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{{Short description|Arleigh Burke-class destroyer}}
{|{{Infobox Ship Begin}}
{{other ships|USS Cole}}
{{Infobox Ship Image
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2021}}
|Ship image=]

|Ship caption=
{|{{Infobox ship begin
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}} }}
{{Infobox Ship Career {{Infobox ship image
| Ship image = File:USS Cole (DDG-67) turn.jpg
|Hide header=
| Ship caption = USS ''Cole'' on 14 September 2000
|Ship country=US
|Ship flag={{USN flag}}
|Ship name=
|Ship namesake=
|Ship ordered=] ]
|Ship builder=
|Ship laid down=] ]
|Ship launched=] ]
|Ship acquired=
|Ship commissioned=] ]
|Ship decommissioned=
|Ship in service=
|Ship out of service=
|Ship struck=
|Ship reinstated=
|Ship honours=
|Ship fate=
|Ship status={{Ship fate box active in service}}
|Ship notes=
}} }}
{{Infobox Ship Characteristics {{Infobox ship career
|Hide header= | Hide header =
| Ship country = United States
|Header caption=
| Ship flag = {{USN flag}}
|Ship class=]
| Ship name = ''Cole''
|Ship displacement={{Arleigh Burke class destroyer displacement I}}
| Ship nickname = ''Determined Warrior''<ref>Archived at {{cbignore}} and the {{cbignore}}: {{Cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yPQVcEBDnLg|title=USS Cole (DDG 67) Virtual Tour - 20 years After The Terrorist Bombing - YouTube|website=www.youtube.com|date=10 October 2020 }}{{cbignore}}</ref>
|Ship length={{Arleigh Burke class destroyer length I}}
| Ship namesake = ]
|Ship beam={{Arleigh Burke class destroyer beam}}
| Ship ordered = 16 January 1991
|Ship draft={{Arleigh Burke class destroyer draft}}
| Ship builder = ]
|Ship propulsion={{Arleigh Burke class destroyer propulsion}}
| Ship laid down = 28 February 1994
|Ship speed={{Arleigh Burke class destroyer speed}}
| Ship launched = 10 February 1995
|Ship range={{Arleigh Burke class destroyer range}}
| Ship acquired =
|Ship complement={{Arleigh Burke class destroyer complement}}
| Ship commissioned = 8 June 1996
|Ship time to activate=
| Ship decommissioned =
|Ship sensors={{Arleigh Burke class destroyer sensors}}
| Ship in service =
|Ship EW={{Arleigh Burke class destroyer EW}}
| Ship out of service =
|Ship armament={{Arleigh Burke class destroyer armament I}}
|Ship armor= | Ship struck =
| Ship homeport = ]
|Ship aircraft={{Arleigh Burke class destroyer aircraft}}
| Ship identification = *{{MMSI Number|8590639}}
|Ship notes=
*]: NDDG
|Ship motto=<center>''Gloria Merces Virtutis'' <br/>"Glory is the Reward <br/>of Valor"</center>
*{{ICS|November}}{{ICS|Delta}}{{ICS|Delta}}{{ICS|Golf}}
*]: DDG-67
| Ship fate =
| Ship status = {{Ship in active service}}
| Ship notes =
| Ship honors = ]
| Ship badge = ]
| Ship motto = *''Gloria Merces Virtutis''
*(Glory is the Reward of Valor)
}}
{{Infobox ship characteristics
| Hide header =
| Header caption =
| Ship class = {{sclass|Arleigh Burke|destroyer}}
| Ship displacement = {{Arleigh Burke-class destroyer displacement I}}
| Ship length = {{Arleigh Burke-class destroyer length I}}
| Ship beam = {{Arleigh Burke-class destroyer beam}}
| Ship draft = {{Arleigh Burke-class destroyer draft}}
| Ship propulsion = {{Arleigh Burke-class destroyer propulsion}}
| Ship speed = {{Arleigh Burke-class destroyer speed}}
| Ship range = {{Arleigh Burke-class destroyer range}}
| Ship complement = Arleigh Burke-class destroyer complement
| Ship time to activate =
| Ship sensors = {{Arleigh Burke-class destroyer sensors}}
| Ship EW = {{Arleigh Burke-class destroyer EW}}
| Ship armament = {{Arleigh Burke class destroyer armament I}}
| Ship armor =
| Ship aircraft = {{Arleigh Burke-class destroyer Flight I/II aircraft}}
| Ship notes =
}} }}
|} |}

