The Imperial German Embassy's official warning concerning traveling

One of the interesting facts about Lusitania and its 1915 sinking is that there was the Imperial German Embassy's official warning concerning traveling before her next crossing. The Lusitania set off from Liverpool on her 201st transatlantic voyage on April 17, 1915, and arrived in New York on April 24, 1915. A group of German–Americans met with a representative of the German Embassy to address their fears about the possibility of a U-boat attack on the Lusitania. The embassy resolved to warn passengers not to board the Lusitania on her next crossing, and on April 22 posted a warning advertisement in 50 American newspapers, including those in New York.

"Travelers intending to embark on the Atlantic voyage are reminded that a state of war exists between Germany and her allies and Great Britain and her allies; that the zone of war includes the waters adjacent to the British Isles; that, in accordance with the formal notice given by the Imperial German Government, vessels flying the flag of Great Britain, or any of her allies, are liable to destruction in those waters and that travelers sailing in the war zone on the ships of Great Britain or her allies do so at their own risk."

The Imperial German Embassy's official warning concerning traveling on the Lusitania was posted next to an advertisement for the return journey of the Lusitania. The warning sparked some controversy in the news and alarmed the ship's passengers and crew. However, the Lusitania sailed from New York on May 1, 1915, with 1960 passengers and a load of bullet casings and machine gun cartridges.