The Falaba was built in 1910 and was owned by the Elder Dempster Shipping Company. She was a passenger and cargo ship that sailed between Liverpool and West Africa. On March 28, 1915, the Falaba was sailing from Liverpool to Lagos, Nigeria, when she was intercepted by the German U-boat U-28.
The U-28 was commanded by Kapitänleutnant Georg-Günther von Forstner. Forstner believed that the Falaba was carrying arms and ammunition for the British military, and he decided to sink her. He fired a single torpedo at the Falaba, which struck the ship in the engine room. The Falaba sank quickly, taking with her 111 passengers and crew members.
The sinking of the Falaba caused a great deal of outrage in Britain and the United States. The British government accused Germany of deliberately targeting civilian ships, and the United States government issued a strong protest. The sinking of the Falaba was one of the factors that led to the United States' entry into the First World War.
The wreck of the Falaba lies in the Atlantic Ocean, about 20 miles off the coast of Ireland. The wreck is considered to be a war grave, and it is illegal to dive on it.