US Navy ship that was recently (October 12th, 2000) bombed during a fueling stop in Yemen. The ship was breeched at the waterline when a lone terrorist drove a zodiac style raft into it's hull and detonated an (at this time) unknown explosive device killing 7, 10 missing (presumed dead) and injuring 32 crew members. The BBC is reporting the "Islamic Deterrence Force" is now claiming responisibility.
Some facts about the USS Cole:
Ships are grouped in classes by design class. The name of the class & class-leader is USS Arleigh Burke (DDG-51), but the actual ship is the USS Cole (DDG-67).

DD is the Navy's designation for a Destroyer.

DDG is the Navy's designation for a Guided Missile Destroyer.

Destroyers (and their variants like DDGs) and frigates are named for Navy & Marine Corps heros (not necessarily Congressional Medal of Honor awardees, though). USS Cole is named for Sergeant Darrell Samuel Cole, USMCR, who was killed in the line of duty during the battle for Iwo Jima.

Statistics of the USS Cole:
DIMENSIONS Hull Length (Overall) 505 Feet
Beam, Max/WL 66/59 Feet
Draft, Navigation 31 Feet
Displacement 8,300 Tons
Highest Point 148 Feet
Speed 30+ Knots

WEAPONS
One MK 45 MOD 1 5"/54 caliber Gun Mount
Two MK 41 Vertical Launching Systems
Two Harpoon Anti-shipping Missile Quad Canisters
Two MK 15 MOD 12 Close-in-Weapons Systems (Phalanx Mounts)
Two MK 32 MOD 14 Triple Torpedo Tubes (MK 50/46 Torpedoes)

SENSORS AN/SPY-1D 3-D Search/Track Radar
AN/SPS-67(V)3 Surface Search Radar
AN/SPS-64(V)9 Surface Search Radar
AN/SQS-53C(V) Hull Mounted Sonar
AN/SQS-19(V) Tactical Towed Array Sonar System
AN/SQQ-28(V) LAMPS III Shipboard Electronics

ESM/ECM
AN/SLQ-32(V)3
AN/SLQ-25A NIXIE Torpedo Countermeasures
Decoy Launching System (6 Launchers)

ENGINEERING
4 LM2500 Marine Gas Turbine Engines (100,000 SHP)
3 Allison 2500 KW Gas Turbine Generators
2 Shafts with CRP (Controllable Reversible Pitch) Propellers
2 Rudders


Commanding Officer: Commander Kirk S. Lippold
Executive Officer: Lieutenant Commander Chris Peterschmidt
Command Master Chief: HMCM (Surface Warfare/Air Warfare/Fleet Marine Force) James G. Parlier


Source: USS Cole homepage http://www.spear.navy.mil/ships/ddg67/ and former navy crewman (and co-worker of mine) Jim DeStael

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