Seventeen American sailors lost their lives and 39 were injured on Oct. 12, 2000, when the USS Cole, a Navy guided-missile destroyer, was attacked while docked at Aden, Yemen, by two suicide bombers in a boat carrying explosives. The attack, carried out by al-Qaeda, prompted a new U.S. strategy to eliminate the terrorist organization and prompted the Navy to reconsider rules of engagement and step up Random Anti-Terrorism Measures. Several of those alleged to have been involved in the attack were linked to attacks on Sept. 11, 2001 in Washington and New York City. A memorial to the victims of the attacked [sic] was dedicated at Norfolk Naval Station in Virginia.