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xocetaceans

(4,442 posts)
13. Independent of the discussion of the Strait of Hormuz, your history on the USS Cole is not accurately . . .
Sun Mar 15, 2026, 10:18 AM
Mar 15

. . . stated.

First, it was not in the 1990s. It was in the year 2000.

Second, more particularly, it was in port at Aden.

Here is an FBI report of the event:

USS Cole Bombing

On October 12, 2000, two suicide pilots of a small bomb-laden boat pulled alongside of the USS Cole at midship, offered friendly gestures to several crew members, and detonated their explosives.

The U.S. destroyer, en route to the Persian Gulf, was making a prearranged fuel stop at the port of Aden, Yemen, when the attack occurred.

The blast ripped a 40-foot-wide hole near the waterline of the Cole, killing 17 U.S. sailors and injuring nearly 40 other crew members.

. . .

https://www.fbi.gov/history/famous-cases/uss-cole-bombing


And here is another discussion of that event:

Naval War College Review

Learning the Hard Way
John Callaway

page 111 (page 5 of the PDF)

...

USS COLE
On 10 October 2000, Cole transited the Suez Canal en route to the Persian Gulf,
where the ship was to enforce the United Nations sanctions against Iraq and
keep its Tomahawk land-attack cruise missiles ready for possible use by the
Commander, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM). On 11 October 2000 Cole
passed southward through the Red Sea at twenty-seven knots. The next day, the
12th, the ship entered Aden and tied up alongside a dolphin, a pierlike structure
of concrete pilings in the middle of the harbor, to take on fuel.
As is customary
when a ship visits a port, numerous small vessels soon approached it. Two tugs
maneuvered the ship along the dolphin, assisted by two smaller boats carrying
line handlers, who would pull the mooring lines to the dolphin’s cleats and make
them fast. The harbor pilot, when his task was complete, disembarked into a pi-
lot boat, and the husbanding agent, a representative of the company arranging
for fuel and other services, boarded from (probably) yet another boat. Several
small scows came to take trash, as well as sewage pumped from the ship’s holding
tanks.
Less than two hours after Cole’s arrival, another small craft approached the
warship from the pier area across the harbor. One man was in the stern, handling
the outboard motor, and a second was standing in the bow. The skiff turned to-
ward the center of the warship, the man in the bow waving to the crew topside,
and a moment later an explosion rocked the harbor. An explosive charge ripped
a forty-by-forty-five-foot hole through the steel skin of the ship, killing seven-
teen sailors and wounding forty-two others.(19)

...


https://digital-commons.usnwc.edu/nwc-review/vol62/iss1/8


All of that being said, though, it is a terrible idea to sacrifice the Navy (or any soldiers or people for that matter) on the altar of Donald Trump's moronic planning, war, and ego.

Recommendations

14 members have recommended this reply (displayed in chronological order):

i submit that the location of the Straits is not the key issue Tetrachloride Mar 15 #1
I agree with both of you, but I would summarize it thusly: ms liberty Mar 15 #2
At the moment we don't have any friends ... only enemies FakeNoose Mar 15 #29
Fairly sure Putin considers us more "friend" than foe atm Arazi Mar 15 #32
He considers us more fools than not Lithos Mar 15 #56
Putin has hated us ever since his funds were frozen and his oil was sanctioned FakeNoose Mar 15 #57
And, it seems DiverDave Mar 15 #60
He's got Republicans azureblue Mar 15 #44
I fundamentally agree with your three points JPK Mar 15 #3
Good morning. Please explain what DDG's are, JPK. Thank you. ❤️ littlemissmartypants Mar 15 #21
DDG is a guided missle destroyer Beausoleil Mar 15 #27
TY ❤️ littlemissmartypants Mar 15 #43
DDG JPK Mar 15 #38
TY ❤️ littlemissmartypants Mar 15 #42
Another way to see why this is a fuck-up ---- read about WW1, Churchill and the Dardanelles. 3Hotdogs Mar 15 #55
You forgot 2.. 3825-87867 Mar 15 #6
If the Commander in Chief wanted to set the example COL Mustard Mar 15 #49
The Persian, Arabian, gulf is totally within g the range of drones Old Crank Mar 15 #40
The admirals aren't stupid but they aren't in charge. JohnnyRingo Mar 15 #4
i had guessed "grok" but it seems "claude" is in command. rampartd Mar 15 #12
The question is Seinan Sensei Mar 15 #17
The Iranian Foreign Minister just told Margaret on FTN... littlemissmartypants Mar 15 #23
Asymetrical Destruction modrepub Mar 15 #5
I am positive JPK Mar 15 #7
Mercurial Personality modrepub Mar 15 #22
I'm partially with you vanessa_ca Mar 15 #50
It's not hard to understand: Epstein scandals he's hiding (thru Bondi & Patel) Justice matters. Mar 15 #63
Bibi didn't give a shit about Iran JPK Mar 15 #9
Au contraire, Netanyahu deeply cares about Iran Arazi Mar 15 #33
The era of large surface combat ships is over. Shipwack Mar 15 #10
All the navies in the world cannot open or close the Strait of Hormuz AverageOldGuy Mar 15 #8
The world is ruled by a fucking moron dalton99a Mar 15 #11
He may believe that in his miniscule mind but it's far from the truth. ... littlemissmartypants Mar 15 #24
"The war is very complete"? calimary Mar 16 #64
Independent of the discussion of the Strait of Hormuz, your history on the USS Cole is not accurately . . . xocetaceans Mar 15 #13
Never the less, the point was... JPK Mar 15 #20
I do believe that is your salient point. littlemissmartypants Mar 15 #25
Indeed, I definitely get the main point. xocetaceans Mar 15 #62
Seems to me the only person Farmer-Rick Mar 15 #14
Saudi Arabia is also benefiting greatly, more than Russia, since RU relies on Iranian drones for their war on Ukraine LymphocyteLover Mar 15 #16
Yeah, they are making a buck off this illegal war too Farmer-Rick Mar 15 #18
Iran is the #1 enemy and threat to Saudi Arabia's dominance in the gulf region LymphocyteLover Mar 15 #31
If I was forced to make a list of people, it would be much longer. ❤️ littlemissmartypants Mar 15 #26
Anyone with oil to sell without the threat of it going up in flames is benefiting. paleotn Mar 15 #28
Hello ... Venezuela! FakeNoose Mar 15 #30
Yep, it's pretty simple LymphocyteLover Mar 15 #15
October 2000. I remember the coverage because... Pacifist Patriot Mar 15 #19
You left a lot out Kaleva Mar 15 #34
In summary: The Iranians own the Straits. flashman13 Mar 15 #35
Reading the post here - do you think that Trump is looking for an excuse to Nuke? Dan Mar 15 #36
Nuke what? Red Mountain Mar 15 #37
The radioactive cloud JPK Mar 15 #39
It would be stupid to try and use them in a tactical manner Red Mountain Mar 15 #58
Yes! RB77 Mar 15 #51
Re-familiarize yourselves with the Millennium Challenge of 2002... druidity33 Mar 15 #41
More details on that exercise RainCaster Mar 15 #53
OOOOooo... i'd love to see this! druidity33 Mar 15 #54
What this told me RainCaster Mar 15 #61
Our president is willing to make that sacrifice IronLionZion Mar 15 #45
Trump cares nothing at all stage left Mar 15 #46
Here's an image to aid in visualizing just how tight this aituation is. ShazzieB Mar 15 #47
Not... czarjak Mar 15 #48
They don't need to OC375 Mar 15 #52
Because this is a shooting war, and we'll definitely lose some boats? Iggo Mar 15 #59
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