RMS Lusitania Sinking of the RMS Lusitania. RMS Lusitania RMS "Lusitania" was a British ocean liner and briefly the world's largest passenger ship. The ship was sunk on 7 May 1915 by a German U-boat off the southern coast of Ireland. The sinking presaged the United States declaration of war on Germany in 1917. The ship was a holder of the Blue Riband appellation for the fastest Atlantic crossing and was briefly the world's largest passenger ship until the completion of her sister ship . The Cunard Line launched "Lusitania" in 1906, at a time of fierce competition for the North Atlantic
German submarine U-563 crash-dived. On her most successful day, 12 April 1943, the boat sank the "Pacific Grove" and damaged the "Fresno City" southeast of Cape Farewell (Greenland). The "Fresno City" was sunk later that day by . "U-563" also sank the Dutch ship "Ulysses" in the same area. The boat left Brest for the last time on 29 May 1943. On the 31st, she was sunk by two British Handley Page Halifaxes of 58 Squadron and an Australian Sunderland flying boat of No. 228 Squadron RAF. Forty-nine men died with "U-563"; "U-563" took part in nine wolfpacks, namely. German submarine U-563 German