*EPF205 01/02/01
Defense Department Report, January 2, 2001
(USS Cole back in water for repairs) (710)

USS COLE PLACED BACK IN THE WATER FOR REPAIRS AT PASCAGOULA

Washington, D.C., Dec. 29, 2000 -- After receiving a patch to cover the hole caused by a terrorist attack in Aden, Yemen, October 12, USS Cole (DDG 67) was placed back into the water Christmas Eve at Litton Ingalls Shipbuilding in Pascagoula, Mississippi. Now at Pier 4 of the shipyard, Cole will soon undergo extensive repairs.

Cole was returned to the U.S. aboard the Norwegian heavy transport ship M/V Blue Marlin owned by Offshore Heavy Transport of Oslo, Norway. The ship was off-loaded from Blue Marlin in a pre-dredged deep-water facility at the Ingalls shipyard. In early January, the ship will be placed in a floating dry-dock and then transferred to a land level facility. The Navy estimates that the repairs will take approximately one year and cost an estimated $240 million.

Planning for the repairs was begun with engineering assessments to determine the extent of repair required. Personnel riding M/V Blue Marlin during the six-week transit from the Arabian Gulf assisted in that assessment. Ingalls and the Naval Sea System Command are completing the assessment and are developing a detailed work plan for the repairs.

The decision to have Litton Ingalls Shipbuilding repair Cole followed a thorough review of costs and schedules associated with public and private shipyards, and included an assessment of how the selection would impact Cole sailors and their families. Ingalls Shipbuilding was determined to be the shipyard best suited to make the repairs.

The selection of Ingalls allows most of the work to be done by civilian workers experienced in building this type of ship. Ingalls was the builder of Cole. Most of the ship's crew will be able to remain in Norfolk, Va., living and working as a team based in existing pre-commissioning facilities.

Under this arrangement, the majority of the crew will be able to use shore-based trainers and schools to sustain seagoing skills and qualifications while a small group of Cole sailors will serve aboard the ship on a rotational basis.

Cole is an Arleigh Burke-class, or Aegis, guided missile destroyer, and is based in Norfolk. The ship was part of the USS George Washington Battle Group, and was in transit from the Red Sea to a port visit in Bahrain when the ship stopped in Aden for routine refueling. The destroyer departed Norfolk for its deployment August 8 and was scheduled to return home December 21.

Cole was towed out of Aden harbor October 29 to deeper water by the Military Sealift Command's fleet ocean tug USNS Cataba (T-ATF 168). The process of loading Cole onto the transport ship required a water depth of at least 75 feet since it involved partially submerging Blue Marlin and maneuvering Cole into position over Blue Marlin's deck. The transport ship was then raised, and Cole was lifted aboard. The destroyer was canted on Blue Marlin's deck to protect her propellers and her sonar dome.

A small contingent of Navy volunteers from various commands assumed charge of the damaged destroyer and rode with her aboard Blue Marlin back to the United States.

Navy Admiral Harold W. Gehman, Jr., former commander-in-chief of U.S. Joint Forces Command, and Army General William W. Crouch, the former vice chief of staff of the U.S. Army were appointed by Secretary of Defense William S. Cohen to provide a comprehensive review of all actions of all agencies, departments, and commands of the Department of Defense for lessons learned. Admiral Gehman said that his commission will be "aggressive" in following any lead, even if it goes into other areas. The Crouch-Gehman Commission investigation is expected to be complete in January.

A separate Navy review is also expected in January. A JAG Manual investigation examined the preparations that USS Cole made for refueling in Aden. That investigation has been completed and is currently under review by the Navy staff in the Pentagon. The FBI is investigating the bombing itself.

The explosion aboard Cole in October killed 17 of her crew and injured 39 others.

(Distributed by the Office of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
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