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USS Cole (DDG-67)

History of USS Cole (DDG-67)

The USS Cole is probably best known for the insidious al-Qaeda attack on October 12, 2000 that killed 17 American sailors. Today, despite the loss and subsequent hull and mental damage, the USS Cole is treading water and returning to service in the Middle East.

She represents one of the 62 guided-missile destroyers that make up the Arleigh Burke-class battleship. She also formed one of the 21 ships of the Arleigh Burke "Flight I-class" (equipped with 5"/54 turret main guns).

These ships were commissioned by Flight II and Flight IIA ships, the other seven plus thirty-four Arleigh Burke class ships.

USS Cole Flyby

The design of the USS Cole is consistent with the Arleigh Burke class ships. She carries a sharp, high-angle bow, the main superstructure covers the midship, and the flight deck is aft. The 5-inch main gun is mounted between the bow and the superstructure, and the first of the two VLS rocket unit assemblies is located between this turret and the superstructure. The second VLS location is just forward of the flight deck at the rear of the design.

The superstructure can be identified by its large slab, three-sided front, and houses bridges and an array of important sensors, equipment and communications. The main mast covers the superstructure and slopes aft. As a gasoline powered boat, Cole uses two funnel structures, each with concealed sharp angles.

Each hopper assembly is identified by its black hopper stack vents, which are clearly visible in profile and protrude very slightly. One of the two 20mm Vulcan Phalanx systems is located forward and below the bridge, while the other is located aft, overlooking the flight deck and aft VSL missile cells.

The power of the kick

The Cole is powered by four large General Electric LM2500-30 series gasoline turbines powering two shafts for a total shaft power of 100,000 hp. She has a top speed of just over 30 knots and a range of 4,400 nautical miles at 20 knots. Her crew consisted of 210 enlisted personnel, as well as 38 chief non-commissioned officers and 33 officers.

The Cole has a barrel length of 505 feet, a beam of 66 feet, and a draft of 31 feet. Displacement is approximately 6,794 tons light and 8,885 tons full.

That's it - full protection

Their array of sensors and processing systems includes AN/SPY-1D radar, AN/SPS-67(V)2 surface search radar, AN/SPS-73(V)12 surface search radar, AN/sonar-array SQS-53C, Tactical Towed Sonar Array AN/SQR-19 and Ship System AN/SQQ-28 LAMPS III. Their countermeasures kit includes the AN/SLQ-32(V)2 electronic warfare system, the AN/SLQ-25 Nixie torpedo countermeasure, the MK 36 MOD 12 decoy launch system and the AN/SLQ-39 CHAFF buoy.

As part of the Aegis defense system, USS Cole can monitor up to 100 targets simultaneously through its powerful radar and tracking software.

Armed to the teeth

The weapon consists of two separate sets of missile cells: 1 x 29 and 1 x 61 Mk 41 vertical launch system, compatible with RIM-156 SM-2, BGM-109 Tomahawk cruise or RUM-139 VL-ASROC missiles. This formidable firepower is supported by 2 x 25mm chain guns, the aforementioned Mark 45 5/54" guns, 2 x 20mm Phalanx CIWS (Close-In Weapon System) for AA/Missile Defense and up to 4 x 12 .Heavy 7mm machine gun for close range defense and boarding. Cole can engage enemy surface ships on both port and starboard sides using 2 x Mk 32 triple torpedo tubes mounted midship. Cole always had access to about 100 different types of missiles.

With all of this, she formed a formidable arm of the US Navy on the high seas.

Aircraft

Cole can accommodate up to one Sikorsky-class SH-60 Seahawk helicopter on the rear deck helipad.

Key dates and upgrades

The USS Cole was built by Ingalls Shipyard in Pascagoula, Mississippi (now part of Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding). She was ordered on January 16, 1991, and got out of bed on February 28, 1994. She was launched on February 10, 1995, and delivered to the U.S. Navy on March 11, 1996. The official commissioning took place on June 8, 1996.

USS Cole is expected to raise missile capabilities to the RIM-161 standard in 2013 as part of the Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense System, a maritime mobile protective net against enemy ballistic missiles and providing Directional Missile 3 (SM-3 ) series received from the US Department of Defense Missile Defense Agency.

Yemen bombing

On October 12, 2000, a small boat laden with explosives approached the USS Cole as it broke down in the port of Aden, off the coast of Yemen. The ship was part of an al-Qaeda group targeting U.S. ships in Arabian waters. The suicide crew - in true al Qaeda fashion - detonated their cargo as they stood next to Cole, ripping a hole in her side, killing 17 American sailors and injuring 39 others. While this cowardly act damaged the U.S.

Navy ship and took the lives of several of her crew members, her spirit was not feared and she remained relatively intact, only to be towed back to the United States for repairs. It took 14 months for the Cole to be fully restored, and it was back in the water on April 19, 2002, this time bound for Norfolk, Virginia.

She will be officially deployed on November 29, 2003.

It was not until November 4, 2002 that a degree of retaliation was achieved. Ali Qaed Sinan al-Harthi - believed to be the mastermind behind the attack on USS Cole - was assassinated by the CIA with a Hughes AGM-114 Hellfire anti-tank missile fired from an MQ-1 Predator drone, confirming the ancient The motto "You can run, but you can't hide".

On June 8, 2006, the aircraft carrier USS Cole entered Arabian waters for the first time since the attack, paying tribute to its lost crew in true U.S. Navy fashion as it passed the port of Aden. She has since returned to Norfolk again and set off again to actively patrol the waters off Lebanon.

The aircraft carrier USS Cole, once trampled but far from out of combat, continues to perform to this day.

The name says it all

USS Cole is named after Sergeant Darrell S. Cole of the United States Marine Corps, an American soldier who was killed on Iwo Jima on February 19, 1945, during World War II. The ship's motto is "Gloria Merces Virtutis", which means "Glory is the reward of bravery".

The Cole's home port is outside NS Norfolk, Virginia.

Ongoing Service

February 2017 - The aircraft carrier USS Cole is called to patrol the coast of Yemen (Gulf of Aden) after Houthi (Iran-backed) rebels attack a Saudi warship.