Chapter Nineteen
International Incident

[...]

As we moved toward the staircase to the safety of the deck I thought to myself, It isn't the only thing that'll stink when the Allies hear about the Zamzam.

"A second Lusitania."

"A new act of barbarism."

For weeks to come the story of the liner Zamzam, widely publicized as involving 138 American citizens at a time when America was neutral, was to be held up to the western world as yet another example of Germany's wanton disregard for the law of nations---an international incident.

We attacked Zamzam on April 17th, from out of the dark western sky of the fading night, with her outline clear against the dawn's first breaking. We sank her after many hours of patient stalking, a special operation to celebrate our temporary return to the field of our first hunting---the waters of the South Atlantic. The exploit obtained for us the unexpected distinction of a monumentally phrased leader in the London Times and, among lesser unsolicited testimonials, an article and a number of letters in Life magazine.

The real story of the sinking of this wretched Egyptian ship is far more fantastic than anything that appeared at the time, for the ship we shelled at three miles range was not the ship we'd been looking for. Zamzam was the victim of a coincidence dating back to the friendly days of 1937, and a visit by Rogge to England.

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