Thrasher Incident

The Thrasher Incident, as it became known in U.S. media, nearly became the start of America's involvement in World War I. On March 28, 1915, the British steamship RMS "Falaba" was torpedoed and sank by a German U-boat, the "U-28". 104 people were killed, including one American passenger—Leon Thrasher, a 31-year-old mining engineer from Massachusetts.

Beginnings

After the issuance of captured British orders, all merchant vessels were directed to paint over their names and ports of call and to fly under the flag of a neutral nation. They were instructed not to stop when challenged by a submarine but instead to open fire at once or, if unarmed, to attempt to ram the sub. In response, German orders came from Kaiser Wilhelm who declared that as of February 18, 1915, the waters surrounding England, including the Channel, were a war zone. Any merchant ship found in that zone would be immediately destroyed without first determining if the ship were neutral.

British Order in Council

In response, the British issued an Order in Council proclaiming a complete embargo on trade with Germany, denying her not only munitions, but all other goods. The American government, led by President Woodrow Wilson and Secretary of State William Jennings Bryan, responded with a protest to the British government; they saw no need to starve Germans. Americans were not prepared to enter the war—until the Thrasher Incident.

Pressure on America

Intense media scrutiny and public pressure mounted, demanding American response after the sinking of the "Falaba", which was widely reported as nothing short of a massacre of innocent civilians without warning. A Note was prepared by President Wilson to Germany, though he knew that the implications would likely lead to a declaration of war.fact|date=August 2007

After persistent requests by Secretary of State Bryan, documents detailing witness statements from the sinking of the "Falaba" offered proof that the captain of "U-28" gave adequate warnings and time for the "Falaba" to offload passengers. Instead, the crew of the "Falaba" had used that time to radio the position of the submarine to nearby armed British patrol ships. As the warship approached, the sub fired at the last minute—and detonated nearly thirteen tons of contraband high explosives in the "Falaba's" cargo. This discovery allowed a diplomatic delay in the American response and the decision whether to go to war.

Legacy

The Thrasher Incident will go down in history as a very close call which almost caused America's entrance into WWI—soon to be accomplished with the sinking of the RMS "Lusitania".

References

* [http://history.sandiego.edu/gen/ww1/warstart.html University of San Diego WWI Timeline] .
* "American Journal of International Law", Vol. 9, No. 2 (April 1915), pp. 503–513.
* Atlantic Liners, "The Pre-Lusitania Sinkings", J. Kent Layton, 2004.