USS Laffey (DD-724)
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USS ''Laffey'' (DD-724) is an constructed during
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, laid down and launched in 1943, and commissioned in February 1944. She was the second ship of the
United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...
to be named for Seaman
Bartlett Laffey Bartlett Laffey (1841 – March 22, 1901) was an Irish-born United States Navy sailor and Medal of Honor recipient. Biography Born in County Galway, Ireland, he enlisted in the United States Navy from Massachusetts on March 17, 1862, and was ...
, who was awarded the
Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest Awards and decorations of the United States Armed Forces, military decoration and is awarded to recognize American United States Army, soldiers, United States Navy, sailors, Un ...
for his stand against Confederate forces during the Civil War. ''Laffey'' earned the nickname "The Ship That Would Not Die" for her exploits during the
D-Day The Normandy landings were the landing operations and associated airborne operations on 6 June 1944 of the Allied invasion of Normandy in Operation Overlord during the Second World War. Codenamed Operation Neptune and often referred to as ...
invasion and the
Battle of Okinawa The , codenamed Operation Iceberg, was a major battle of the Pacific War fought on the island of Okinawa Island, Okinawa by United States Army and United States Marine Corps forces against the Imperial Japanese Army during the Pacific War, Impe ...
when she successfully withstood a determined assault by conventional bombers and the most unrelenting ''
kamikaze , officially , were a part of the Japanese Special Attack Units of military aviators who flew suicide attacks for the Empire of Japan against Allied naval vessels in the closing stages of the Pacific campaign of World War II, intending to d ...
'' air attack in history. Today, ''Laffey'' is a U.S.
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and is preserved as a
museum ship A museum ship, also called a memorial ship, is a ship that has been preserved and converted into a museum open to the public for educational or memorial purposes. Some are also used for training and recruitment purposes, mostly for the small numb ...
at
Patriots Point Patriots Point Naval & Maritime Museum is a naval museum located in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, at the mouth of the Cooper River on the Charleston Harbor, across from Charleston. History The museum was born out of an idea by former nav ...
, outside
Charleston, South Carolina Charleston is the List of municipalities in South Carolina, most populous city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. The city lies just south of the geographical midpoint of South Carolina's coastline on Charleston Harbor, an inlet of the Atla ...
.


Construction and commission

''Laffey's''
keel The keel is the bottom-most longitudinal structural element of a watercraft, important for stability. On some sailboats, it may have a fluid dynamics, hydrodynamic and counterbalancing purpose as well. The keel laying, laying of the keel is often ...
was laid down on 28 June 1943 by
Bath Iron Works Bath Iron Works (BIW) is a major United States shipyard located on the Kennebec River in Bath, Maine, founded in 1884 as Bath Iron Works, Limited. Since 1995, Bath Iron Works has been a subsidiary of General Dynamics, one of the world's largest ...
Corp.,
Bath, Maine Bath is a city in Sagadahoc County, Maine, United States. Bath is included in the Brunswick, Maine, Brunswick Micropolitan statistical area, micropolitan area. Bath has a 2024 population of 8,870. It is also the county seat of Sagadahoc County ...
; launched on 21 November; sponsored by Ms. Beatrice F. Laffey, daughter of Seaman Laffey; and commissioned on 8 February 1944, with
Commander Commander (commonly abbreviated as Cmdr.) is a common naval officer rank as well as a job title in many army, armies. Commander is also used as a rank or title in other formal organizations, including several police forces. In several countri ...
Frederick Becton in command.


