Two weeks ago, Germany announced that they were declaring the ocean waters around Great Britain as a war zone and subject to unrestricted submarine attack.

https://100yearsagotoday.wordpress.com/…/germany-declares-b…/

On February 18, 1915 the blockade went into effect. This puts the US in a difficult position of trying to maintain a neutral stance to the on-going conflict between Germany and Britain and carry on trade with both countries at the same time. President Woodrow Wilson does not like the threat of attack on US shipping and is formulating an official response.

In 1913 construction on 4 super-dreadnought battleships dubbed the Bayern class battleship was started by the German Imperial Navy to make up a proposed fourth battle squadron in the High Seas Fleet.

On February 18, 1915 the lead ship, the SMS Bayern, was launched at the Wilhelmshaven Imperial Shipyard in Lower Saxony, Germany. With the construction of more battleships and submarines and the threat of an ocean blockade, Germany is intent of flexing it’s naval muscles.