673. The First World War: The Submarine Strikes (Part 3)

Episode of The Rest Is History · May 24, 2026 · 1 h 17 min

Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook recount the 1915 sinking of the RMS Lusitania by U-20, its conspiracy theories, propaganda aftermath and effect on American opinion.

Summary

In the third episode of their series on the First World War in 1915, Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook told the story of the Cunard liner RMS Lusitania, torpedoed off the Irish coast by the German submarine U-20 on 7 May 1915. Holland opened with an H. P. Lovecraft poem about the sinking, and Sandbrook set out the background: the Lusitania's government-subsidised construction, the development of submarines, Germany's small U-boat fleet, and the German decision in February 1915 to abandon cruiser rules and declare the waters around Britain a war zone, following earlier incidents such as the sinking of the Falaba.

Sandbrook described the German embassy's newspaper warning, the passengers and cargo—including rifle ammunition, shrapnel shells and fuses—and argued that the American claim that this was a routine private shipment stretched a point, while Holland characterised it as using civilians as human shields. The hosts then narrated U-20's chance encounter with the liner, the single torpedo and the second explosion, which Sandbrook attributed to the boilers rather than secret explosives, and the chaotic 18-minute sinking in which about 1,194 people died, including 128 Americans. Individual stories included Alfred Gwynne Vanderbilt giving away his life jacket, Charlotte Pye losing her baby, and nanny Alice Lyons saving the Pearl children.

Sandbrook dismissed conspiracy theories blaming Britain or Winston Churchill, noting their popularity among American isolationists. The hosts discussed German celebration of the sinking, British propaganda including copies of a German satirical medal, Woodrow Wilson's "too proud to fight" speech, William Jennings Bryan's resignation, and Germany's September 1915 retreat from unrestricted submarine warfare. Sandbrook argued that the British blockade was a major reason for Germany's eventual defeat and that the Lusitania shaped American opinion toward entering the war in 1917. The episode ended with a preview of the next instalment on Edith Cavell.

Chapters

1:15
Lovecraft's poem and introduction
Holland reads H. P. Lovecraft's poem on the Lusitania and the hosts frame the sinking as a turning point toward American intervention.
6:08
The ship herself
Sandbrook describes the Cunard liner Lusitania, its Blue Riband speed and its government subsidy for wartime conversion.
8:42
The rise of the U-boat
The hosts trace submarine history, Germany's small U-boat fleet and the grim conditions aboard.
13:07
From cruiser rules to unrestricted warfare
Germany debates and adopts a war-zone declaration aimed at starving Britain of imports.
21:30
The Falaba and American reaction
The sinking of the Falaba kills American Leon Thrasher, prompting only a note of protest from Wilson.
25:50
Warnings and departure from New York
The German embassy's delayed newspaper warning appears as the Lusitania prepares to sail on 1 May 1915.
29:05
Cargo and passengers
Sandbrook details the munitions in the hold, debates their legitimacy, and introduces passengers including Vanderbilt and the Pearl family.
38:30
U-20 closes in
Schwieger's U-20 sinks several ships off Ireland and encounters the Lusitania by chance on 7 May.
46:40
The sinking
The torpedo strikes, a second explosion follows, and the ship sinks in 18 minutes amid chaotic lifeboat launches.
55:36
Casualties and survivors
The hosts recount the death toll, Vanderbilt's gallantry, Charlotte Pye's loss and the survival of the Pearl children.
59:46
Conspiracy theories
Sandbrook rejects theories of secret explosives and of Churchill deliberately exposing the ship.
1:03:11
The propaganda war
German celebration and British exploitation of the sinking, including the replica medals and posters.
1:08:07
America's response and aftermath
Wilson's 'too proud to fight' speech, Bryan's resignation, the Arabic sinking and Germany's suspension of the campaign.
1:14:23
Next time: Edith Cavell
The hosts preview the next episode on nurse Edith Cavell.

Key points

What was said, by whom, with the exact words. Timestamps jump to the moment.

