Terrorism and blast phenomena: lessons learned from the attack on the USS Cole (DDG67)

Blast phenomena and injuries to the musculoskeletal system have been well documented for the past 50 years. The USS Cole was attacked in Aden Harbor in Yemen on October 12, 2000. Seventeen sailors were killed and 39 were wounded. The bombing of the USS Cole and an analysis of the pattern of injury are unique compared with previous terrorist bombing attacks in which the predominant injury pattern is from Type II and Type III blast phenomena. Because the ship superstructure did not collapse, there were no confounding variables in examining the pattern of injury as there would have been with shrapnel-generating devices or detonations with subsequent building collapse. The morbidity and mortality sustained by the victims was almost exclusively from Type I and Type III blast effects. The musculoskeletal system was a clear marker for mortality and morbidity. Fractures of the cranium, spine, pelvis, and long bones denoted increasing severity of injury to critical organ systems. Shipboard firefighting was successful in containing fires and there was very little morbidity from inhalational injuries or burns. Blast phenomena that affect ships or buildings that have been specifically built to absorb a blast attack likely will manifest a different mode and pattern of injury than those seen in traditional terrorist blast events.