Sinking of the RMS Lusitania significant "false flag" controversy left the ship; Cunard later explained that he was "tired and really ill." He was replaced with a new commander, Captain William Thomas Turner, who had previously commanded "Lusitania", "Mauretania", and "Aquitania" in the years before the war. On 17 April 1915, "Lusitania" left Liverpool on her 201st transatlantic voyage, arriving in New York on 24 April. A group of German–Americans, hoping to avoid controversy if "Lusitania" were attacked by a U-boat, discussed their concerns with a representative of the German Embassy. The embassy decided to warn passengers before her next crossing not to sail aboard
German Type U 66 submarine under the command of "Kapitänleutnant" Ludwig Güntzel. Six days into her first war patrol, "U-68" encountered the British Q-ship (Q-ship number five) off Dingle and was sunk with all hands. "U-68" sank no ships during her brief service career. "U-69" was laid down on 7 February 1914 (yard number 206) by Germaniawerft at Kiel and launched on 24 June 1915. She was commissioned on 4 September 1915 under the command of "Kapitänleutnant" Ernst Wilhelms. During her service career, "U-69" sank 31 ships with a combined gross register tonnage of 102,875, the largest among them, the 13,441-ton armed merchant cruiser .