 The Germans employed submarines in the North Atlantic during World War I , and in April 1915 the German government issued a warning that it would target British civilian ships . The Lusitania was torpedoed on May 7 , 1915 , during a voyage from New York ; 128 Americans were among the 1 @,@ 198 who lost their lives . Newspapers owned by McCay 's employer William Randolph Hearst downplayed the tragedy , as Hearst was opposed to the US entering the war . His own papers ' readers were increasingly pro @-@ war in the aftermath of the Lusitania . McCay was as well , but was required to illustrate anti @-@ war and anti @-@ British editorials by editor Arthur Brisbane . In 1916 , McCay rebelled against his employer 's stance and began to make the patriotic Sinking of the Lusitania in his own time . 
