-Caveat Lector-
---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Thu, 12 Oct 2000 13:31:05 -0400 (EDT)
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Cc: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Subject: U.S. destroyer rammed in Yemen port ===> The USS
Cole
Some background on the Cole and the terrorist threat that was not
countered in Yemen:
The Cole is a Flight I, Block I, Burke class destroyer (DDG 67)
built by Ingalls in Pascagoula (Mississippi) and commissioned in
1996.
Part of her standard equipment is two 24 foot rigid inflatable
boats designed, in part, to be used when in harbor to interdict
terrorist attacks by small boat.
It is also common practice to fit a couple of 25 mm Bushmaster
cannon (sometimes automatic grenade launchers -- kind of like a
machine gun with a low cyclic rate, but firing 40 mm grenades --
and 50 caliber submachine guns are fitted as well) on Navy
vessels like the Cole, especially when they are assigned to duty
in the Gulf.
I don't know if they (or other defensive systems) were fitted in
the Cole's particular case or not re the terrorist threat. . .
These light weapons, like the two inflatable boats, are designed
primarily to protect the ship against close-in terrorist threats
(mostly against small boats that approach with little warning in
harbor -- whether at high or low speed; a low speed approach can
be gamed to be superior to high speed since such an approach
looks more innocuous than a straight-in high speed suicide run).
When at sea, radar gives middling good warning of approaching
craft (even small rubber boats), but harbor security became a big
deal over the last 10-15 years for the USN, especially in certain
foreign ports. . .
It will be interesting to see who (meaning someone in addition to
the ship's CO, perhaps a Navy harbor security team attached to
the navy facilities in the port) shared primary responsibility
for protecting the Cole from terrorist attack while she was in
port refueling. . .
It will also be interesting (in light of the latest
Israeli-Palestinian dust-up) what degree of heightened alert
status existed with the USN units (shore and afloat) in the Yeman
harbor (not only the alert level but whether the requirements of
the alert level were actually followed. . .).
Although specifics on the attack are somewhat lacking over here
now, this general sort of attack is something the Navy has been
officially training to prevent/defeat. As is often the case, all
you need to be to defeat such training on a one- or two-time
basis is semi-clever (with perhaps a little luck tossed in).
Leaving aside the loss of human life (and none may have been lost
on the terrorist side -- you can radio control such craft very
easily) this was a hugely "economic" attack -- the boat carrying
the explosives (along with everything aboard) probably cost no
more than a few thousand dollars.
The damage done to the Cole will be in the tens of millions of
dollars (rough guess, knowing only the early estimates of the
size of the breach in her hull -- $75-100 million).
The Burke class DDG one hull number lower than the Cole, Gonzalez
(DDG 66), ran aground less than a month after commissioning in
1996 (12-11-96) on a charted (sic) rock near St. Martin in the
Caribbean, damaging her sonar dome, propellers, and shaft struts.
She was repeaired by her builder (Bath IRon Works in Maine) for a
cost of about $10 million (repairs took 10 months).
The only bright side I can see to this incident for the USN ---
this is the first damage I am aware of to a Burke class destroyer
that approximates combat damage -- is that the USN will be able
to see how well a Burke class ship's physical structure as well
as combat and other systems held up (they will want to get the
best idea they can of the weight and type of explosive used, for
that and for other reasons).
One of the main improvements to the Burkes (when compared to the
Ticonderoga class "cruisers" built on Spruance class destroyer
type hulls and carrying the AEGIS missile system like the Burkes)
was to add armor protection (steel and Kevlar) absent on the
Ticonderogas and the Spruances.
The hull is generally stronger as well (with a lower length to
beam ratio than the Ticonderogas/Spruances). A Burke can make 30
knots in 35 foot seas/60 knot winds, or so I have heard. That
speed in those seas puts a huge strain on a hull. The Navy will
be able to evaluate the physical destruction and also to see how
the various ship's systems were affected (especially the AEGIS
system).
Well, I expect this is more than most ever wanted to know on this
narrow topic!
Warm regards,
Hugh S.
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Kadosh, Kadosh, Kadosh, YHVH, TZEVAOT
FROM THE DESK OF: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
*Mike Spitzer* <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
~~~~~~~~ <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
The Best Way To Destroy Enemies Is To Change Them To Friends
Shalom, A Salaam Aleikum, and to all, A Good Day.
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