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On May 1, 1915, the British ship Lusitania set course from New York to Liverpool, England.
The passengers and crew knew about Germany's policy. Many ships had been sunk already.
However, the Lusitania was famous for its speed. The passengers were confident that the
ship would be safe. When the ship approached dangerous waters, fog blanketed the air.
Worried by the weather, Captain William Turner slowed down. At less than top speed, the
Lusitania made an easier target.
Off the southern coast of Ireland, a German submarine spotted the ship. The submarine shot
a single torpedo. The shot crashed into the hull, or main body of the ship. The torpedo
exploded on contact. A few seconds later, another explosion rocked the ship. Experts think
that coal storage areas caught on fire during the first explosion and caused the second
explosion. In 18 minutes, the ship was under water. Over 1,100 people out of more than 1,900
on board died, including more than 120 Americans.
The United States was outraged. President Wilson and United States citizenscould no longer
ignore the war. Germany did not want the United States to get involved. Temporarily,
Germany stopped sinking vessels with civilian passengers, but this policy change was only
temporary. In February 1917, Germany again declared unrestricted submarine warfare. To
make matters worse, Germany decided to shoot neutral ships, including United States
vessels-not just the ships of the countries already at war. (Remember that the Lusitania was
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World War I: The Sinking of the Lusitania and Submarine Warfare
British.)
United States' ships had been supplying Great Britain food and vital supplies. Germany
wanted to cut off trade routes between the two countries and starve Great Britain into
surrender. Great Britain could not survive without American supplies, and President Wilson
and the American people could not ignore Germany's announcement. Great Britain was only
six weeks away from running out of food supplies. On April 2, 1917, President Wilson asked
the Congress of the United States to declare war.
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