Service history


World War II

Upon completion of underway training, ''Laffey'' visited
Washington Navy Yard The Washington Navy Yard (WNY) is a ceremonial and administrative center for the United States Navy, located in the federal national capital city of Washington, D.C. (federal District of Columbia). It is the oldest shore establishment / base of ...
for one day and departed on 28 February 1944, arriving in Bermuda on 4 March. She returned briefly to
Naval Station Norfolk Naval Station Norfolk is a United States Navy base in Norfolk, Virginia, that is the headquarters and home port of the U.S. Navy's Fleet Forces Command. The installation occupies about of waterfront space and of pier and wharf space of the Ham ...
, where she served as a
school ship A training ship is a ship used to train students as sailors. The term is mostly used to describe ships employed by navies to train future officers. Essentially there are two types: those used for training at sea and old Hulk (ship type), hulks us ...
, then headed for
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to join the screen of a convoy escort bound for England on 14 May. Refueling at
Greenock, Scotland Greenock (; ; , ) is a town in Inverclyde, Scotland, located in the west central Lowlands of Scotland. The town is the administrative centre of Inverclyde Council. It is a former burgh of barony, burgh within the Counties of Scotland, historic ...
, the ship continued on to
Plymouth Plymouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Devon, South West England. It is located on Devon's south coast between the rivers River Plym, Plym and River Tamar, Tamar, about southwest of Exeter and ...
, England, arriving on 27 May. ''Laffey'' immediately prepared for the
invasion of France France has been invaded on numerous occasions, by foreign powers or rival French governments; there have also been unimplemented invasion plans. * The 978 German invasion during the Franco-German war of 978–980 * The 1230 English invasion of ...
. On 3 June, she headed for the
Normandy Normandy (; or ) is a geographical and cultural region in northwestern Europe, roughly coextensive with the historical Duchy of Normandy. Normandy comprises Normandy (administrative region), mainland Normandy (a part of France) and insular N ...
beaches escorting
tug A tugboat or tug is a marine vessel that manoeuvres other vessels by pushing or pulling them, with direct contact or a tow line. These boats typically tug ships in circumstances where they cannot or should not move under their own power, suc ...
s, landing craft, and two Dutch gunboats. The group arrived in the assault area, off Utah beach,
Baie de la Seine The Baie de Seine (, Bay of the Seine River) is a bay in northern France. Geography It is a wide, rectangular inlet of the English Channel, approximately 100 kilometres (east-west) by 45 kilometres, bounded in the west by the Cotentin Peninsula, ...
, France, at dawn on D-Day, 6 June 1944. On 6–7 June, ''Laffey'' screened to seaward, and on 8–9 June, she successfully bombarded gun emplacements. Leaving the screen temporarily, ''Laffey'' raced to Plymouth to replenish and returned to the coast of Normandy the next day. On 12 June, pursuing enemy
E-boat E-boat was the Western Allies' designation for the fast attack craft (German: ''Schnellboot'', or ''S-Boot'', meaning "fast boat"; plural ''Schnellboote'') of the Kriegsmarine of Nazi Germany during World War II; ''E-boat'' could refer to a pat ...
s that had torpedoed the destroyer , ''Laffey'' broke up their tight formation, preventing further attacks. Screening duties completed, ''Laffey'' returned to England, arriving at Portsmouth on 22 June, where she tied up alongside the
battleship A battleship is a large, heavily naval armour, armored warship with a main battery consisting of large naval gun, guns, designed to serve as a capital ship. From their advent in the late 1880s, battleships were among the largest and most form ...
. On 25 June, she got underway with the battleship to join Bombardment Group 2 shelling the formidable defenses at
Cherbourg-Octeville Cherbourg-Octeville () is a former commune in the Manche department in Normandy in north-western France.Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ; ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, part of the United Kingdom in the north-east of the island of Ireland. It has been #Descriptions, variously described as a country, province or region. Northern Ireland shares Repub ...
