USS Cole (DDG 67)
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USS ''Cole'' (DDG-67) is an ( Flight I)
Aegis The aegis ( ; ''aigís''), as stated in the ''Iliad'', is a device carried by Athena and Zeus, variously interpreted as an animal skin or a shield and sometimes featuring the head of a Gorgon. There may be a connection with a deity named Aex, a ...
guided missile destroyer A guided-missile destroyer (DDG) is a destroyer whose primary armament is guided missiles so they can provide anti-aircraft warfare screening for the fleet. The NATO standard designation for these vessels is DDG, while destroyers which have a pr ...
home-ported in
Naval Station Norfolk Naval Station Norfolk is a United States Navy base in Norfolk, Virginia, that is the headquarters and home port of the U.S. Navy's Fleet Forces Command. The installation occupies about of waterfront space and of pier and wharf space of the Ham ...
, Virginia. ''Cole'' is named in honor of Marine Sergeant
Darrell S. Cole Sergeant Darrell Samuel Cole (July 20, 1920 – February 19, 1945) was a United States Marine who posthumously received the United States' highest military decoration, the Medal of Honor, for his conspicuous gallantry at the Battle of Iwo Jima dur ...
, a machine-gunner killed in action on
Iwo Jima is one of the Japanese Volcano Islands, which lie south of the Bonin Islands and together with them make up the Ogasawara Subprefecture, Ogasawara Archipelago. Together with the Izu Islands, they make up Japan's Nanpō Islands. Although sout ...
on 19 February 1945, during
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
. ''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 Ingalls Shipbuilding is a shipyard located in Pascagoula, Mississippi, United States, originally established in 1938, and now part of HII. It is a leading producer of ships for the United States Navy, and, as of 2023, is the largest private em ...
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 , image = Flag of Jihad.svg , caption = Jihadist flag, Flag used by various al-Qaeda factions , founder = Osama bin Laden{{Assassinated, Killing of Osama bin Laden , leaders = {{Plainlist, * Osama bin Lad ...
in the
Yemen Yemen, officially the Republic of Yemen, is a country in West Asia. Located in South Arabia, southern Arabia, it borders Saudi Arabia to Saudi Arabia–Yemen border, the north, Oman to Oman–Yemen border, the northeast, the south-eastern part ...
i port of
Aden Aden () is a port city located in Yemen in the southern part of the Arabian peninsula, on the north coast of the Gulf of Aden, positioned near the eastern approach to the Red Sea. It is situated approximately 170 km (110 mi) east of ...
, 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 Norfolk ( ) is an independent city (United States), independent city in the U.S. state of Virginia. It had a population of 238,005 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of cities in Virginia, third-most populous city ...
, on 27 May 2004 without incident.


Service history

''Cole'' was launched on 10 February 1995 and commissioned on 8 June 1996 in
Port Everglades, Florida Port Everglades is a seaport in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, located in Broward County. Port Everglades is one of South Florida's foremost economic engines, as it is the gateway for both international trade and cruise vacations. In 2022, Port Ev ...
. ''Cole'' was in continual service for the
United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...
for several years after being commissioned, but an al-Qaeda terrorist attack in 2000, allegedly plotted by
Khalid Sheikh Mohammed Khalid Sheikh Mohammed (sometimes also spelled Shaykh; also known by at least 50 pseudonyms; born 14 April 1965), often known by his initials KSM, is a terrorist, and the former head of propaganda for the pan-Islamist militant group al-Qaeda. He ...
, 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, or Composite Training Unit Exercise, is a rehearsal each US Navy Carrier Strike Group performs before departing for deployment. Each ship and aircraft in the battle group trains in its specialty; COMPTUEX brings ships together to project ...
(COMPTUEX) 00-2 as part of Cruiser-Destroyer Group 2, led by the
aircraft carrier An aircraft carrier is a warship that serves as a seagoing airbase, equipped with a full-length flight deck and hangar facilities for supporting, arming, deploying and recovering carrier-based aircraft, shipborne aircraft. Typically it is the ...
, 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 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