]
The second '''USS ''Cole'' (DDG 67)''' is an ] ]-equipped guided missile ] homeported in ]. The ''Cole'' is named in honor of Marine Sergeant ], a machine-gunner killed in action on ] on ] ]. The ship was built by ] and delivered to the Navy on ] ]. '''USS ''Cole'' (DDG-67)''' is an {{sclass|Arleigh Burke|destroyer|0}} ]-equipped guided missile ] ] in ], Virginia. ''Cole'' is named in honor of ] ], a machine-gunner killed in action on ] on 19 February 1945, during ]. ''Cole'' is one of 62 authorized ''Arleigh Burke''-class guided missile destroyers, and one of 21 members of the Flight I-class that used the ] caliber gun mounts found on the earliest of the ''Arleigh Burke''-class destroyers. The ship was built by ] and was delivered to the Navy on 11 March 1996.
On 12 October 2000, ''Cole'' was ] carried out by the terrorist organization ] in the ]i port of ], killing 17 sailors, injuring 39 others, and damaging the ship.<ref name="cnn.com">{{cite news|url=http://www.cnn.com/2003/LAW/05/15/cole.bombing.charges/index.html |title=Yemeni pair charged in USS Cole bombing |work=CNN |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071204065330/http://www.cnn.com/2003/LAW/05/15/cole.bombing.charges/index.html |archive-date=4 December 2007 }}</ref> On 29 November 2003, ''Cole'' engaged in her first overseas deployment after the bombing and subsequently returned to her home port of ], on 27 May 2004 without incident.
On ], ], the ''Cole'' was damaged by a ] while harbored in the ]i port of ].
__TOC__
==History==
]
{{details|USS Cole bombing}}


==Service history ==
On ] ], while under the command of Commander ], the ''Cole'' was attacked from a small boat by ] suicide bombers while harbored in the ]i port of ]<ref></ref>. The blast created a hole in the ] side of the ship approximately {{convert|40|ft|m}} in diameter, killing 17 crewmembers and injuring 39.
]
''Cole'' was ] on 10 February 1995 and commissioned on 8 June 1996 in ].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.navsource.org/archives/05/01067.htm |title=Destroyer Photo Index DDG-67 USS ''Cole'' |publisher=NavSource Naval History |access-date=20 June 2015 |archive-date=23 March 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190323065507/http://www.navsource.org/archives/05/01067.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> ''Cole'' was in continual service for the ] for several years after being commissioned, but an al-Qaeda terrorist attack in 2000, allegedly plotted by ], heavily damaged the ship, requiring extensive repairs, although still capable of eventually returning to service.


''Cole'' spent the first seven months of 2000 completing the intermediate and advanced portions of the Inter-Deployment Training Cycle.<ref>USS Cole Command History 2000</ref> From 7 March to 7 April, ''Cole'' participated in ] (COMPTUEX) 00-2 as part of ], led by the ] {{USS|George Washington|CVN-73|2}}, operating within the Gulf of Mexico operating areas. ''Cole'' was the only unit not 'damaged' during the exercise. From 9 to 22 May, ''Cole'' participated in Joint Task Force Exercise {{nat|00-2}} with the battle group, operating within the ] and Virginia Capes operating areas. On 8 August 2000, ''Cole'' departed on deployment, spending much time in the Mediterranean and Adriatic.
The ] offered a reward of up to ]5 million for information leading to the arrest or conviction of those persons who committed or aided in the attack on ''Cole''. On ] ], ], who is believed to have planned the attack, was killed by the ] using an ] missile launched from an ] unmanned drone.


=== Al-Qaeda attack ===
''Cole'' was returned to the ] aboard the Norwegian ] ] owned by Offshore Heavy Transport of ]. The ship was off-loaded ] ] from ''Blue Marlin'' in a pre-dredged deep-water facility at the ], shipyard of ] Ship Systems, Ingalls Operations. After 14 months of repair, ''Cole'' departed on ] ], and returned to her homeport of ]. ''Cole'' left Norfolk on ] ] on the destroyer's first overseas deployment since the bombing. She returned to homeport of ] on ] ] without incident.
{{Main|USS Cole bombing}}
]
On 12 October 2000, while at anchor in ] for refueling, ''Cole'' was attacked by ] suicide bombers, who sailed a small boat near the destroyer and detonated explosive charges.<ref name="cnn.com" /> The blast created a hole in the ] side of the ship about {{Convert|40|ft|m}} in diameter, killing 17 crew members and injuring 37.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.al-bab.com/yemen/cole1.htm |title=Attack on the USS ''Cole'' |publisher=al-bab.com |access-date=20 June 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150615203744/http://www.al-bab.com/yemen/cole1.htm |archive-date=15 June 2015}}</ref> The ship was under the command of Commander ].


