The Aftermath

Overview

At 11:18 a.m., a small boat pulled alongside USS Cole—and vanished in a fireball. Seventeen sailors were killed instantly, dozens more wounded, and the destroyer itself nearly lost. In the chaos, the crew fought to save their ship with nothing but grit, training, and defiance. As allies rushed in and bodies were carried out under flags, Washington insisted it was a “criminal act,” not the act of war it clearly was.