Construction had begun in 1903 with the goal of building the fastest ship.
In may 7, the ship arrived to the coast of Ireland. In the afternoon a torpedo fired by the German submarine U 20 slammed into the side of the ship. A mysterious second explosion ripped the liner apart. Chaos was all over the place. The ship listed so badly and quickly that lifeboats crashed into passengers crowded on deck, or dumped their loads into the water. Most passengers never had a chance. Within 18 minutes the giant ship slipped beneath the sea. One thousand one hundred nineteen of the 1,924 aboard died. The dead included 114 Americans.
The political fallout was immediate. President Wilson protested strongly to the Germans. Secretary of State William Jennings Bryan, a pacifist, resigned. In September, the Germans announced that passenger ships would be sunk only with prior warning and appropriate safeguards for passengers. However, the seeds of American animosity towards Germany were sown. Within two years America declared war.
That is a really bad story, I think that US deserve to be punished because of what they do, but nothing is justifies this terrible attacks, this is one of many attacks that the US has received, but will not be the last one.
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