Eleven seriously injured sailors&nbsp;— two women and nine men&nbsp;— were evacuated to various hospitals in Aden by ] ] airplanes from the French Forces of Djibouti. French forces were mobilized to treat the wounded. Afterward, a USAF ] evacuated them.
], a ] group, probably targeted ''Cole'' because an earlier attempt to attack ] on ], ] had failed. This was one of the ].


''Cole'' was returned to the United States aboard the Norwegian ] {{MV|Blue Marlin}}, then owned by Offshore Heavy Transport of Norway. The ship was off-loaded 13 December 2000 from ''Blue Marlin'' in a dredged deep-water facility at the ], shipyard of ] Ship Systems, Ingalls Operations. On 14 January 2001, ''Cole'' was moved from the floating dry dock at Litton Ingalls Shipbuilding to the land facility to begin her restoration process fully. ''Cole''{{'}}s movement over land was accomplished by a system of electrically powered cars that traveled on rails. ''Cole'' was moved to a construction bay near where the ship was originally built five years before.<ref>USS Cole Command History 2001</ref> On 1 July 2001, still under repair, she was transferred to ], led by the aircraft carrier {{USS|Harry S. Truman||2}}.
].]]
The ''Cole'' deployed to the ] on 8 June 2006 for the first time since the bombing. While passing the port city of ] the crew manned the rails to honor the crewmembers killed in the bombing. She returned to her homeport of ] on ] ] without incident.


On 14 September 2001, ''Cole'' was moved from drydock into the water once again. Initially scheduled for 15 September, the transfer was done the night of 14 September secretly to avoid the large media event originally scheduled one month before the ]. Moving the ship from the dry dock to the water took around 8 hours. As part of the increased security surrounding the undocking, ] {{USS|Bulkeley|DDG-84|6}} provided weapons and a physical presence to deter the possibility of any militant activity during the move. After 14 months of repair, ''Cole'' departed on 19 April 2002, and returned to her home port of Norfolk, Virginia.
On 21 August 2006, the ] reported that the Cole's ] at the time of the bombing, ] ] was denied promotion to the rank of ].<ref></ref>


On 3 December 2001, ''Cole'' transitioned from ], to COMDESRON 18 and the Enterprise Battle Group. The move to CDS 18 was followed by a visit to ''Cole'' by Commodore Daniel Holloway, Commander, Destroyer Squadron 18, on 10–11 December 2001.
It was reported in March 2007 that the families of the 17 sailors killed in the blast are heading to court to try to prove the attack could not have happened without the help of Sudan's government. "Sudan's material support ... including continuous flow of funding, money, weapons, logistical support, diplomatic passports and religious blessing, was crucial in enabling the attack on the USS Cole," lawyers for the families said in court papers outlining their case. <ref>. ], ].</ref> On March 14, 2007 it was reported that U.S. District Judge Robert G. Doumar said, "There is substantial evidence in this case presented by the expert testimony that the government of Sudan induced the particular bombing of the Cole by virtue of prior actions of the government of Sudan." <ref>. ], ].</ref>


The U.S. government offered a reward of up to $5 million for information leading to the arrest of people who committed or aided in the attack on ''Cole''. Al-Qaeda was suspected of targeting ''Cole'' following the failure of a 3 January 2000 attack on the destroyer {{USS|The Sullivans|DDG-68|2}}, one of the ].
On 25 July 2007, a US court led by Doumar ordered Sudan to pay $8 million compensation to the families of the 17 sailors who died. He calculated the amount they should receive by multiplying the salary of the sailors by the number of years they would have continued to work.<ref>. ], 2007. </ref>


On 4 November 2002, ], a suspected al-Qaeda operative who is believed to have planned the ''Cole'' attack, was killed in Yemen by the ] using an ] missile launched from a ] drone.
==See also==
*], for other ships of that name
*]
*]


