On May 6, 1915, during World War I, the British Harrison Line steamer SS Centurion was torpedoed and sunk by the German U-boat U-20 off the coast of County Wexford, Ireland. The U-20, commanded by Captain Schweiger, fired two torpedoes at the Centurion. The crew abandoned the ship after the first hit, but the vessel remained afloat for an hour, necessitating a second torpedo. This incident was significant as it occurred just one day before the same U-boat sank the RMS Lusitania, a major event that heightened anti-German sentiment and influenced the course of the war.
