USA HISTORY

AMERICAN IMPERIALISM(1890 1919)

THE UNITED STATES IN WORLD WAR I

[SOURCES]
On May 7, 1915, a German submarine torpedoed and sank what ship?

(A) the Titanic

(B) the Minnow

(C) ** the Lusitania

(D) the U.S.S. Maine

EXPLANATIONS BELOW

Concept note-1: -On May 7, 1915, the German submarine (U-boat) U-20 torpedoed and sank the Lusitania, a swift-moving British cruise liner traveling from New York to Liverpool, England. Of the 1, 959 men, women, and children on board, 1, 195 perished, including 123 Americans.

Concept note-2: -What was the Lusitania? The Lusitania was a British passenger ship that was owned by the Cunard Line and was first launched in 1906. Built for the transatlantic passenger trade, it was luxurious and noted for its speed. During World War I the Lusitania was sunk by a German torpedo, resulting in great loss of life.

Concept note-3: -Kapitänleutnant Walter Schwieger was the thirty-year-old commander of the submarine U-20 that sank the Lusitania. His war diary describes the attack and the rapid sinking of the great liner as he viewed it through his periscope.

Concept note-4: -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.

Concept note-5: -On May 1, 1915, the RMS Lusitania set sail from New York City to Liverpool, England, carrying 1, 959 passengers.