(DDG 67)
The USS Cole left its home port of Norfolk, VA on June 21st and had been operating in the mediterranean for more than three months. It was scheduled to join an ongoing operation by U.S. and allied warships interdicting ships smuggling oil and other items into and out of Iraq in defiance of the U.N. embargo.
She had crossed the Suez Canal, the Red Sea and was docked in Aden, Yemen which is a traditional refueling stop for Navy ships in the Persian Gulf area. The ship was scheduled to proceed for a visit to Bahrain, headquarters for the U.S. Fifth Fleet, before starting work with her battle-group which is centered around the aircraft carrier USS George Washington.
The USS Cole is powered by four jet engines, similar to those used in everyday airliners. She's considered to be one of the finest destroyers in the USN and is highly capable of striking targets on land, sea or air.
She's armed with 56 Tomahawk missiles and many surface-to-air missiles. She has a 5-inch cannon with a range of more than 10 miles, two electric-Gatling guns that fire 50 rounds per second, and several other offensive and defensive weapons, all coordinated by the Aegis SPY-1D phased-array radar.
With the motto, "Determined Warrior", the USS Cole had previously distinguished herself with missions in the Caribbean as part of a counter-narcotics operation.
Named after a U.S. Marine
According to the US Navy website, Sgt Cole led his machine-gun section in the assault and its advance was halted by Japanese emplacements, which Cole personally destroyed with hand grenades. Armed with just a pistol and grenades, he attacked the two remaining emplacements until they were also destroyed. Upon returning to his own squad, he was killed by an enemy grenade.
Following ancient ship-building traditions, the Cole reportedly carries coins imbedded in its mast by Sgt Cole's relatives; 67 cents for its hull number, including 1920 and 1945 quarters for the years its namesake was born and died. Tradition says that the coins will ensure payment of the crew for the voyage home in the event of mishap.
MS-NBC and The Associated Press contributed to sections of the USS Cole Memorial
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