Senate committee opens hearings on Cole attack

A Senate committee is looking into the October attack against the USS Cole that killed 17 sailors

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee began hearings today on the October 12 bombing of the Navy destroyer USS Cole as it took on fuel in a Yemeni harbor.

Seventeen sailors died in the suicide bomb attack that punched a 40-by-40-foot hole in the $1 billion warship's port side. Thirty-nine sailors were wounded, and the ship itself was damaged so severely it had to be carried on a transport ship back to the United States for repairs.

GALLERIES Images from USS Cole memorial services     INTERACTIVE See a 3-dimensional image of the USS Cole Get the plugin Leaders' reactions to the attack on the USS Cole Animation of a transport ship conducting a recovery procedure at sea

Yemeni investigators have reportedly detained 31 people in connection with the bombing and recently returned from an investigative trip to the United States as part of their pretrial inquiry. A trial date has not been set.

U.S. officials suspect that Saudi exile Osama bin Laden, who is accused of waging a decadelong worldwide conspiracy to kill Americans and destroy U.S. government property, is linked to the attack.

But the senators, headed by committee chairman John Warner, R-Virginia, want to know how a small explosives-laden boat piloted by a single man was able to pull alongside the 505-foot Cole.

Pentagon and U.S. Navy investigations, while concluding that the attack could not have been stopped, nevertheless cited several lapses in security procedures. And then-Defense Secretary William Cohen agreed with top officials overseeing the reports that the Cole's commanding officers were due no punishment for the actions.

The Senate committee plans to review those investigations with an eye to the lessons learned by the attack. The senators also plan to review the military's standards of accountability.

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U.S. Navy
  • USS Cole (DDG 67)
The Pentagon: Headquarters of the United States Department of Defense
U.S. State Department, Response to Terrorism
Counter-Terrorism - Terrorism and Security Information

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