, arriving at
Belfast Belfast (, , , ; from ) is the capital city and principal port of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan and connected to the open sea through Belfast Lough and the North Channel (Great Britain and Ireland), North Channel ...
on 1 July 1944. She sailed with Destroyer Division 119 ( DesDiv 119) three days later for home, arriving at
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on 9 July. After a month of overhaul, the destroyer got underway to test her newly installed electronic equipment. Two weeks later, ''Laffey'' set course for Norfolk, arriving on 25 August. The next day, ''Laffey'' departed for
Hawaii Hawaii ( ; ) is an island U.S. state, state of the United States, in the Pacific Ocean about southwest of the U.S. mainland. One of the two Non-contiguous United States, non-contiguous U.S. states (along with Alaska), it is the only sta ...
via the
Panama Canal The Panama Canal () is an artificial waterway in Panama that connects the Caribbean Sea with the Pacific Ocean. It cuts across the narrowest point of the Isthmus of Panama, and is a Channel (geography), conduit for maritime trade between th ...
and
San Diego San Diego ( , ) is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a population of over 1.4 million, it is the List of United States cities by population, eighth-most populous city in t ...
, California, arriving at
Pearl Harbor Pearl Harbor is an American lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. It was often visited by the naval fleet of the United States, before it was acquired from the Hawaiian Kingdom by the U.S. with the signing of the Reci ...
in September. On 23 October, after extensive training, ''Laffey'' departed for the war zone via
Eniwetok Enewetak Atoll (; also spelled Eniwetok Atoll or sometimes Eniewetok; , , or , ; known to the Japanese as Brown Atoll or Brown Island; ) is a large coral atoll of 40 islands in the Pacific Ocean and with its 296 people (as of 2021) forms a legi ...
, mooring at
Ulithi Ulithi (, , or ; pronounced roughly as YOU-li-thee) is an atoll in the Caroline Islands of the western Pacific Ocean, about east of Yap, within Yap State. Name The name of the island goes back to Chuukic languages, Proto-Chuukic ''*úlú-diw ...
on 5 November. The same day, she joined the screen of
Task Force 38 The Fast Carrier Task Force (TF 38 when assigned to Third Fleet, TF 58 when assigned to Fifth Fleet) was a group of ships in World War II. It was the main striking force of the United States Navy in the Pacific War from January 1944 through th ...
(TF 38), then conducting airstrikes against enemy shipping, aircraft, and airfields in the
Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...
. On 11 November, she spotted a parachute, left the screen, and rescued a badly wounded Japanese pilot who was transferred to the
aircraft carrier An aircraft carrier is a warship that serves as a seagoing airbase, equipped with a full-length flight deck and hangar facilities for supporting, arming, deploying and recovering carrier-based aircraft, shipborne aircraft. Typically it is the ...
during refueling operations the next day. ''Laffey'' returned to Ulithi on 22 November, and on 27 November set course for
Leyte Gulf Leyte Gulf, also known simply as the Leyte, is a gulf in the Eastern Visayan region in the Philippines. The bay is part of the Philippine Sea of the Pacific Ocean, and is bounded by two islands; Samar in the north and Leyte in the west. On the ...
with ships of Destroyer Squadron 60 ( DesRon 60). Operating with the
7th Fleet The Seventh Fleet is a numbered fleet of the United States Navy. It is headquartered at U.S. Fleet Activities Yokosuka, in Yokosuka, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. It is part of the United States Pacific Fleet. At present, it is the largest of th ...
, ''Laffey'' screened the big ships against submarine and air attacks, covered the landings at
Ormoc Bay Ormoc Bay is a large bay in the island of Leyte (island), Leyte in the Philippines. The bay is an extension of the Camotes Sea. The city of Ormoc lies at the head of the bay and exports rice, copra and sugar. The Pacific War, World War II Batt ...
