Off-topic, but wondering re USS Cole (Full Version)

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jwarrenw13 -> Off-topic, but wondering re USS Cole (10/18/2000 7:57:00 AM)

I'm an Army guy myself, and I've only been on a Navy ship once, in the Panama Canal of all places back in 89, the USS Bellatrix, fast transport, big one. Anyway, looking at the damage inflicted on the Cole, with the huge hole in the side, I have to believe the ship must have been in very serious danger and that the damage control effort must have been pretty good, especially considering that it must have been a complete, total surprise. Any Navy guys care to comment?



Arralen -> (10/18/2000 10:33:00 AM)

quote:

Originally posted by JW: Anyway, looking at the damage inflicted on the Cole, with the huge hole in the side,
Is there a picture available somewhere (just curious [img]http://www.matrixgames.com/ubb/smile.gif[/img] )... the only one my newspaper showed had the hole already covered with some kind of sheets .. Arralen



JW at work -> (10/18/2000 5:52:00 PM)

The best I could find is at this link to CNN.com, which has several stories and several photos. This photo still doesn't do justice to the size of the hole. I've seen better but couldn't find one in a quick search. http://www.cnn.com/2000/US/10/12/ship.rammed.08/



Paul Vebber -> (10/18/2000 6:31:00 PM)

From a Navy Helo pilot supporting the repair effort. "It wasn't until a few days ago though, that we started doing something that I feel may be the first thing I've seen in my short Naval career that has truly made a difference. Right now we're supporting the USS COLE and her crew in Aden. When the attack occurred we were a day away. Just by luck we happened to be on our way out of the Gulf and headed towards the Suez and could get here in a relatively short amount of time. I know what you all have seen on CNN, because we have seen it too. I just want you all to know that what you see doesn't even scratch the surface. I'm not going to get into it for obvious reasons. But I will tell you that right now there are 250+ sailors just a few miles away living in hell on Earth. I'm sitting in a nice air conditioned state room, they're sleeping out on the decks at night. You can't even imagine the conditions they're living in, and yet they are still fighting 24 hours a day to save their ship and free the bodies of those still trapped and send them home. As bad as it is, they're doing an incredible job. The very fact that these people are still functioning is beyond my comprehension. Whatever you imagine as the worst, multiply it by ten and you might get there. Today I was tasked to photo rig the ship and surrounding area. It looked so much worse than I had imagined, unbelievable really, with debris and disarray everywhere, the ship listing, the hole in her side. I wish I had the power to relay to you all what I have seen, but words just won't do it. I do want to tell you the first thing that jumped out at me - the Stars and Stripes flying. I can't tell you how that made me feel...even in this God forsaken hell hole our flag was more beautiful than words can describe. Then I started to notice the mass of activity going on below, scores of people working non-stop in 90 plus degree weather to save this ship. They're doing it with almost no electrical power and they're sleeping (when they can sleep) outside on the decks because they can't stand the smell or the heat or the darkness inside. They only want to eat what we bring them because they're all scared of eating something brought by the local vendors. Even with all that, the USS COLE and her crew is sending a message guys, and it's that even acts of cowardice and hate can do nothing to the spirit and pride of the United States. I have never been so proud of what I do, or of the men and women that I serve with as I was today. There are sixteen confirmed dead sailors who put it on the line for all of us, and some of them are still trapped here. Please take a minute to pray for their families and say a word of thanks for their sacrifice - one made so that we can live the lives that we do. All of you that serve with me, thank you. All of you that have loved ones that serve, thank you." Please feel free to pass this on to those you think will appreciate it.



JW at work -> (10/18/2000 8:23:00 PM)

Thanks. The impression I got from what I saw in the first few days is that they nearly lost the ship, that the damage control effort was incredible, that the crew did and continues to do a tremendous job, and that because the ship is still in danger, it is being downplayed somewhat for now.



Desert Fox -> (10/18/2000 9:52:00 PM)

I know a lot of people will look at that hole and think that the hole and the immediate area around it is the only seriously damaged area. Well, I thought that too, but today my gasdynamics professor went on about how the real damage is all over the entire ship. He said that there would be fractures literally on every part of the ship, and bolts would likely be falling out of their holes. This would be because the bolt hole actually would have enlarged. Now, the reason the entire ship is damaged is due to the stress waves created by the explosion. The stress would have traveled through every part of the ship, transmitted by the metal construction of the ship. My professor went on to say that ships are less damaged by a big hole in the side of the ship than they are by a huge stress wave that went through the whole ship (though that would usually create a huge hole). Basically, a hole can be repaired, but stress fractures throughout the whole ship cannot be easily repaired. And actually, this kind of stuff applies to tanks to. It explains why bolts kept flying out of the earliest tanks. I imagine that, any tank, after constant bombardment with large shells, even if they did not penetrate, would eventually have put so much stress on the armor that it would fail.



Rhone -> (10/18/2000 10:44:00 PM)

To a lesser extend, the theory can apply to a car accident. You get hit in the rear and your motor shuts off? Why? The shock waves of the impact did the damage. Now a blast that put a whole like that in the side of a destroyer....the shock waves must have been incredible. And hopefully in the end, the shock waves will land in the laps of those who did this little piece of cheap cowardly work.



McGib -> (10/19/2000 5:49:00 AM)

I spent 14 years in the Canuck Navy and received extensive training in damage repair. Desert Fox you hit the nail on the head. Pipes, wireways, electrical systems, everything and anything in that ship will have been shoved side to side and up and down anything from several inches to several feet. Heck even ladders between decks will probably be buckled. Take a bowl of water and sit it down and watch the water move around, thats what the insides of that ship did when the explosion happened. ------------------ McGib Ready Aye Ready



RUsco -> (10/19/2000 6:49:00 AM)

There are pictures available at www.sierratimes.com Look under Latest on the USS Cole. You will have to search the page for the links.



RUsco -> (10/19/2000 6:50:00 AM)

Oops, Missed the picture on the front page neer the bottom.



Randy -> (10/19/2000 9:45:00 AM)

It is ironic that this months (or last months) issue of Naval Institute Proceedings is about damage control. They want the next generation of ships (DD-21) to be crewed by smaller crews. When s... hits the fan you need all the people you can get. I also wonder if this will have any effect on ship construction. My dad was on the battleship Tennesee during WWII, and something like this would probably have just blistered the paint. Thanks Semper Fi Randy



Arralen -> (10/19/2000 3:16:00 PM)

That looks really bad ... most photos are too dark to see much, but these are awful .. http://www.defenselink.mil/photos/Oct2000/001012-N-0000N-001.html http://www.defenselink.mil/photos/Oct2000/001012-N-0000N-002.html If I didn't know what caused that hole I would say she had been hit by a torp, a Silkworm or something like that .. must have been plenty of explosives .. how could they load their boat with 1/2 ton of TNT and nobody notices ?? Stefan [This message has been edited by Arralen (edited October 19, 2000).] [This message has been edited by Arralen (edited October 19, 2000).] [This message has been edited by Arralen (edited October 19, 2000).]



jsaurman -> (10/19/2000 10:41:00 PM)

The news services are speculating that it was some sort of plastique shaped to look like part of the boats hull, so as not to arrouse suspicion. JIM



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