Qualla: The Sinking of the Lusitania: The Torpedo That Changed the War

The Sinking of the Lusitania: The Torpedo That Changed the War: Introduction

Thu, 15 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Tackney os, CC BY-SA 4.0. On May 7, 1915, the German submarine U-20 fired a single torpedo at the RMS Lusitania, the pride of the Cunard Line, as she sailed toward Liverpool. The torpedo struck the starboard side. Eighteen minutes later, the great ship was gone, taking 1,198 people to the bottom - including 128 American citizens. Germany celebrated. Britain mourned. America raged. The sinking of the Lusitania became one of the most consequential attacks of World War I, turning American public opinion against Germany and paving the way for U.S. entry into the war two years later. A single torpedo helped decide the fate of nations.

Image: Tackney os | CC BY-SA 4.0

The Sinking of the Lusitania: The Torpedo That Changed the War: The Ship

Thu, 15 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Moses King, Public domain. RMS Lusitania was a floating palace. Launched in 1906, she was briefly the world's largest ship and holder of the Blue Riband for fastest Atlantic crossing. Her four steam turbines could push her at 25 knots - fast enough, Cunard believed, to outrun any submarine. She carried nea...

Image: Moses King | Public domain

The Sinking of the Lusitania: The Torpedo That Changed the War: The Warning

Thu, 15 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit NYH Service the New York Herald newspaper which went out of business in 1924. Many newspapers printed photos of those aboard the ship-those who survived and those who perished. New York Herald photo of a passenger., Public domain. On May 1, 1915, the Lusitania departed New York with 1,959 people aboard. That same morning, the German Embassy's warning appeared next to Cunard's advertisement in New York papers: 'Travellers intending to embark on the Atlantic voyage are reminded that a state of war exists... ...

Image: NYH Service the New York Herald newspaper which went out of business in 1924. Many newspapers printed photos of those aboard the ship-those who survived and those who perished. New York Herald photo of a passenger. | Public domain

The Sinking of the Lusitania: The Torpedo That Changed the War: The Attack

Thu, 15 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Brocken Inaglory, CC BY-SA 4.0. At 2:10 PM on May 7, U-20's commander, Kapitänleutnant Walther Schwieger, spotted the Lusitania through his periscope. He fired a single torpedo from 700 meters. It struck below the bridge. Then came a second explosion - larger than the first - that ripped the ship open. Whether ...

Image: Brocken Inaglory | CC BY-SA 4.0

The Sinking of the Lusitania: The Torpedo That Changed the War: The Dead

Thu, 15 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Sevenseaocean, CC BY-SA 4.0. Of 1,959 people aboard, 1,198 died - 761 passengers and 437 crew. Among the dead were 128 American citizens, including millionaire Alfred Vanderbilt, who reportedly gave his life jacket to a young mother and went down with the ship. Nearly 100 children perished. Entire families w...

Image: Sevenseaocean | CC BY-SA 4.0

The Sinking of the Lusitania: The Torpedo That Changed the War: The Consequences

Thu, 15 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit mattbuck (category), CC BY-SA 4.0. Germany initially celebrated the sinking as a legitimate act of war - the Lusitania had been carrying munitions for Britain (later confirmed by divers). But international outrage, especially in America, forced Germany to restrict U-boat warfare. President Wilson demanded accounta...

Image: mattbuck (category) | CC BY-SA 4.0