On 12 October 2000, while at anchor in
Aden Aden () is a port city located in Yemen in the southern part of the Arabian peninsula, on the north coast of the Gulf of Aden, positioned near the eastern approach to the Red Sea. It is situated approximately 170 km (110 mi) east of ...
for refueling, ''Cole'' was attacked by
Al-Qaeda , image = Flag of Jihad.svg , caption = Jihadist flag, Flag used by various al-Qaeda factions , founder = Osama bin Laden{{Assassinated, Killing of Osama bin Laden , leaders = {{Plainlist, * Osama bin Lad ...
suicide bombers, who sailed a small boat near the destroyer and detonated explosive charges. The blast created a hole in the
port A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as Hamburg, Manch ...
side of the ship about 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 The French Air and Space Force (, , ) is the air force, air and space force of the French Armed Forces. Formed in 1909 as the ("Aeronautical Service"), a service arm of the French Army, it became an independent military branch in 1934 as the Fr ...
Transall C-160 The Transall C-160 is a military transport aircraft, produced as a joint venture between France and Germany. "Transall" is a German abbreviation of the manufacturing consortium ''Transporter Allianz'', comprising the companies of Messerschmitt- ...
airplanes from the French Forces of Djibouti. French forces were mobilized to treat the wounded. Afterward, a USAF
McDonnell Douglas C-9 The McDonnell Douglas C-9 is a retired military version of the McDonnell Douglas DC-9 airliner. It was produced as the C-9A Nightingale for the United States Air Force, and the C-9B Skytrain II for the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps. The final flig ...
evacuated them. ''Cole'' was returned to the United States aboard the Norwegian
heavy-lift ship A heavy-lift ship is a vessel designed to move very large loads that cannot be transported by normal ships. They are of two types: *''Semi-submersible'' ships that take on water ballast to allow the load—usually another vessel—to be fl ...
, 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 Pascagoula ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Jackson County, Mississippi, United States. It is the principal city of the Pascagoula metropolitan area, and is part of the Gulfport, Mississippi, Gulfport–Biloxi, Mississippi, Biloxi–Pascag ...
, shipyard of
Northrop Grumman Northrop Grumman Corporation is an American multinational Aerospace manufacturer, aerospace and Arms industry, defense company. With 97,000 employees and an annual revenue in excess of $40 billion, it is one of the world's largest Arms industry ...
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 . 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 The September 11 attacks, also known as 9/11, were four coordinated Islamist terrorist suicide attacks by al-Qaeda against the United States in 2001. Nineteen terrorists hijacked four commercial airliners, crashing the first two into ...
. 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 A sister ship is a ship of the same Ship class, class or of virtually identical design to another ship. Such vessels share a nearly identical hull and superstructure layout, similar size, and roughly comparable features and equipment. They o ...
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 Destroyer Squadron 22, often abbreviated as DESRON 22, is a squadron of warships of the United States Navy. It is an operational component of Carrier Strike Group Two Carrier Strike Group 2 (CSG-2 or COMCARSTRKGRU 2) is a U.S. Navy carrier s ...
, 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 , one of the
2000 millennium attack plots A series of Islamist terrorist attacks linked to al-Qaeda were planned to occur on or near January 1, 2000, in the context of millennium celebrations, including bombing plots against four tourist sites in Jordan, the Los Angeles International Ai ...
. On 4 November 2002,
Qaed Salim Sinan al-Harethi Qaed Salim Sinan al-Harithi (19553 November 2002), also known by his ''nom de guerre'' Abu Ali al-Harithi, was a Yemeni Islamist militant who served as the leader of al-Qaeda in Yemen (AQY) from some time before 2000 until his death in 2002. ...
, a suspected al-Qaeda operative who is believed to have planned the ''Cole'' attack, was killed in Yemen by the
Central Intelligence Agency The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA; ) is a civilian foreign intelligence service of the federal government of the United States tasked with advancing national security through collecting and analyzing intelligence from around the world and ...
using an
AGM-114 Hellfire The AGM-114 Hellfire is an American missile developed for anti-armor use, later developed for precision drone strikes against other target types, especially high-value targets. It was originally developed under the name " Heliborne laser, fi ...
missile launched from a