In April 2019, a federal court dismissed two years of rulings in pretrial proceedings by the judge overseeing the military trial of ], the alleged leader of the 2000 bombing of ''Cole'', at Guantánamo Bay; the case was expected to drag on for years.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://theintercept.com/2019/05/14/uss-cole-bombing-guantanamo-military-commissions/ |title=Collapse of USS Cole Bombing Case Marks Another Failure for Guantanamo's Military Courts |work=theintercept.com |date=14 May 2019 |access-date=10 August 2019 |archive-date=30 June 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190630225123/https://theintercept.com/2019/05/14/uss-cole-bombing-guantanamo-military-commissions/ |url-status=live }}</ref>{{Unreliable source?|date=August 2019}}
==References==

{{reflist}}
On 13 February 2020, the government of Sudan agreed to compensate the families of the sailors who died in the bombing.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-51487712|title=USS Cole bombing: Sudan agrees to compensate families|work=BBC News|date=13 February 2020|access-date=13 February 2020|archive-date=13 February 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200213165731/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-51487712|url-status=live}}</ref>

=== Redeployment ===
On 20 August 2003, ''Cole'' got underway with the Argentine destroyer {{ship|ARA|Sarandí|D-13|2}} for a short group sail.<ref>USS ''Cole'' Command History 2003</ref> Embarked onboard ''Cole'' was the Visit Board Search and Seizure Team from the destroyer {{USS|Thorn|DD-988|2}}. Together with ''Cole''{{'}}s two VBSS teams, they conducted a series of Maritime Interdiction Operation (MIO) boardings on both ''Cole'' and ''Sarandí'' to practice for the upcoming ] (COMPTUEX). On 21 August, ''Cole'' fired CIWS and 5-inch rounds during a Killer Tomato Exercise in addition to conducting a series of personnel transfers with ''Sarandí'' via ''Sarandí''{{'}}s helicopter. Three of each ship's officers spent a few hours on their counterpart. The destroyer {{USS|Gonzalez|DDG-66|2}} joined the group to conduct their own MIO boardings. On 22 August, all three ships conducted an underway replenishment with the supply vessel {{USNS|John Lenthall|T-AO-189|2}} before heading back to Norfolk.
The predeployment COMPTUEX tested ''Cole''{{'}}s crew and all of the Enterprise Strike Group from 10 September 2003 until the beginning of October, starting with a series of structured events. On the first day, ''Cole''{{'}}s CIC teams participated in a jamming exercise, demonstrating the effects on ''Cole''{{'}}s sensors while being jammed.

On 29 November 2003 ''Cole'' deployed for her first overseas deployment after the bombing. December began with ''Cole'' in company with fellow destroyers ''Gonzalez'' and ''Thorn'', transiting the Atlantic Ocean for the deployment of ], the {{USS|Enterprise|CVN-65|2}} strike group. On 1 December, all three ships conducted an underway replenishment with the supply vessel {{USNS|Arctic|T-AOE-8|2}}, the Surface Strike Group's last fuel stop until reaching Europe. She subsequently returned to her home port of Norfolk on 27 May 2004, without incident.

In 2005 ''Cole'' participated in Exercise ] 05 in the Baltic Sea. ''Cole'' returned to the U.S. in early July and attended Fourth of July celebrations in ].

''Cole'' deployed to the Middle East on 8 June 2006, for the first time since the bombing. While passing the port city of Aden, the ship's company crewed the rails to honor the crewmembers killed in the bombing. She returned to her home port of Norfolk on 6 December 2006, again without incident.

On 21 August 2006, the ] reported that ''Cole''{{'}}s ] at the time of the bombing, ] ], had been denied promotion to the rank of ].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.military.com/NewsContent/0,13319,110801,00.html?ESRC=navynews.RSS |title=Cole Skipper Off Promotion List |publisher=Military.com |date=22 August 2006 |agency=Associated Press |access-date=20 June 2015 |archive-date=20 June 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150620211430/http://www.military.com/NewsContent/0,13319,110801,00.html?ESRC=navynews.RSS |url-status=live }}</ref>

On 28 February 2008, ''Cole'' was sent to take station off Lebanon's coast, the first of an anticipated three-ship ].{{cn|date=July 2024}}
], 2014.]]

