![]() The USS Cole (DDG-67) is towed by the Navy tug vessel USNS Catawba to a staging point in the Yemeni harbor of Aden to await transportation by the Norwegian-owned, semi-submersible heavy-lift ship MV Blue Marlin. “Because we were going to be somewhat isolated in Yemen, we knew everything we brought had to serve several purposes.” “We immediately started pulling resources and gear to support several different diving and salvage scenarios,” Shields told Coffee or Die Magazine recently. The 12 men who composed Detachment Alpha launched into planning and preparing for a daunting mission: They would locate missing sailors, assist in stabilizing the ship, recover evidence, and perform structural inspections of the Cole after a terrorist attack. “We are going to Yemen to assist the crew in recovery and salvage of the ship.” “The USS Cole was damaged from an explosion while in port,” he told them. Perna looked up at his team, who stared back with anticipation. Radford after its collision at sea with a Saudi Arabian container vessel. He participated in salvage and recovery operations for Trans World Airlines Flight 800 and the USS Arthur W. Photo courtesy of Mike Shields.Ī skilled diver with extensive experience in underwater salvage and recovery operations, Perna had worked on several high-profile dive operations. The blast ripped a 1,600-square-foot hole in its hull, killing 17 American sailors and wounding 39.Īqueous Film Forming Foam flame retardant floats on top of the water, preventing any fuel from igniting near the damaged left-side hull of the USS Cole in October 2000. Less than 24 hours earlier, the USS Cole, a US Navy guided-missile destroyer, was docked in Yemen’s Aden harbor for a planned refueling when al Qaeda suicide bombers in a small boat packed with at least 400 pounds of explosives steered their craft into the Cole’s left side. “I understand,” Perna said into the phone before hanging up. Mike Shields, now a retired master chief master diver, could tell the call was serious. The divers, deployed with Detachment Alpha of Mobile Diving and Salvage Unit 2 aboard the USNS Mohawk, turned their attention to their officer in charge as he picked up the phone and listened intently. 13, 2000, Chief Warrant Officer Frank Perna and his team of US Navy divers were sipping cappuccinos at an open-air coffee shop, enjoying a beautiful Italian morning in the Port of Bari, when the distinct ringtone of Perna’s cell phone cut the casual banter and light mood. Detachment Alpha of Mobile Diving and Salvage Unit 2 aboard the USNS Catawba with the USS Cole and the MV Blue Marlin in the background.
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