on 7 December, silenced a shore battery, and shelled enemy troop concentrations. After a short upkeep in San Pedro Bay, Leyte on 8 December, ''Laffey'' with ships of Close Support Group 77.3 departed on 12 December for
Mindoro Mindoro is the seventh largest and eighth-most populous island in the Philippines. With a total land area of 10,571 km2 ( 4,082 sq.mi ), it has a population of 1,408,454, as of the 2020 census. It is located off the southwestern coast of ...
, where she supported the landings on 15 December. After the beachhead had been established, ''Laffey'' escorted empty landing craft back to Leyte, arriving at San Pedro Bay on 17 December. Ten days later, ''Laffey'' joined Task Group 77.3 (TG 77.3) for patrol duty off Mindoro. After returning briefly to San Pedro Bay, she rejoined the 7th Fleet, and during the month of January 1945 screened amphibious ships landing troops in the
Lingayen Gulf Lingayen Gulf is a large gulf on northwestern Luzon in the Philippines, stretching . It is framed by the provinces of Pangasinan and La Union and sits between the Zambales Mountains and the Cordillera Central (Luzon), Cordillera Central. The Agno ...
area of
Luzon Luzon ( , ) is the largest and most populous List of islands in the Philippines, island in the Philippines. Located in the northern portion of the List of islands of the Philippines, Philippine archipelago, it is the economic and political ce ...
. Retiring to the
Caroline Islands The Caroline Islands (or the Carolines) are a widely scattered archipelago of tiny islands in the western Pacific Ocean, to the north of New Guinea. Politically, they are divided between the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) in the cen ...
, ''Laffey'' arrived at Ulithi on 27 January. In February, she supported TF 58, conducting diversionary air strikes on
Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...
and direct air support of
Marines Marines (or naval infantry) are military personnel generally trained to operate on both land and sea, with a particular focus on amphibious warfare. Historically, the main tasks undertaken by marines have included Raid (military), raiding ashor ...
fighting on
Iwo Jima is one of the Japanese Volcano Islands, which lie south of the Bonin Islands and together with them make up the Ogasawara Subprefecture, Ogasawara Archipelago. Together with the Izu Islands, they make up Japan's Nanpō Islands. Although sout ...
. Late in February, ''Laffey'' carried vital intelligence information to
Fleet Admiral An admiral of the fleet or shortened to fleet admiral is a senior naval flag officer rank, usually equivalent to field marshal and marshal of the air force. An admiral of the fleet is typically senior to an admiral. It is also a generic ter ...
Chester Nimitz Chester William Nimitz (; 24 February 1885 – 20 February 1966) was a Fleet admiral (United States), fleet admiral in the United States Navy. He played a major role in the naval history of World War II as Commander, U.S. Pacific Fleet, Co ...
at
Guam Guam ( ; ) is an island that is an Territories of the United States, organized, unincorporated territory of the United States in the Micronesia subregion of the western Pacific Ocean. Guam's capital is Hagåtña, Guam, Hagåtña, and the most ...
, arriving on 1 March. The next day, ''Laffey'' arrived at Ulithi for intensive training with battleships of
Task Force 54 Task may refer to: * Task (computing), a unit of execution or homeworks * Task (language instruction) refers to a certain type of activity used in language instructional design * Task (project management), an activity that needs to be accomplish ...
(TF 54). On 21 March, she sortied with the task force for the
invasion of Okinawa The , codenamed Operation Iceberg, was a major battle of the Pacific War fought on the island of Okinawa by United States Army and United States Marine Corps forces against the Imperial Japanese Army. The initial invasion of Okinawa on 1 April ...
. ''Laffey'' helped capture
Kerama Retto The are a subtropical island group southwest of Okinawa Island in Japan. Geography Four islands are inhabited: Tokashiki Island, Zamami Island, Aka Island, and Geruma Island. The islands are administered as Tokashiki Village and Zamami Vil ...
, bombarded shore establishments, harassed the enemy with fire at night and screened heavy units.