On 3 February 2017, a U.S. defense official told ''Fox News'', "The Navy sent USS ''Cole'' to the ] following an attack earlier this week on a Saudi warship off Yemen by Iranian-backed Houthi rebels".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.foxnews.com/world/uss-cole-patrolling-off-yemen-after-iran-backed-rebels-attack-saudi-ship|title=USS Cole patrolling off Yemen after Iran-backed rebels attack Saudi ship|publisher=fox news|date=3 February 2017|access-date=29 April 2017|archive-date=25 May 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170525063720/http://www.foxnews.com/world/2017/02/03/uss-cole-patrolling-off-yemen-after-iran-backed-rebels-attack-saudi-ship.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Both Iran and the Houthis have denied they are collaborating with each other.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/yemeni-rebels-deny-us-charges-that-iran-is-arming-them|title=Yemeni rebels deny US charges that Iran is arming them|access-date=2018-10-14|language=en-US|archive-date=14 October 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181014210409/https://www.timesofisrael.com/yemeni-rebels-deny-us-charges-that-iran-is-arming-them/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.alaraby.co.uk/english/news/2017/12/20/iran-strongly-denies-arming-yemen-houthi-rebels|title=Iran 'strongly denies' arming Yemen Houthi rebels|last=Arab|first=The New|work=alaraby|access-date=2018-10-14|language=en|archive-date=14 October 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181014165229/https://www.alaraby.co.uk/english/news/2017/12/20/iran-strongly-denies-arming-yemen-houthi-rebels|url-status=live}}</ref>

In May 2022, ''Cole'' was homeported out of ] and a part of ], along with ] led by the {{USS|Harry S. Truman|CVN-75|6}}.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://news.usni.org/2022/05/23/usni-news-fleet-and-marine-tracker-may-23-2022|title=USNI News Fleet and Marine Tracker: May 23, 2022|publisher=usni.org|date=23 May 2022|access-date=2 June 2022|archive-date=5 October 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231005182118/https://news.usni.org/2022/05/23/usni-news-fleet-and-marine-tracker-may-23-2022|url-status=live}}</ref>

''Cole's'' latest deployment began in May 2024. In response to escalating tensions in the Middle East following the ], ''Cole'', along with ] and several strike force vessels have been cruising areas from the Persian Gulf to the Mediterranean Sea. <ref>{{Cite web |last=Tkuhn |title=US Navy destroyers USS Laboon and USS Cole enter Red Sea heading towards Israel amid rising tensions |url=https://www.armyrecognition.com/news/navy-news/2024/us-navy-destroyers-uss-laboon-and-uss-cole-enter-red-sea-heading-towards-israel-amid-rising-tensions |access-date=2024-08-08 |website=www.armyrecognition.com |language=en-gb}}</ref>

On 1 October 2024, ''Cole'' was involved in the interception of missiles employing ] and ] missiles during the ].<ref>https://www.nytimes.com/live/2024/10/01/world/israel-lebanon-hezbollah/97050b6e-56ed-5586-946c-f3861c0841df?smid=url-share</ref>

===Awards===
* ] - (12 October 2000, August 2024) ]
* ] - (Oct 1997 - Apr 1998, 12 Oct 2000)
* ] - (Jan-Aug 2017) GEORGE H W BUSH STRIKE GROUP
* ] - (1997, 1998, 2008, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2021, 2022, 2023)
* ] - (Jan-Dec 1998, Oct 2000-Dec 2002)
* ] for outstanding food service - (2009)

== Upgrade ==
]
On 12 November 2009, the ] announced that ''Cole'' would be upgraded during ] 2013 to ] <!-- (SM-3) --> capability to function as part of the ].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.navytimes.com/news/2009/11/navy_aegisbmd_111209w/ |title=MDA announces next 6 BMD ships |work=] |last=Ewing |first=Philip |date=12 November 2009 |access-date=20 June 2015}} {{subscription required}}</ref>

== See also ==
*{{USS|Samuel B. Roberts|FFG-58}}
*{{USS|Stark|FFG-31}}

== References ==
{{Reflist|colwidth=30em}}


== External links == == External links ==
{{Commons category}}
*
* *{{Official website|http://www.cole.navy.mil/}}
* *
* *
*Official Department of Defense FOIA files on the USS Cole *Official Department of Defense FOIA files on the USS ''Cole''
* *
* *
*
<!-- dead image removed ] ]]] -->


{{Arleigh Burke class destroyer}}
{{Arleigh_Burke_class_destroyer}}
{{2000 shipwrecks}}


{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cole (DDG-67)}}
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Latest revision as of 04:32, 10 November 2024

Arleigh Burke-class destroyer For other ships with the same name, see USS Cole.

