A memorial honors the sacrifices of Coast Guard Petty Officer 3rd Class Nathan Bruckenthal, Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Michael Pernaselli and Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Christopher Watts, service members from the USS Firebolt, who were killed in a 2004 attack. (Shannon Renfroe/Stars and Stripes)
MANAMA, Bahrain — Hundreds of service members and senior military officials gathered at Naval Support Activity Bahrain on Wednesday to mark 20 years since a Persian Gulf suicide bombing killed three people aboard the patrol ship USS Firebolt.
Seven crew members set out from the Firebolt in an inflatable boat on April 24, 2004, to inspect fishing dhows lurking around protected Iraqi oil terminals in the Persian Gulf.
Coast Guard Petty Officer 3rd Class Nathan Bruckenthal, Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Michael Pernaselli and Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Christopher Watts were killed when an explosive on one of the fishing boats detonated.
Four crewmembers risked their lives by swimming toward the victims and trying to save them.
The USS Firebolt, a U.S. 5th Fleet coastal patrol ship, in the Persian Gulf in 2014. Coast Guard Petty Officer 3rd Class Nathan Bruckenthal, Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Michael Pernaselli and Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Christopher Watts were killed in a suicide bombing in a 2004 attack during a routine patrol aboard the Firebolt in the Persian Gulf. (Stars and Stripes)
Vice Adm. George Wikoff, commander of U.S. Naval Forces Central Command/U.S. 5th Fleet, delivered remarks that linked the tragedy 20 years ago to current events in the Middle East.
“Even as we speak, sailors, not unlike these three brave men, are facing down anti-ship ballistic missiles in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden or boarding suspect vessels trafficking illegal narcotics or arms in the Gulf of Oman and Arabian Gulf,” Wikoff said. “Like the heroes of the Firebolt, they sail unflinchingly into harm’s way, knowing there’s no such thing as a routine mission.”
Former Firebolt crewmembers from over the years came to pay their respects Wednesday and talked about the impact of that day.
Vice Adm. George M. Wikoff, commander of U.S. Naval Forces Central Command/U.S. 5th Fleet, speaks at a memorial service marking 20 years since the killing of three service members from the USS Firebolt. (Shannon Renfroe/Stars and Stripes)
Sailors and Marines attend a memorial service Wednesday, April 24, 2024, at Naval Support Activity Bahrain in honor of three USS Firebolt service members killed in a 2004 attack. (Shannon Renfroe/Stars and Stripes)
Sailors and Marines salute at a memorial service Wednesday, April 24, 2024, at Naval Support Activity Bahrain, in honor of three USS Firebolt service members killed in a 2004 attack. (Shannon Renfroe/Stars and Stripes)
“Ceremonies are always humbling, especially if you have done some of the operations that caused this tragedy,” said Master Chief Petty Officer Raul Valladares.
In 2022, the ship was decommissioned and transferred to Bahrain’s navy, which renamed it the Jenan.
The ship transfer reflected the close military ties between the U.S. and Bahrain, which recently signed a comprehensive joint security agreement.
“That little ship has been through a lot, just from commissioning to deploying, drug interdictions in South America and homeporting in Bahrain,” Valladares said.
“I was sad to see it decommissioned,” he added. “But it was humbling to see it go to a host nation in use and not just go out to sea and become target practice at the next multinational exercise.”
Sailors are reflected in a memorial that honors the sacrifices of three service members. Coast Guard Petty Officer 3rd Class Nathan Bruckenthal, Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Michael Pernaselli and Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Christopher Watts were killed in a 2004 attack during a routine patrol in the Persian Gulf. (Shannon Renfroe/Stars and Stripes)