General Atomics MQ-1 Predator The General Atomics MQ-1 Predator (often referred to as the Predator drone) is an American remotely piloted aircraft (RPA) built by General Atomics that was used primarily by the United States Air Force (USAF) and Central Intelligence Agency ...
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 Abdul Rahim Hussein Muhammed Abdu al-Nashiri (; ; born January 5, 1965) is a Saudi Arabian citizen alleged to be the mastermind of the bombing of USS ''Cole'' and other maritime attacks. He is alleged to have headed al-Qaeda operations in the ...
, 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 for a short group sail. Embarked onboard ''Cole'' was the Visit Board Search and Seizure Team from the destroyer . 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, or Composite Training Unit Exercise, is a rehearsal each US Navy Carrier Strike Group performs before departing for deployment. Each ship and aircraft in the battle group trains in its specialty; COMPTUEX brings ships together to project ...
(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 joined the group to conduct their own MIO boardings. On 22 August, all three ships conducted an underway replenishment with the supply vessel 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 strike group. On 1 December, all three ships conducted an underway replenishment with the supply vessel , 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 BALTOPS (Baltic Operations) is an annual military exercise, held and sponsored by the Commander, United States Naval Forces Europe, since 1971, in the Baltic Sea and the regions surrounding it. The purpose of BALTOPS is to train gunnery, repleni ...
05 in the Baltic Sea. ''Cole'' returned to the U.S. in early July and attended Fourth of July celebrations in
Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...
. ''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 manned the rail 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 The Associated Press (AP) is an American not-for-profit organization, not-for-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association, and produces news reports that are dist ...
reported that ''Cole''s
commanding officer The commanding officer (CO) or commander, or sometimes, if the incumbent is a general officer, commanding general (CG), is the officer in command of a military unit. The commanding officer has ultimate authority over the unit, and is usually give ...
at the time of the bombing,
Commander Commander (commonly abbreviated as Cmdr.) is a common naval officer rank as well as a job title in many army, armies. Commander is also used as a rank or title in other formal organizations, including several police forces. In several countri ...
Kirk Lippold, had been denied promotion to the rank of
captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...
. On 28 February 2008, ''Cole'' was sent to take station off Lebanon's coast, the first of an anticipated three-ship
flotilla A flotilla (from Spanish, meaning a small ''flota'' ( fleet) of ships), or naval flotilla, is a formation of small warships that may be part of a larger fleet. Composition A flotilla is usually composed of a homogeneous group of the same cla ...
. On 3 February 2017, a U.S. defense official told ''Fox News'', "The Navy sent USS ''Cole'' to the
Gulf of Aden The Gulf of Aden (; ) is a deepwater gulf of the Indian Ocean between Yemen to the north, the Arabian Sea to the east, Djibouti to the west, and the Guardafui Channel, the Socotra Archipelago, Puntland in Somalia and Somaliland to the south. ...
following an attack earlier this week 0 Januaryon 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 Naval Station Norfolk is a United States Navy base in Norfolk, Virginia, that is the headquarters and home port of the U.S. Navy's Fleet Forces Command. The installation occupies about of waterfront space and of pier and wharf space of the Ham ...
and a part of
Destroyer Squadron 28 Destroyer Squadron 28 (DESRON 28), is a squadron of warships of the United States Navy. It is an operational component of Carrier Strike Group Eight Commander, Carrier Strike Group 8, abbreviated as CCSG-8 or COMCARSTRKGRU 8, is one of five ...
, along with
Carrier Strike Group 8 Commander, Carrier Strike Group 8, abbreviated as CCSG-8 or COMCARSTRKGRU 8, is one of five U.S. Navy carrier strike groups currently assigned to the United States Fleet Forces Command. the group flagship is the ''Nimitz''-class aircraft carrier ...
led by the . ''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 The RIM-161 Standard Missile 3 (SM-3) is a ship-based surface-to-air missile used by the United States Navy to intercept ballistic missiles as a part of Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense System. Although primarily designed as an anti-ballistic mis ...
and SM-6 missiles during the
October 2024 Iranian strikes against Israel On 1 October 2024, Iran launched about 200 ballistic missiles at targets in Israel, in at least two waves, then the largest attack during the ongoing 2024 Iran–Israel conflict, Iran–Israel conflict. Iran's codename for the attack was Ope ...
.


