KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: New pictures showing massive damage to the USS Cole have been obtained by a Pentagon watchdog group and released to the public. CNN military affairs Correspondent Jamie McIntyre takes a look.</s>JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN MILITARY AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Ever since the USS Cole was attacked by suicide bombers more than two weeks ago, the Pentagon has steadfastly refused to allow news media to get close enough to the ship to get inside. But these pictures obtained by the National Security News Service, an independent watchdog group, provide the first glimpse of the twisted innards of the war ship where 17 U.S. sailors were killed and three dozen injured. Pentagon sources say several hundred pounds of high explosive, estimated between 500 and 1,000 pounds, ripped a 40-by-40-foot hole in the port side of the Aegis destroyer, turning an engine room into an unrecognizable jumble of metal and equipment and pushing the mess deck upwards, crushing some sailors against the top bulkhead. Another photograph is of one of the Cole's phased array radar, located close to the blast area. A close up shows the thin rubberized plastic cover shredded by the force of the explosion. Navy officials told Congress this week that the $1 billion war ship suffered at least $150 million in damage. It said there was no structural damage that would preclude the ship from being repaired and returned to service. (on camera): Next week, the Cole will be loaded onto the Blue Marlin, one of the world's largest heavy lift transport ships, and carried piggyback to Norfolk, Virginia. More than 250 crew members who have been working around the clock to keep the ship from sinking will also return home for some well-earned rest. Jamie McIntyre, CNN, the Pentagon.
New Photographs Document Damage to USS Cole