On 13 October 2000, the destroyer USS Cole (DDG-67), at anchor while refueling in Yemen's Aden harbor, was crippled by a powerful explosive carried on a small boat that was placed alongside the ship by a suicide team. The next day, The Washington Post quoted U.S. Navy officers as saying that there was virtually no way to protect the ship from such an attack. Secretary of Defense Cohen said, "Given the nature of this particular situation" it would have been "very difficult if not impossible to protect against this type of incident."
