I keep reading this but I still have not seen one bit of thought as to why. I can understand fully any sailor on that ship believing the worst about the attack, its pretty hard to go through all that and lose your buddies just on an oops....but s&&t happens.......
The U.S. accidentally shot down an Iranian airliner in 1988. I absolutely do NOT believe that was intentional, but Iran certainly does, and I am sure the loved ones of the victims do too.
If I remember correctly, it was a looong time ago his son and I talked about it, he believed they were trying to make the US think it was the Egyptians that attacked the Liberty so that we’d help Israel against Egypt... but I am not sure I am remembering the country correctly, it could’ve been some other nation. I wish Jim hadn’t passed so I could’ve talked to him about it. I got interested a couple years after he passed away. His brother (Fred, I think) was also on the Liberty, he never talked about it.
In 1968 (one year after the Liberty incident), the USAF attacked an Australian Navy destroyer 
off Vietnam.
Did they confuse it with one of the North Vietnam Charles F Adams class destroyers, or something darker?
There's something pathetic about Americans - with the worst Air Force in history for blue on blue incidents - imagining any attack on then HAD to be planned.
"British, wave and cheer. German, shoot at it. American, take cover." British Army aircraft maxim circa 1944.