Lusitania

On May 7, 1915, the R.M.S. Lusitania, a grand ocean liner, was torpedoed by a German submarine, sinking in just eighteen minutes and claiming over twelve hundred lives. This act of war shocked the world, especially the United States, and played a role in its entry into World War I. Diana Preston recounts this pivotal moment in history, exploring the maritime world of the early twentieth century, the political landscape, and the human drama of those aboard the ill-fated voyage.