That's the deal that I was talking about, Charley... the ship was deliberately put in harm's way. Why that was done is a mystery - maybe(?). But, obviously, the Germans did what they had to do and then put the onus on the US to decide if a media storm was a good or bad thing for their administration.

It's all 20-20 hindsight (conjecture?) but it certainly doesn't reflect poorly on "The Dirty Huns" from a strategic or defense point of view.

Then again... history is history eh?