Norfolk, Virginia. (October 10, 2024): It has been twenty-four years since terrorists attacked the USS Cole, killing seventeen Sailors and wounding dozens of her crew, and the pain has not subsided. In this photo by MC1 Sophie A. Pinkham, Logistics Specialist 2nd Class Wilfredo Cerezo-Rodriguez and Logistics Specialist 1st Class Robert Jordan lay a wreath commemorating the victims at the USS Cole Memorial.

On October 12, 2000, al-Qaeda terrorists detonated a bomb alongside the USS Cole while it was refueling in Aden Harbor, Yemen. Two men pulled up alongside the vessel in a motorboat, reportedly making friendly gestures to the American warship. They then detonated 1,000 pounds of explosives. The blast killed seventeen and injured thirty-nine crew members and created 40-foot hole in the side of the ship. The crew fought valiantly for more than 96 hours to rescue their shipmates and save their ship under extremely dangerous conditions.

A U.S. Federal Court Judge has ruled Iran is responsible for the deadly attack and has ordered the Iranian government to pay two billion dollars in damages to the Sailor’s families. Although unlikely to receive full compensation, the families nevertheless pledge to seize Iranian assets, where possible, to satisfy the judgment.

The attack resulted in numerous Navy policy changes in the years that followed including global force protection initiatives and increased training to defend against unconventional threats.

The USS Cole was repaired and returned to sea in 2003.