While Germany temporarily halted its campaign of unrestricted submarine warfare to avoid bringing the United States into the war, the incident irrevocably damaged Germany's image. This alleged militarization provided the German government with a pretext to classify the Lusitania as a legitimate target of war, stripping it of the protections typically afforded to civilian passenger ships.
Lusitania Definition: Passenger Ship Rules in War
Political Ramifications and Propaganda The sinking of the Lusitania created a severe diplomatic crisis known as the "Lusitania Note. They argued that any ship entering that zone, regardless of nationality, were legitimate targets due to the British naval blockade, which Germany deemed illegal.
Officially, the ship carried rifle cartridges and non-explosive foodstuffs. Germany, however, issued a series of warnings in early 1915, declaring that the waters around the United Kingdom were a war zone.
Lusitania Definition: Passenger Ship Rules in War and Its Controversial Sinking
On May 7, as it approached the southern coast of Ireland, the German submarine U-20 fired a single torpedo that struck the starboard side. Despite the German warnings published in American newspapers, the ship sailed.
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