Part 10/15:
The Escalating U-Boat Warfare and Its Far-Reaching Consequences
The German U-boat campaign grew increasingly aggressive. On March 31, an astonishing 29 ships were sunk—possibly the worst single-day toll of the war for merchant vessels. Despite earlier setbacks, submarines proved particularly effective against unprotected commercial shipping, including the sinking of the first British passenger liner, the Fara Baa, during this week, which resulted in the first American death in WWI—an engineer named Leon Sacher drowning after the ship was torpedoed.