With 9 of 15 boilers shut down, the ship was conserving coal and could still make 21 knots, much faster than any surfaced U boat. However contrary to Admiralty orders the captain of the Lusitania reduced speed to 15 knots because of poor visibility. There is no condemnation of anyone for this incident, all were acting on the principal that a passenger ship should not be sunk without warning, and that she could outrun any U boat encountered. German surface raiders warned every merchant ship before firing and were much more humanitarian in their treatment of ships. U-boats attacking without warning was a new tactic and the barbarity of this was not realised right away. Germany stopped unrestricted warfare for a short period but U-boats resumed this practise and the rest is history.