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-287 before the remaining crew scuttled the ship near Schelenkuhlen in the Elbe river on 16 May. They testified that they were sunk by a mine, which was documented as the official reason of loss. German submarine U-287 German submarine "U-287" was a Type VIIC U-boat of Nazi Germany's "Kriegsmarine" during World War II. The submarine was laid down on 8 August 1942 at the "Bremer Vulkan" yard at Bremen-Vegesack as yard number 52. She was launched on 13 August 1943 and commissioned on 22 September under the command of "Oberleutnant zur See" Heinrich Meyer. She did not sink or damage