Kamikaze assault

On 15 April 1945, ''Laffey'' was assigned to radar picket station 1 about north of Okinawa, and joined in repulsing an air attack. In total, 13 enemy aircraft were downed that day. The next day, on 16 April 1945, the Japanese launched another air attack with some 50 planes: *At 08:30, an
Aichi D3A The Aichi D3A (Navy designation "Type 99 Carrier Bomber"; World War II Allied names for Japanese aircraft, Allied reporting name "Val") is a World War II carrier-borne dive bomber. It was the primary dive bomber of the Imperial Japanese Na ...
Val dive bomber appeared near the ''Laffey'' for reconnaissance. When the D3A was fired upon, it jettisoned its bomb and left. Soon after, four D3As broke formation and made a dive into ''Laffey''. Two of the D3As came in from the starboard bow. One was shot down by the midrange 40 mm guns. The other was downed by the 20 mm guns as it got closer. The other two D3As attacked from the stern. One D3A shed pieces under fire until its fixed landing gear caught the water. The fourth D3A got close until being shot down. Immediately afterward, one of ''Laffey''s gunners destroyed a
Yokosuka D4Y The is a two-seat carrier-based dive bomber developed by the Yokosuka Naval Air Technical Arsenal and operated by the Imperial Japanese Navy from 1942 to 1945 during World War II. Development of the aircraft began in 1938. The first D4Y1 was co ...
making a strafing approach on the port beam. Ten seconds later, ''Laffey''s main gun battery hit a second D4Y on a bombing approach from the starboard beam. The D4Y's bomb detonated in the water, wounding the starboard gunners with shrapnel. *At 08:42, ''Laffey'' destroyed another D3A approaching the port side. While the bomber did not completely impact the ship, it made a glancing blow against the deck before crashing into the sea, also spewing some lethal aviation fuel from its damaged engine. Three minutes later, another D3A approaching from port crashed into one of the 40 mm mounts of the ship, killing three men, destroying 20 mm guns and two 40 mm guns, and setting the magazine afire. Immediately afterward, another D3A made a strafing approach from the stern, impacted the aft 5"/38 caliber gun mount, and disintegrated as its bomb detonated the powder magazine, destroying the gun turret and causing a major fire. Another D3A making a similar approach from astern also impacted the burning gun mount after its left wing caught afire by ''Laffey''s gunners. At about the same time, another D3A on a conventional bomb run approaching from astern dropped its bomb, jamming ''Laffey''s rudder 26° to port and killing several men. Another D3A and another D4Y approached from port and hit ''Laffey''. Meanwhile, four FM-2 Wildcats took off from the escort carrier , attempting to intercept ''kamikazes'' attacking ''Laffey''. One of the Wildcat pilots, Carl Rieman, made a dive into the ''kamikaze'' formation and targeted a D3A. His wingman took out that dive bomber while Rieman lined up behind another D3A, opened fire, and destroyed the enemy aircraft. Ten seconds later, Rieman pursued a
Nakajima B5N The Nakajima B5N (, World War II Allied names for Japanese aircraft, Allied reporting name "Kate") was the standard Carrier-based aircraft, carrier-based torpedo bomber of the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) for much of World War II. It also served ...
torpedo plane, fired, and killed the Japanese pilot. Only five seconds later, Rieman lined up behind another B5N and expended the last of his ammunition. As Rieman returned to his carrier, he made diving passes at ''kamikazes'', forcing some of them to break off their attacks. The other three Wildcats destroyed a few aircraft and then interfered with the enemy's attack runs after they exhausted their ammunition until forced to return to ''Shamrock Bay'' when their fuel ran too low to stay. Later on, a group of 12 American
Vought F4U Corsair The Vought F4U Corsair is an American fighter aircraft that saw service primarily in World War II and the Korean War. Designed and initially manufactured by Vought, Chance Vought, the Corsair was soon in great demand; additional production con ...
fighters of the United States Marine Corps intercepted the ''kamikazes''. Their actions were of significant help for the ''Laffey''. Another D3A approached the disabled ''Laffey'' from port. A Corsair pursued the ''kamikaze'' and destroyed it after forcing it to overshoot the ship. The Corsair lined up behind a Ki-43 "Oscar" making a strafing approach on ''Laffey'' from starboard. One of ''Laffey''s gunners hit the Oscar, causing it to crash into the ship's mast and fall into the water. The pursuing Corsair also crashed into the ship's radar antenna and fell into the water, but the pilot was later rescued by ''LCS-51''. Another D3A came from the stern and dropped a bomb detonating off the port side. The D3A was later destroyed by a Corsair. The Corsair quickly lined up behind another D3A and fired; but the bomb from the second D3A hit and destroyed one of ''Laffey''s 40 mm gun mounts, killing all its gunners. The Corsair lined up behind two Oscars approaching from the bow, took out one, and was shot down by the other. The surviving Oscar was then shot down by ''Laffey''s gunners. ''Laffey''s main battery fired upon a D3A approaching from starboard, hitting the plane directly on the nose. The last attacker, a D4Y, was shot down by a Corsair. ''Laffey'' survived despite being badly damaged by four bombs, six ''kamikaze'' crashes, and strafing fire that killed 32 and wounded 71. Assistant communications officer Lieutenant Frank Manson asked Captain Becton if he thought they'd have to abandon ship, to which he snapped, "No! I'll never abandon ship as long as a single gun will fire." Becton did not hear a nearby lookout softly say, "And if I can find one man to fire it."


