--- title: "Today in military history: USS Cole attacked by terrorists" description: "On Oct. 12, 2000, the USS Cole was attacked by terrorists. It was the deadliest attack against a U.S. vessel since 1987." date: "2022-10-12" modified: "2023-10-10" authors: - name: "Team Mighty" job_title: "Author" link: "https://www.wearethemighty.com/authors/teammighty.md" url: "https://www.wearethemighty.com/articles/uss-cole-history/" categories: - "History" - "Navy" --- # Today in military history: USS Cole attacked by terrorists ![uss cole]() *The Military Sealift Command fleet ocean tug USNS Catawba towing USS Cole after the bombing. DoD photo by Sgt. Don L. Maes, U.S. Marine Corps. (Released)* On Oct. 12, 2000, the *USS Cole* was attacked by terrorists. It was the deadliest attack against a U.S. vessel since 1987. The *USS Cole* was refueling at Aden, Yemen, when it was struck on the port side by a small rubber dinghy loaded with explosives. The detonation blew a 40 by 40 foot hole in the Cole, killing 17 sailors and injuring 39 more. The crew managed to stop the flooding that ensued and keep the Cole afloat. https://youtu.be/VboRxkGeEG4 The dinghy was manned by two suicide terrorists alleged to be members of al Qaeda, but no conclusive evidence has been found. The [arleigh-burke]() class destroyer was only scheduled to remain in port for four hours, so it is likely that the terrorists had detailed information about the *Cole’s* itinerary when they managed to approach the ship unchallenged. On Jan. 6, 2019, Donald Trump reported that the U.S. military killed the terrorist mastermind believed to have orchestrated the deadly attack. Jamel Ahmed Mohammed Ali Al-Badawi, an al-Qaeda operative on the FBI’s most wanted list, was killed during a strike in Yemen’s Ma’rib Governorate, a US official [told]() CNN. He was struck while driving alone. The U.S. says there was no collateral damage. Al-Badawi had been picked up by Yemeni authorities multiple times since the bombing; however, he repeatedly managed to escape justice — finally it was confirmed that Al-Badawi was the target of a Jan. 1, 2019 airstrike that successfully killed him. ## Author Team Mighty's experience encompasses intel, special ops, military history, tactical expertise, aviation, gear, and weapons. Authors on Team Mighty include veterans, spouses, and active and reserve service members from every branch of the military, as well as former CIA employees. ## More - [Why the US just built a new missile that doesn’t explode]() - [The survivors of the USS Cole recount the deadly attack in this powerful video]() - [Today in military history: US-led attack on Afghanistan begins]() - [Intel from Yemen raid prompted latest TSA electronics ban]() - [SEAL Team 6 operator killed in one of Trump administration’s first anti-terror missions]() - [The ghastly attack in Kenya proves an important point about terrorist groups]() - [That time British Intelligence hacked al-Qaeda just to mess with them]() - [How SEALs were caught in ‘ferocious’ firefight during Yemen counter-terrorism raid]()