USS Cole on 14 September 2000
History
United States
NameCole
NamesakeDarrell S. Cole
Ordered16 January 1991
BuilderIngalls Shipbuilding
Laid down28 February 1994
Launched10 February 1995
Commissioned8 June 1996
HomeportNorfolk
Identification
Motto
  • Gloria Merces Virtutis
  • (Glory is the Reward of Valor)
Nickname(s)Determined Warrior
Honors and
awards		See Awards
Statusin active service
Badge
General characteristics
Class and typeArleigh Burke-class destroyer
Displacement
  • Light: approx. 6,800 long tons (6,900 t)
  • Full: approx. 8,900 long tons (9,000 t)
Length505 ft (154 m)
Beam59 ft (18 m)
Draft31 ft (9.4 m)
Propulsion2 × shafts
SpeedIn excess of 30 kn (56 km/h; 35 mph)
Range4,400 nmi (8,100 km; 5,100 mi) at 20 kn (37 km/h; 23 mph)
ComplementArleigh Burke-class destroyer complement
Sensors and
processing systems
Electronic warfare
& decoys
Armament
Aircraft carried1 × Sikorsky MH-60R

USS Cole (DDG-67) is an Arleigh Burke-class Aegis-equipped guided missile destroyer home-ported in Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia. Cole is named in honor of Marine Sergeant Darrell S. Cole, a machine-gunner killed in action on Iwo Jima on 19 February 1945, during World War II. Cole is one of 62 authorized Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyers, and one of 21 members of the Flight I-class that used the 5 in(127 mm)/54 caliber gun mounts found on the earliest of the Arleigh Burke-class destroyers. The ship was built by Ingalls Shipbuilding and was delivered to the Navy on 11 March 1996.

On 12 October 2000, Cole was bombed in a suicide attack carried out by the terrorist organization al-Qaeda in the Yemeni port of Aden, killing 17 sailors, injuring 39 others, and damaging the ship. On 29 November 2003, Cole engaged in her first overseas deployment after the bombing and subsequently returned to her home port of Norfolk, Virginia, on 27 May 2004 without incident.

Service history

Cole in April 2002

Cole was launched on 10 February 1995 and commissioned on 8 June 1996 in Port Everglades, Florida. Cole was in continual service for the United States Navy for several years after being commissioned, but an al-Qaeda terrorist attack in 2000, allegedly plotted by Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, heavily damaged the ship, requiring extensive repairs, although still capable of eventually returning to service.

Cole spent the first seven months of 2000 completing the intermediate and advanced portions of the Inter-Deployment Training Cycle. From 7 March to 7 April, Cole participated in Composite Training Unit Exercise (COMPTUEX) 00-2 as part of Cruiser-Destroyer Group 2, led by the aircraft carrier George Washington, operating within the Gulf of Mexico operating areas. Cole was the only unit not 'damaged' during the exercise. From 9 to 22 May, Cole participated in Joint Task Force Exercise 00-2 with the battle group, operating within the Cherry Point and Virginia Capes operating areas. On 8 August 2000, Cole departed on deployment, spending much time in the Mediterranean and Adriatic.

Al-Qaeda attack

Main article: USS Cole bombing
Cole being carried by MV Blue Marlin

On 12 October 2000, while at anchor in Aden for refueling, Cole was attacked by Al-Qaeda suicide bombers, who sailed a small boat near the destroyer and detonated explosive charges. The blast created a hole in the port side of the ship about 40 feet (12 m) in diameter, killing 17 crew members and injuring 37. The ship was under the command of Commander Kirk Lippold.

Eleven seriously injured sailors — two women and nine men — were evacuated to various hospitals in Aden by French Air Force Transall C-160 airplanes from the French Forces of Djibouti. French forces were mobilized to treat the wounded. Afterward, a USAF McDonnell Douglas C-9 evacuated them.