Post-war

''Laffey'' was then taken under tow and anchored off Okinawa on 17 April 1945. Temporary repairs were rushed and the destroyer sailed for
Saipan Saipan () is the largest island and capital of the Northern Mariana Islands, an unincorporated Territories of the United States, territory of the United States in the western Pacific Ocean. According to 2020 estimates by the United States Cens ...
, arriving on 27 April. Four days later, she got underway for the west coast via Eniwetok and Hawaii, arriving at
Tacoma, Washington Tacoma ( ) is the county seat of Pierce County, Washington, United States. A port city, it is situated along Washington's Puget Sound, southwest of Seattle, southwest of Bellevue, Washington, Bellevue, northeast of the state capital, Olympia ...
on 24 May. She entered drydock at Todd Shipyard Corp. for repair until 6 September, then sailed for San Diego, arriving on 9 September. Two days later, ''Laffey'' got underway for exercises but collided with the
submarine chaser A submarine chaser or subchaser is a type of small naval vessel that is specifically intended for anti-submarine warfare. They encompass designs that are now largely obsolete, but which played an important role in the wars of the first half of th ...
in a thick
fog Fog is a visible aerosol consisting of tiny water droplets or ice crystals suspended in the air at or near the Earth's surface. Reprint from Fog can be considered a type of low-lying cloud usually resembling stratus and is heavily influenc ...
. She rescued all but one of the PC's crew before returning to San Diego for repairs. On 5 October, she sailed for Pearl Harbor, arriving on 11 October. ''Laffey'' operated in Hawaiian waters until 21 May 1946, when she participated in
Operation Crossroads Operation Crossroads was a pair of nuclear weapon tests conducted by the United States at Bikini Atoll in mid-1946. They were the first nuclear weapon tests since Trinity on July 16, 1945, and the first detonations of nuclear devices sinc ...
, the
atomic bomb A nuclear weapon is an explosive device that derives its destructive force from nuclear reactions, either fission (fission or atomic bomb) or a combination of fission and fusion reactions (thermonuclear weapon), producing a nuclear expl ...
tests at
Bikini Atoll Bikini Atoll ( or ; Marshallese language, Marshallese: , , ), known as Eschscholtz Atoll between the 19th century and 1946, is a coral reef in the Marshall Islands consisting of 23 islands surrounding a central lagoon. The atoll is at the no ...
, actively engaged in collecting scientific data. Radioactive decontamination of ''Laffey'' required the "sandblasting and painting of all underwater surfaces, and acid washing and partial replacement of salt-water piping and evaporators." Upon completion of decontamination, she sailed for the west coast via Pearl Harbor arriving San Diego on 22 August for operations along the west coast. In February 1947, ''Laffey'' made a cruise to Guam and Kwajalein and returned to Pearl Harbor on 11 March. She operated in Hawaiian waters until departing for
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on 1 May. ''Laffey'' returned to San Diego on 17 June, was decommissioned on 30 June 1947, and entered the
Pacific Reserve Fleet The United States Navy maintains a number of its ships as part of a reserve fleet, often called the "Mothball Fleet". While the details of the maintenance activity have changed several times, the basics are constant: keep the ships afloat and s ...
.


