USS Cole - Bringing her back home!
A dramatic sequence of photos depicting the Norwegian heavy-lift vessel Blue Marlin raising the bomb-damaged USS Cole prior to transporting her from Yemen back to the United States.  The photos were taken on October 31, 2000.  Click on the thumbnails to see larger pictures.   The $1-billion warship was attacked by terrorists in Aden, Yemen on October 12, 2000. The terrorist explosion left a gaping 40-by-40 foot hole in her hull at the waterline. Seventeen brave sailors were killed and 39 others were injured in the blast.

The USS Cole was built and christened in 1995 at the Ingalls Shipbuilding yards in Pascagoula, Mississippi.  On December 14, 2000, the Blue Marlin returned the USS Cole to Ingalls for repairs.  The repair work took over a year to complete and cost approximately $170-million.

It’s terribly sad that so many people had to be hurt or killed in order for us to see these remarkable pictures.   May God ease the grief and suffering of the survivors and their families, and give rest to the departed. Amen.

USS Cole Updates:

September 29, 2004 - A Yemeni judge sentenced two USS Cole bombing masterminds to death by firing squad.   Sentenced to death were Abd Rahim Nashiri, a Saudi who allegedly headed al Qaeda and Jamal Badawi, a Yemeni who was serving as a top al Qaeda organizer in Yemen.   The judge also ordered 5 to 10 year jail sentences for four other Yemenis for their role in the suicide bombing.
May 13, 2002 - Navy awards Northrop Grumman perfect scores on restoration of the USS Cole
April 19, 2002 - USS Cole gets patriotic send-off from Northrop Grumman employees, local residents
April 19, 2002 - USS Cole returns to U.S. Navy fleet following restoration by Northrup Grumman
April 16, 2002 - USS Cole had a successful sea trial after repairs at Northrup Grumman and is ready to return
September 14, 2001 - USS Cole (DDG 67) afloat again at Northrop Grumman shipyard
September 4, 2001 - USS Cole one step closer to home
February 14, 2001 - Litton Ingalls gets funding for USS Cole restoration
December 24, 2000 - Farewell Blue Marlin - USS Cole removed from heavy lift ship at Litton Ingalls Shipbuilding
December 13, 2000 - USS Cole (DDG 67) returns to Ingalls for restoration