When was the Lusitania sunk?

The Lusitania was travelling from New York to Liverpool when the German submarine U-20 struck it with a single torpedo near the Old Head of Kinsale. A second, internal explosion followed, and the huge ship sank in just 18 minutes. Of the nearly 2,000 people on board, 1,198 died, including 128 Americans. The sinking caused outrage in the United States and turned public opinion against Germany. Although the US did not enter World War I until 1917, the Lusitania became a powerful symbol in the campaign for war.