Korean War

''Laffey'' was recommissioned on 26 January 1951, with Commander Charles Holovak in command. After shakedown out of San Diego, she headed for the east coast of the US, arriving at Norfolk in February for overhaul followed by refresher training at
Guantánamo Bay Guantánamo Bay (, ) is a bay in Guantánamo Province at the southeastern end of Cuba. It is the largest harbor on the south side of the island and it is surrounded by steep hills which create an enclave that is cut off from its immediate hint ...
,
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. In mid January 1952, she sailed for
Korea Korea is a peninsular region in East Asia consisting of the Korean Peninsula, Jeju Island, and smaller islands. Since the end of World War II in 1945, it has been politically Division of Korea, divided at or near the 38th parallel north, 3 ...
, arriving in March. ''Laffey'' operated with TF 77 screening carriers and . In May, with Captain Henry J. Conger in command, ''Laffey'' she took part in the
blockade of Wonsan The blockade of Wonsan, or the siege of Wonsan, from February 16, 1951, to July 27, 1953, during the Korean War, was the longest naval blockade in modern history, lasting 861 days. United Nations naval forces, primarily from the United States, ...
in Korea. After a brief refit at
Yokosuka is a city in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. , the city has a population of 373,797, and a population density of . The total area is . Yokosuka is the 11th-most populous city in the Greater Tokyo Area, and the 12th in the Kantō region. The city i ...
on 30 May, ''Laffey'' returned to Korea, where she rejoined TF 77. On 22 June, she sailed for the east coast, transiting the
Suez Canal The Suez Canal (; , ') is an artificial sea-level waterway in Egypt, Indo-Mediterranean, connecting the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea through the Isthmus of Suez and dividing Africa and Asia (and by extension, the Sinai Peninsula from the rest ...
and arriving Norfolk on 19 August. ''Laffey'' operated in the
Caribbean The Caribbean ( , ; ; ; ) is a region in the middle of the Americas centered around the Caribbean Sea in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, mostly overlapping with the West Indies. Bordered by North America to the north, Central America ...
with a hunter-killer group until February 1954, departing on a world cruise which included a tour off Korea until 29 June. ''Laffey'' departed the
Far East The Far East is the geographical region that encompasses the easternmost portion of the Asian continent, including North Asia, North, East Asia, East and Southeast Asia. South Asia is sometimes also included in the definition of the term. In mod ...
bound for the east coast via the Suez Canal arriving Norfolk on 25 August. Operating out of Norfolk, she participated in fleet exercises and plane guard duties and on 7 October rescued four passengers from ''Able'', a schooner that had sunk in a storm off the
Virginia Capes The Virginia Capes are the two capes, Cape Charles to the north and Cape Henry to the south, that define the entrance to the Chesapeake Bay on the eastern coast of North America. The importance of the Chesapeake Bay in American history has lo ...
. During the first part of 1955, ''Laffey'' participated in extensive antisubmarine exercises, visiting:
Halifax, Nova Scotia Halifax is the capital and most populous municipality of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Nova Scotia, and the most populous municipality in Atlantic Canada. As of 2024, it is estimated that the population of the H ...
;
New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
;
Miami Miami is a East Coast of the United States, coastal city in the U.S. state of Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County in South Florida. It is the core of the Miami metropolitan area, which, with a populat ...
; and ports in the Caribbean. In 1958, she operated with ASW carriers in Floridian and Caribbean waters.


