-Caveat Lector-
December 8, 2000
Cole Crew Didn't Implement Plan
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Filed at 6:50 p.m. ET
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The crew of the USS Cole failed to implement
every aspect of a self-protection plan the ship's skipper had
drawn up before it was hit by a terrorist bomb in Yemen's Aden
harbor, a senior defense official said Friday.
It could not be learned, however, whether Navy investigators
determined that following the security plan to the letter would
have averted the attack, which killed 17 sailors.
The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said it was
too early to say whether the Navy would hold anyone from the Cole
accountable.
The crew's failure to fully implement its written security plan
was first reported Friday by CNN. It quoted an unidentified
Pentagon official as saying about the crew's implementation of a
security plan: ``They didn't do everything they said they were
going to do.'' The New York Times posted a similar report on its
World Wide Web site Friday.
Two men in a small boat laden with explosives maneuvered next to
the 505-foot destroyer as the ship took on fuel in Aden harbor
Oct. 12. The explosives detonated and ripped an enormous hole in
the Cole's hull.
In the weeks since, investigators have focused on whether the
Cole had taken prudent security precautions and whether security
activities spelled out in its operating plans were followed in
all respects.
Details of the Cole's self-protection plan, which was approved by
higher-level commanders, have never been revealed.
If Navy investigators determine that important security measures
were not taken, then Cmdr. Kirk Lippold, the Cole's captain,
could be held accountable and his career damaged, officials said.
Navy officials stressed that the investigation is not complete,
and preliminary conclusions are subject to change.
``The public and the press need to avoid a rush to judgment''
about the outcome, said Rear Adm. Stephen Pietropaoli, the
Navy's chief of information. ``The investigation continues.''
The Navy investigative report was transmitted this week from 5th
Fleet headquarters in Bahrain to Adm. Robert Natter, commander of
the U.S. Atlantic Command in Norfolk, Va. >From there it will go
for a final judgment to Adm. Vern Clark, chief of naval
operations at Navy headquarters in the Pentagon.
Clark said this week that he would not comment on the
investigation.
Lippold, who previously served as an aide to Navy Secretary
Richard Danzig, is highly regarded in the Navy. He has been
credited, along with his crew, with saving the Cole from sinking
in the days after the blast, which knocked out the ship's power
and threatened to tear it nearly in half.
Separately, the FBI is investigating who was behind the attack.
It has not reported any conclusion, although Yemen's prime
minister Abdul-Karim al-Iryani said Wednesday that at least three
Yemenis suspected of belonging to an international terrorist
network will go on trial next month in connection with the
attack.
The crippled Cole is now transiting the Atlantic aboard a
heavy-lift ship Blue Marlin and is due to arrive at Litton
Ingalls Shipbuilding in Pascagoula, Miss., on Wednesday, where it
will undergo repairs costing $200 million.
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Kadosh, Kadosh, Kadosh, YHVH, TZEVAOT
FROM THE DESK OF:
*Michael Spitzer* <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Best Way To Destroy Enemies Is To Change Them To Friends
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