Cole was returned to the United States aboard the Norwegian heavy-lift ship MV Blue Marlin, then owned by Offshore Heavy Transport of Norway. The ship was off-loaded 13 December 2000 from Blue Marlin in a dredged deep-water facility at the Pascagoula, Mississippi, shipyard of Northrop Grumman Ship Systems, Ingalls Operations. On 14 January 2001, Cole was moved from the floating dry dock at Litton Ingalls Shipbuilding to the land facility to begin her restoration process fully. Cole's movement over land was accomplished by a system of electrically powered cars that traveled on rails. Cole was moved to a construction bay near where the ship was originally built five years before. On 1 July 2001, still under repair, she was transferred to Carrier Group 2, led by the aircraft carrier Harry S. Truman.

On 14 September 2001, Cole was moved from drydock into the water once again. Initially scheduled for 15 September, the transfer was done the night of 14 September secretly to avoid the large media event originally scheduled one month before the September 11 attacks. Moving the ship from the dry dock to the water took around 8 hours. As part of the increased security surrounding the undocking, sister ship USS Bulkeley provided weapons and a physical presence to deter the possibility of any militant activity during the move. After 14 months of repair, Cole departed on 19 April 2002, and returned to her home port of Norfolk, Virginia.

On 3 December 2001, Cole transitioned from Destroyer Squadron 22, to COMDESRON 18 and the Enterprise Battle Group. The move to CDS 18 was followed by a visit to Cole by Commodore Daniel Holloway, Commander, Destroyer Squadron 18, on 10–11 December 2001.

The U.S. government offered a reward of up to $5 million for information leading to the arrest of people who committed or aided in the attack on Cole. Al-Qaeda was suspected of targeting Cole following the failure of a 3 January 2000 attack on the destroyer The Sullivans, one of the 2000 millennium attack plots.

On 4 November 2002, Qaed Salim Sinan al-Harethi, a suspected al-Qaeda operative who is believed to have planned the Cole attack, was killed in Yemen by the Central Intelligence Agency using an AGM-114 Hellfire missile launched from a General Atomics MQ-1 Predator drone.

In April 2019, a federal court dismissed two years of rulings in pretrial proceedings by the judge overseeing the military trial of Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri, the alleged leader of the 2000 bombing of Cole, at Guantánamo Bay; the case was expected to drag on for years.

On 13 February 2020, the government of Sudan agreed to compensate the families of the sailors who died in the bombing.

Redeployment

On 20 August 2003, Cole got underway with the Argentine destroyer Sarandí for a short group sail. Embarked onboard Cole was the Visit Board Search and Seizure Team from the destroyer Thorn. Together with Cole's two VBSS teams, they conducted a series of Maritime Interdiction Operation (MIO) boardings on both Cole and Sarandí to practice for the upcoming Composite Training Unit Exercise (COMPTUEX). On 21 August, Cole fired CIWS and 5-inch rounds during a Killer Tomato Exercise in addition to conducting a series of personnel transfers with Sarandí via Sarandí's helicopter. Three of each ship's officers spent a few hours on their counterpart. The destroyer Gonzalez joined the group to conduct their own MIO boardings. On 22 August, all three ships conducted an underway replenishment with the supply vessel John Lenthall before heading back to Norfolk.

The predeployment COMPTUEX tested Cole's crew and all of the Enterprise Strike Group from 10 September 2003 until the beginning of October, starting with a series of structured events. On the first day, Cole's CIC teams participated in a jamming exercise, demonstrating the effects on Cole's sensors while being jammed.

On 29 November 2003 Cole deployed for her first overseas deployment after the bombing. December began with Cole in company with fellow destroyers Gonzalez and Thorn, transiting the Atlantic Ocean for the deployment of Cruiser-Destroyer Group 12, the Enterprise strike group. On 1 December, all three ships conducted an underway replenishment with the supply vessel Arctic, the Surface Strike Group's last fuel stop until reaching Europe. She subsequently returned to her home port of Norfolk on 27 May 2004, without incident.

In 2005 Cole participated in Exercise BALTOPS 05 in the Baltic Sea. Cole returned to the U.S. in early July and attended Fourth of July celebrations in Philadelphia.

Cole deployed to the Middle East on 8 June 2006, for the first time since the bombing. While passing the port city of Aden, the ship's company crewed the rails to honor the crewmembers killed in the bombing. She returned to her home port of Norfolk on 6 December 2006, again without incident.

