On 7 May 1915, a German U-boat fired a torpedo into the HMS Lusitania, sinking her off the coast of Ireland. While the sinking was not a direct cause of American entry into the war, it frayed relations between the United States and Germany and initiated a public debate over how best to define and maintain U.S. neutrality.

Lusitania_1907

Commissioned by the Cunard Line, the HMS Lusitania was designed by Leonard Peskett (1861-1924) and built by John Brown and Company. It was fitted for service on 26 August 1907. During its eight years in service, the Lusitania made 202 transatlantic crossings on its infamous Liverpool-New York route...







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