Seydlitz Incident

The 'Seydlitz Incedent' was a short battle between German Battlecruiser SMS Seydlitz, and British destroyer HMS Black Prince, resulting in the British ship being sunk and a Casus Belli for the British government.

Background
For several months, British politicians, notably Winston Spencer-Churchill, had been advocating for a war with Germany. The Belgrade Scandal and the Tirpitz programme had certainly created much anti-German sentiment among the British public, but a real casus belli had yet to reveal itself.

The Incident
The British Destroyer was ordered out of its port at Dover, to 'Be shot at by a German ship, but not sunk.' However, the ship, moving at 22.6 knots, was not able to properly maneuver out of the way in time, and SMS Seydlitz sunk the ship with two simultaneous salvos, one to the ammo deck and the other to the gas tank, quickly sinking the ship.

The Reaction
The British public quickly became outraged, and pictures of the sailors covered the newspapers. Samuel Long, an eighteen-year old sailor who drowned in the skirmish quickly became the posterchild of pro-war effort and propaganda. The British public hoped for some sort of punishment. Britain quickly declared war, while the tragedy still hung in the air. A month later, the B.E.F spearheaded the Second Rheinish Offensive.

Later Criticism
After the assassination of Spencer-Churchill in 1923, the British Government released the order he gave, sparking criticism, even from some of the original supporters.