Bowling Green man recounts moments aboard USS Cole during terrorist attack
BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – 25 years ago, this past Sunday marked the 25th anniversary of the bombing of the USS Cole. Bowling green native Bob Overturf was a sailor on that ship on October 12th and recounts the events of incredible survival recently navigating its way through the Suez Canal in the Red sea, they stopped in Yemen to refuel.
“Pulling into Yemen, the rocks, the mountain above the city of Yemen just look like Castle Grayskull from He-Man. It was just this ominous dark rock. No vegetation, no greenery, look like a foreign landscape. Very ominous looking. And we all had a bad feeling. We all had a very bad feeling” Overturf said.
Early on, though the crew could tell something was not right.
“The crew knew something was up with the harbormaster because he was fighting so hard about which way we came in. It should not matter which side we get gas on does not matter. Does a gas station give you a hard time about which side you pull into the gas pump and want to fill it? Why would it matter? So we we knew we had that feeling. I think we all on the crew collectively, we had a feeling something bad was going to happen” Overturf remembered.
But after 30 hours of no sleep and constant work Overturf was tired, and with encouragement from some of the crew, he retired to his bunk to rest. It was then that the bomb struck the ship.
“I turned and walked aft to where my stateroom was. Got into my stateroom, closed the door, started peeling off my coveralls, started climbing up on my rack, and as I was swinging my right leg up on the rack, the bomb hit. The bomb hit exactly where I had been standing less than two minutes before”.
A 40ft hole ripped into the side of the ship, killing and injuring dozens of sailors. Immediately, sailors went into action, but confusion soon engulfed the ship. During this time of the unknown Overturf came to the conclusion of what could happen to the ship and what his fate might be.
“We got word that it had been a surface launched missile from a boat, and they thought that boat was coming back, and I thought, this is it. I’m dead, I’m dead. I mean, they say your life goes before your eyes. It wasn’t my life. It was my daughter’s. How is she going to grow up without me? I really thought I was dead. We all thought there was round two coming in” Overturf recants.
Within two days, a friendly ship arrived, the HMS Marlborough, a British ship, to offer a helping hand, a task that proved difficult as their equipment was not compatible with the theirs. Then the USS Donald Cook arrived to the scene. The first American ship to respond. Food soon became available to the crew of the call. Food that proved to be more of a burden than a relief.
“The embassy brought over food a couple of days later. But it wasn’t thoroughly cooked. A lot of us got sick. A lot of us got real sick”.
The scene soon became abuzz with friendly vessels helping to get the ship to stay afloat. Amazingly, the crew was able to get the ship out to open water where it was then welded to the Blue Marlin, a Scandinavian ship that specializes in carrying other ships to port, and then carried them to Pascagoula, Mississippi for repairs. Even after years passed over, surf says some of the most difficult times was caring for those considered family who were killed.
“It was tough. You caretaking for the deceased of young sailors that you had worked so closely with, and they had such bright futures, and they were such good people. You you stand bridge watch driving the ship with a young head, and then 24 hours later, you put you in a body bag. The. There’s no describing it, it’s hard” Overturf remembers of the sailors who lost their lives that day.
Overturf says that while the bombing was a tragedy, that we should still never forget those lost in all the attacks on our service members and to always keep them in our prayers.
