lusitania liner from New York back to
Liverpool. The sinkings of merchant ships off the south coast of
Ireland prompted the British Admiralty to warn the Lusitania to avoid
the area or take simple evasive action, such as zigzagging to confuse
U-boats plotting the vessel's course. The captain of the Lusitania
ignored these recommendations, and at 2:12 p.m. on May 7 the
32,000-ton ship was hit by an exploding torpedo on its starboard side.
The torpedo blast was followed by a larger explosion, probably of the
ship's boilers, and the ship sunk in 20 minutes.
It was revealed that the Lusitania was carrying about 173 tons of war
munitions for Britain, which the Germans cited as further
justification for the attack. The United States eventually sent three
notes to Berlin protesting the action, and Germany apologized and
pledged to end unrestricted submarine warfare. In November, however, a
U-boat sunk an Italian liner without warning, killing 272 people,
including 27 Americans. Public opinion in the United States began to
turn irrevocably against Germany.
On January 31, 1917, Germany, determined to win its war of attrition
against the Allies, announced that it would resume unrestricted
warfare in war-zone waters. Three days later, the United States broke
diplomatic relations with Germany, and just hours after that the
American liner Housatonic was sunk by a German U-boat. On February 22,
Congress passed a $250 million arms appropriations bill intended to
make the United States ready for war. In late March, Germany sunk four
more U.S. merchant ships, and on April 2 President Wilson appeared
before Congress and called for a declaration of war against Germany.
On April 4, the Senate voted to declare war against Germany, and two
days later the House of Representatives endorsed the declaration. With
that, America entered World War I.
history.com/tdih.do
torpedoed without warning by a German submarine off the south coast of
Ireland. Within 20 minutes, the vessel sank into the Celtic Sea. Of
1,959 passengers and crew, 1,198 people were drowned, including 128
Americans. The attack aroused considerable indignation in the United
States, but Germany defended the action, noting that it had issued
warnings of its intent to attack all ships, neutral or otherwise, that
entered the war zone around Britain.
When World War I erupted in 1914, President Woodrow Wilson pledged
neutrality for the United States, a position that the vast majority of
Americans favored. Britain, however, was one of America's closest
trading partners, and tension soon arose between the United States and
Germany over the latter's attempted quarantine of the British isles.
Several U.S. ships traveling to Britain were damaged or sunk by German
mines, and in February 1915 Germany announced unrestricted submarine
warfare in the waters around Britain.
In early May 1915, several New York newspapers published a warning by
the German embassy in Washington that Americans traveling on British
or Allied ships in war zones did so at their own risk. The
announcement was placed on the same page as an advertisement of the
imminent sailing of the Lusitania liner from New York back to
Liverpool. The sinkings of merchant ships off the south coast of
Ireland prompted the British Admiralty to warn the Lusitania to avoid
the area or take simple evasive action, such as zigzagging to confuse
U-boats plotting the vessel's course. The captain of the Lusitania
ignored these recommendations, and at 2:12 p.m. on May 7 the
32,000-ton ship was hit by an exploding torpedo on its starboard side.
The torpedo blast was followed by a larger explosion, probably of the
ship's boilers, and the ship sunk in 20 minutes.
It was revealed that the Lusitania was carrying about 173 tons of war
munitions for Britain, which the Germans cited as further
justification for the attack. The United States eventually sent three
notes to Berlin protesting the action, and Germany apologized and
pledged to end unrestricted submarine warfare. In November, however, a
U-boat sunk an Italian liner without warning, killing 272 people,
including 27 Americans. Public opinion in the United States began to
turn irrevocably against Germany.
On January 31, 1917, Germany, determined to win its war of attrition
against the Allies, announced that it would resume unrestricted
warfare in war-zone waters. Three days later, the United States broke
diplomatic relations with Germany, and just hours after that the
American liner Housatonic was sunk by a German U-boat. On February 22,
Congress passed a $250 million arms appropriations bill intended to
make the United States ready for war. In late March, Germany sunk four
more U.S. merchant ships, and on April 2 President Wilson appeared
before Congress and called for a declaration of war against Germany.
On April 4, the Senate voted to declare war against Germany, and two
days later the House of Representatives endorsed the declaration. With
that, America entered World War I.
history.com/tdih.do
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