Dominic Sandbrook
Sandbrook argues the 1915 German U-boat campaign was flawed from the outset due to over-optimism about its small fleet.
“Like a lot of the sort of Germans' wheezes, this is flawed from the beginning because they've been massively over-optimistic”
Listen from 20:47 · Unrestricted submarine warfare
Tom Holland
Holland characterises Woodrow Wilson as an ineffectual man of peace.
“that presents Wilson as the slightly ineffectual man of peace that he will prove himself to be in due course”
Listen from 25:40 · American entry into World War I
Dominic Sandbrook
Sandbrook argues that U-20 encountered the Lusitania by chance rather than deliberately targeting it.
“they end up coming across it by chance rather than by design”
Listen from 28:14 · Lusitania conspiracy theories
Dominic Sandbrook
Sandbrook argues that the American claim that the munitions cargo was a routine private shipment was a stretch and the German complaint was reasonable.
“And I think a fair-minded observer... would surely say the Americans are stretching a point here”
Listen from 32:03 · RMS Lusitania
Tom Holland
Holland characterises the practice of shipping munitions on passenger liners as using civilians to shield military cargo.
“basically using civilians as human shields to kind of protect military targets”
Listen from 32:53 · RMS Lusitania
Dominic Sandbrook
Sandbrook doubts the story of Vanderbilt's warning telegram, suggesting it was a prank or invention.
“I think this is either a jape from one of his posh friends or somebody made this story up”
Listen from 36:37 · Sinking of the RMS Lusitania
Dominic Sandbrook
Sandbrook dismisses the theory that the second explosion came from secret explosives, attributing it to the boilers.
“I think this is bonkers. Most historians think this is bonkers. And what was actually happening was something to do with the boilers”
Listen from 48:54 · Lusitania conspiracy theories
Dominic Sandbrook
Sandbrook observes that conspiracy theories blaming Britain are popular among American isolationists.
“they're very popular among sort of American isolationists who would now probably be of quite a MAGA tendency”
Listen from 1:00:55 · Lusitania conspiracy theories
Dominic Sandbrook
Sandbrook rejects the claim that Churchill deliberately exposed the Lusitania, noting an escort would have made no sense for so fast a ship.
“this is clearly complete rubbish. So basically, it would have been mad to give the Lusitania an escort, because the Lusitania was so fast”
Listen from 1:02:28 · Lusitania conspiracy theories
Linked moment · 1:03:07Skip to 1:03:07 using a listen link in the info box.
Tom Holland
Holland invokes Occam's razor in favour of the simple explanation for the sinking.
“Occam's Razor, the simplest explanation is likely, always the likeliest”
Listen from 1:03:07 · Lusitania conspiracy theories
Dominic Sandbrook
Sandbrook contends that before James Cameron's film, the Lusitania rivalled the Titanic in public fame.
“up to that point, the Lusitania and the Titanic were, I would say, probably neck and neck in terms of publicity”
Listen from 1:03:44 · Sinking of the RMS Lusitania
Dominic Sandbrook
Sandbrook argues that the sinking fixed the idea of German barbarism in British public opinion.
“This is the moment that establishes the idea in the British public mind of German barbarism, of the crimes of the Huns”
Listen from 1:06:12 · Propaganda in World War I
Dominic Sandbrook
Sandbrook criticises William Jennings Bryan's resignation over protests to Germany as unreasonable given 128 American deaths.
“I mean, I think this is pretty bonkers from Brian”
Listen from 1:08:55 · American entry into World War I
Dominic Sandbrook
Sandbrook argues the British naval blockade was a major cause of Germany's defeat in the First World War.
“This is one of the big reasons that Germany lost the First World War”
Listen from 1:13:01 · Blockade of Germany (1914–1919)

People

In the conversation

Tom HollandEnglish actor cast as Telemachus
Dominic SandbrookBritish historian, author and co-host of The Rest Is History

Discussed

Woodrow WilsonUS president and former academic, a classmate of Dixon at Johns Hopkins
Wilhelm IIGerman Emperor during the First World War
Alfred von TirpitzGerman Grand Admiral and naval chief
Hugo von PohlChief of the German Admiralty staff who pushed for the U-boat campaign
Theobald von Bethmann HollwegChancellor of Germany, 1909–1917
Walther SchwiegerCommander of U-20, which sank the Lusitania
William Thomas TurnerCaptain of the Lusitania, nicknamed 'Bowler Bill'
Alfred Gwynne VanderbiltAmerican millionaire who died in the sinking
William Jennings BryanUS Secretary of State who resigned after the sinking
Theodore RooseveltFormer US president who urged intervention
Winston ChurchillBritish prime minister during the Second World War
Robert LansingBryan's successor as US Secretary of State
H. P. LovecraftAmerican horror writer who wrote a poem about the Lusitania
Johann Heinrich von BernstorffGerman ambassador in Washington who placed the newspaper warning
Charlotte PyeCanadian survivor who lost her infant daughter in the sinking
Alice LyonsEnglish nanny who saved two Pearl children
Audrey PearlInfant survivor, the longest-lived Lusitania survivor
Edith CavellBritish nurse, subject of the next episode

Topics

674. The First World War: The Spy Who Took on the Germans (Part 4)
The Rest Is History · May 27, 2026 · 1 h 8 min
Dominic Sandbrook and Tom Holland recount the life, resistance work, trial and 1915 execution of British nurse Edith Cavell in German-occupied Belgium, and her posthumous legend.

From the publisher

Was the Lusitania merely an ocean liner like Titanic, or a formidable battle ship? How and why did a German U-boat fleet manage to bring down this titan of the sea? And, how did the tragedy ignite the United States’ decision to finally join the War in 1917? Join Dominic and Tom as they launch into one of the most cataclysmic events of the First World War, and a major turning point for America’s intervention…. Join The Rest Is History Club: Unlock the full experience of the show – with exclusive bonus episodes, ad-free listening, early access to every series and live show tickets, a members-only newsletter, discounted books from the show, and access to our private Discord chatroom. Sign up directly at the⁠⁠restishistory.com⁠⁠. To read our new newsletter, sign up at: ⁠⁠therestishistory.com/newsletters⁠⁠ _______ Lloyds. 250 years on and still backing the nation's aspirations. _______ Advertise with us: ⁠Partnerships@goalhanger.com⁠ _______ Twitter: @TheRestHistory @holland_tom @dcsandbrook Video Editors: Jack Meek, Harry Swan + Adam Thornton Social Producer: Harry Balden Producers: Tabby Syrett & Aaliyah Akude Senior Producer: Callum Hill Executive Producer: Dom Johnson Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Summary, chapters and key points were generated from the episode transcript on September 28, 2026. Quotes are checked word for word against the transcript.

Categories: History