Why did they sink the lusitania?

Answer 1

The German Navy torpedoed Lusitania on May 7, 1915.

The RMS Lusitania was struck by a single torpedo fired by German submarine U-20. Survivors reported that there was a second explosion which followed soon after the first.

The British government kept secret until the 1960's the fact that the Lusitania was carrying contraband in her cargo hold. She was carrying several millions rounds of rifle ammunition, and tons of explosive gun cotton, munitions of war. The British kept this secret and downplayed the fact that the Lusitania, her construction in part financed by the government, was listed in Naval Registries as an auxiliary cruiser of the Royal Navy, in part to be able to exploit the tragic loss of life for Propaganda purposes and in part to deflect criticism for carrying munitions on a passenger ship with civilians aboard.

However, neither the rifle ammunition nor the gun cotton is a likely source of the second explosion. Those items are unlikely to have been detonated in a sympathetic explosion by the torpedo. The most likely explanation of the second explosion is cold sea water suddenly flooding the boiler rooms and engulfing the ship's boilers, which would have caused the boilers to explode. The relative amount of damage caused by each explosion and whether the single torpedo alone would have been enough to cause the ship to sink are still unanswered questions.

Answer 2

The Lusitania was torpedoed on 7 May 1915, and sank in 18 minutes.

The passenger ship sailing from New York to Liverpool was sunk by a German U-boat because it contained munitions and contraband. The 1,924 deaths, including those of 114 Americans, galvanized U.S. public opinion against the German government and served as a rallying cry for America's entry into World War I.

Answer 3

2 torpedoes from U-Boat 20 sank the Lusitania by igniting the coal bin and making a 20' wide hole in the right side of the ship