Awards

*
Combat Action Ribbon The Combat Action Ribbon (CAR) is a United States Navy, United States Coast Guard, and United States Marine Corps military decoration awarded to United States sea service members "who have actively participated in ground or surface combat." Coast ...
- (12 October 2000, August 2024)
USS Cole bombing The USS ''Cole'' bombing was a suicide attack by Al-Qaeda against , a guided missile destroyer of the United States Navy, on 12 October 2000, while it was being refueled in Yemen's Aden harbor. Seventeen U.S. Navy sailors were killed and thi ...
*
Navy Unit Commendation The Navy Unit Commendation (NUC) is a United States Navy and United States Coast Guard unit award that was established by order of the Secretary of the Navy James Forrestal on 18 December 1944. History Navy A navy, naval force, military m ...
- (Oct 1997 - Apr 1998, 12 Oct 2000) *
Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation The Meritorious Unit Commendation (MUC; pronounced ''muck'') is a mid-level unit award of the United States Armed Forces. The U.S. Army awards units the Army MUC for exceptionally meritorious conduct in performance of outstanding achievement or ...
- (Jan-Aug 2017) GEORGE H W BUSH STRIKE GROUP *
Navy E Ribbon A navy, naval force, military maritime fleet, war navy, or maritime force is the military branch, branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval warfare, naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral z ...
- (1997, 1998, 2008, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2021, 2022, 2023) *
Navy Expeditionary Medal The Navy Expeditionary Medal is a military award of the United States Navy which was established in August 1936. Award criteria The General Orders of the Department of the Navy which established the medal states, "The medal will be awarded to t ...
- (Jan-Dec 1998, Oct 2000-Dec 2002) *
Captain Edward F. Ney Memorial Award The Captain Edward F. Ney Award for food-service excellence is given to the best US Navy galleys among those that earn a five-star rating from a Navy evaluation team. The Secretary of the Navy and the International Food Service Executives Assoc ...
for outstanding food service - (2009)


Upgrade

On 12 November 2009, the
Missile Defense Agency The Missile Defense Agency (MDA) is a component of the Federal government of the United States, United States government's United States Department of Defense, Department of Defense responsible for developing a comprehensive Missile defense, defe ...
announced that ''Cole'' would be upgraded during
fiscal year A fiscal year (also known as a financial year, or sometimes budget year) is used in government accounting, which varies between countries, and for budget purposes. It is also used for financial reporting by businesses and other organizations. La ...
2013 to
RIM-161 Standard Missile 3 The RIM-161 Standard Missile 3 (SM-3) is a ship-based surface-to-air missile used by the United States Navy to intercept ballistic missiles as a part of Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense System. Although primarily designed as an anti-ballistic mis ...
capability to function as part of the
Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense System The Aegis ballistic missile defense system (Aegis BMD or ABMD), also known as ''Sea-Based Midcourse'', is a Missile Defense Agency program under the United States Department of Defense developed to provide missile defense against short and inte ...
.


See also

* *


References


External links

*
navsource.org: USS ''Cole''USS ''Cole'' Association
*Official Department of Defense FOIA files on the USS ''Cole'
USS ''Cole'' Redeploys
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cole (DDG-67) Arleigh Burke-class destroyers Destroyers of the United States Ships built in Pascagoula, Mississippi 1995 ships Maritime incidents in 2000