On 21 August 2006, the Associated Press reported that Cole's commanding officer at the time of the bombing, Commander Kirk Lippold, had been denied promotion to the rank of captain.

On 28 February 2008, Cole was sent to take station off Lebanon's coast, the first of an anticipated three-ship flotilla.

USS Cole cruising the Atlantic during Exercise Joint Warrior, 2014.

On 3 February 2017, a U.S. defense official told Fox News, "The Navy sent USS Cole to the Gulf of Aden following an attack earlier this week on a Saudi warship off Yemen by Iranian-backed Houthi rebels". Both Iran and the Houthis have denied they are collaborating with each other.

In May 2022, Cole was homeported out of Naval Station Norfolk and a part of Destroyer Squadron 28, along with Carrier Strike Group 8 led by the USS Harry S. Truman.

Cole's latest deployment began in May 2024. In response to escalating tensions in the Middle East following the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel, Cole, along with USS Laboon and several strike force vessels have been cruising areas from the Persian Gulf to the Mediterranean Sea.

On 1 October 2024, Cole was involved in the interception of missiles employing SM-3 and SM-6 missiles during the October 2024 Iranian strikes against Israel.

Awards

Upgrade

USS Cole under escort 2011

On 12 November 2009, the Missile Defense Agency announced that Cole would be upgraded during fiscal year 2013 to RIM-161 Standard Missile 3 capability to function as part of the Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense System.

See also

References

  1. Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: "USS Cole (DDG 67) Virtual Tour - 20 years After The Terrorist Bombing - YouTube". www.youtube.com. 10 October 2020.
  2. "Mk46 MOD 1 Optical Sight System". Kollmorgen. Archived from the original on 30 November 2022. Retrieved 26 January 2023.
  3. Rockwell, David (12 July 2017). "The Kollmorgen/L-3 KEO Legacy". Teal Group. Archived from the original on 29 May 2023. Retrieved 29 May 2023.
  4. Hart, Jackie (17 December 2023). "Decoy Launch System Installed Aboard USS Ramage". navy.mil. Archived from the original on 28 April 2016. Retrieved 26 January 2023.
  5. ^ "Yemeni pair charged in USS Cole bombing". CNN. Archived from the original on 4 December 2007.
  6. "Destroyer Photo Index DDG-67 USS Cole". NavSource Naval History. Archived from the original on 23 March 2019. Retrieved 20 June 2015.
  7. USS Cole Command History 2000
  8. "Attack on the USS Cole". al-bab.com. Archived from the original on 15 June 2015. Retrieved 20 June 2015.
  9. USS Cole Command History 2001
  10. "Collapse of USS Cole Bombing Case Marks Another Failure for Guantanamo's Military Courts". theintercept.com. 14 May 2019. Archived from the original on 30 June 2019. Retrieved 10 August 2019.
  11. "USS Cole bombing: Sudan agrees to compensate families". BBC News. 13 February 2020. Archived from the original on 13 February 2020. Retrieved 13 February 2020.
  12. USS Cole Command History 2003
  13. "Cole Skipper Off Promotion List". Military.com. Associated Press. 22 August 2006. Archived from the original on 20 June 2015. Retrieved 20 June 2015.
  14. "USS Cole patrolling off Yemen after Iran-backed rebels attack Saudi ship". fox news. 3 February 2017. Archived from the original on 25 May 2017. Retrieved 29 April 2017.
  15. "Yemeni rebels deny US charges that Iran is arming them". Archived from the original on 14 October 2018. Retrieved 14 October 2018.
  16. Arab, The New. "Iran 'strongly denies' arming Yemen Houthi rebels". alaraby. Archived from the original on 14 October 2018. Retrieved 14 October 2018.
  17. "USNI News Fleet and Marine Tracker: May 23, 2022". usni.org. 23 May 2022. Archived from the original on 5 October 2023. Retrieved 2 June 2022.
  18. Tkuhn. "US Navy destroyers USS Laboon and USS Cole enter Red Sea heading towards Israel amid rising tensions". www.armyrecognition.com. Retrieved 8 August 2024.
  19. https://www.nytimes.com/live/2024/10/01/world/israel-lebanon-hezbollah/97050b6e-56ed-5586-946c-f3861c0841df?smid=url-share
  20. Ewing, Philip (12 November 2009). "MDA announces next 6 BMD ships". Navy Times. Retrieved 20 June 2015. (subscription required)

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