1. Naval Warfare and the U.S. Entry into the War
World War I
Naval Warfare and the U.S. Entry into the War

2. Massive expansion to keep ahead of each other!
GERMANY vs. GREAT BRITAIN
Arms Race & Dreadnoughts
Massive expansion to keep ahead of each other!
HMS Dreadnought, 1905
Long range guns, steel armor, heavy caliber guns, steam engine propulsion…

3. British BLOCKADE and Strategy
August 1914; Harbors & Mines
…by the Allied Powers during WWI in an effort to “restrict the maritime supply of raw materials to the Central Powers”
“contraband” that all but prohibited American trade with the Central powers…
Nov. 1914, GB declared the North Sea to be a War Zone, with any ships entering at their own risk…
NORTH SEA, ATLANTIC and the ENGLISH CHANNEL
“War-zones” and Strategic importance

4. German Blockade of Great Britain
February 1915; U-BOAT CAMPAIGN and Allied Merchant ships
August 1914, initial phase in the North Sea – the focus was on GB’s fleet!
Germany and “UNRESTRICTED SUBMARINE WARFARE”
…in the “war-zones,” February 1915
MERCHANT SHIPS
Contraband and Tricks

5. The LUSITANIA, Germany and Submarines
May 1915
…went down off the coast of Ireland, killing 1,198 (128 Americans)
“Sinking turned public opinion in many countries against Germany, contributed to the American entry into World War I and became an iconic symbol in recruiting campaigns of why the war was being fought!”
…resumes “unrestricted submarine warfare”
February 1917

7. The ZIMMERMAN TELEGRAM
January/February 1917
U.S. Declaration of War
April 6, 1917

8. Allies use the CONVOY SYSTEM to cross the Atlantic
June 1917