Pirates & Shipwrecks · Ocean liner, 1915
RMS Lusitania
Off the Old Head of Kinsale, Ireland
What happened
Lusitania was a fast British passenger ship that sailed between Liverpool and New York. During World War I, on 7 May 1915, a German submarine torpedoed it off the Old Head of Kinsale, Ireland, and it sank in about 18 minutes.
Why it matters
Most people aboard were ordinary passengers, and 128 of them were Americans. The sinking greatly increased American public support for entering the war.
What came next
The United States declared war on Germany in 1917.
Did you know?
In 1907 Lusitania won the Blue Riband, the prize for the fastest crossing of the Atlantic.
Timeline
- 7 June 1906Lusitania is launched in Clydebank, Scotland.
- 1907It wins the Blue Riband for the fastest Atlantic crossing.
- 7 May 1915A German submarine torpedoes it off the Old Head of Kinsale.
- 1917The United States declares war on Germany.