They knew that at any moment, German U-boats could descend upon them. Disaster struck at 4:15 p.m. The German UB-64 launched a torpedo that hit the vessel's starboard side and caused an explosion.

The sinking of the passenger liner Lusitania by a German U-boat helped to shatter that hope. Woodrow Wilson, 1918. Courtesy: Library of Congress Wilson demanded an apology from Germany and ...