On 17 February 1917, the French passenger/cargo ship SS "Athos" was sunk by the German U-boat SM "U"-65. The ship carried 900 Chinese workers, 543 of which were killed, and China subsequently severed diplomatic ties with Germany in March. The Chinese officially declared war on the Central Powers on 14 August, one month after the failed Manchu Restoration. German and Austro-Hungarian concessions in Tientsin and Hankow were swiftly occupied by China.