Cold War

On 7 November 1956, ''Laffey'' departed Norfolk and headed for the
Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea ( ) is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the east by the Levant in West Asia, on the north by Anatolia in West Asia and Southern ...
at the height of the
Suez Crisis The Suez Crisis, also known as the Second Arab–Israeli War, the Tripartite Aggression in the Arab world and the Sinai War in Israel, was a British–French–Israeli invasion of Egypt in 1956. Israel invaded on 29 October, having done so w ...
. Upon arrival, she joined the 6th Fleet which was patrolling the
Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...
i-
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ian border. When international tensions eased, ''Laffey'' returned to Norfolk on 20 February 1957, and resumed operations along the Atlantic coast. She departed on 3 September for NATO operations off Scotland. She then headed for the Mediterranean and rejoined the 6th Fleet. ''Laffey'' returned to Norfolk on 22 December. In June 1958, she made a cruise to the Caribbean for a major exercise. Returning to Norfolk the next month, ''Laffey'' resumed regular operations until 7 August 1959, when she deployed with DesRon 32 for the Mediterranean. ''Laffey'' transited the Suez Canal on 14 December, stopped at Massawa, Eritrea, and continued on to the Aramco loading port of Ras Tanura, Saudi Arabia, where she spent Christmas. ''Laffey'' operated in the Persian Gulf until late January 1960, when she transited the Suez Canal and headed for home, arriving at Norfolk on 28 February. ''Laffey'' then operated out of Norfolk, making a Caribbean cruise. In mid-August, she participated in a large naval NATO exercise. In October, she visited Antwerp, Belgium, returning to Norfolk on 20 October, but headed back to the Mediterranean in January 1961. While there, she assisted the British passenger and cargo ship , which had suffered an explosion and was on fire. ''Laffey'' sailed for home in mid-August and arrived at Norfolk on 28 August. ''Laffey'' set out in September on a vigorous training program designed to blend the crew into an effective fighting team and continued this training until February 1963, when she assumed the duties of service ship for the Norfolk Test and Evaluation Detachment. From October 1963 to June 1964, ''Laffey'' operated with a hunter-killer group along the eastern seaboard, and on 12 June made a midshipmen cruise to the Mediterranean, arriving in Palma de Mallorca on 23 June. Two days later, the task group departed for a surveillance mission observing Soviet Union, Soviet naval forces training in the Mediterranean. ''Laffey'' visited Mediterranean ports of Naples, Naples, Italy; Théoule-sur-Mer, Théoule, France; Rota, Spain, Rota and Valencia, Spain, returning to Norfolk on 3 September. ''Laffey'' continued to make regular Mediterranean cruises with the 6th Fleet and participated in numerous operational and training exercises in the Atlantic and Caribbean. ''Laffey'' was Ship decommissioning, decommissioned and stricken on 9 March 1975. She was the last of the ''Sumner'' class destroyers to be decommissioned.


Awards

''Laffey'' received the Presidential Unit Citation (United States), Presidential Unit Citation and five battle stars for
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
service, the Presidential Unit Citation (Korea), Korean Presidential Unit Citation and two battle stars for Korean War service, the Meritorious Unit Commendation during the Cold War, and the Navy E Ribbon, Battle "E" during all three conflicts. ''Laffey'' was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1986, at which time she was recognized as the only remaining US-owned Sumner-class destroyer, and for her spirited survival of the kamikaze attack. and


Museum ship

''Laffey'' is currently a museum ship at
Patriots Point Patriots Point Naval & Maritime Museum is a naval museum located in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, at the mouth of the Cooper River on the Charleston Harbor, across from Charleston. History The museum was born out of an idea by former nav ...
in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, alongside the aircraft carrier . In October 2008, it was discovered that over 100 leaks had sprung up in ''Laffey''s hull, and officials at Patriots Point were afraid that the ship would sink at her mooring. An estimated $9 million was needed to tow the ship to dry dock for repairs, prompting Patriots Point officials to secure a $9.2 million loan from the state of South Carolina to cover the costs. On 19 August 2009, she was towed to Detyens Shipyards in North Charleston, South Carolina, North Charleston on the Cooper River (South Carolina), Cooper River for repair in drydock. The rust-eaten, corroded hull was repaired with thicker plating, miles of welding, and new paint. On 16 April 2010, the Board of Trustees of Clemson University reached a lease agreement for Patriots Point organization to moor ''Laffey'' adjacent to Clemson's property at the former Charleston Naval Shipyard, Naval Base Charleston in North Charleston. ''Laffey'' was returned to Patriots Point on 25 January 2012 with more than a dozen former crew members among the crowd on hand to greet her. It cost $1.1 million to return the ship and to make repairs to accommodate her in a new berth at the front of the museum.


In popular culture

* The ship is used in the 1984 film ''The Philadelphia Experiment (film), The Philadelphia Experiment''. * In 2007, the attack on ''Laffey'' was recreated using computer graphics for the History (U.S. TV channel), History Channel series ''Dogfights (TV series), Dogfights''. The episode first aired on 13 July 2007. * In May 2018, it was officially announced that Mel Gibson would direct a major feature film about the attack on ''Laffey'' titled ''Destroyer''. * In 2017, ''Laffey'' was featured as one of the starting destroyers in the mobile game Azur Lane. In 2023, ''Laffey'' was again added to Azur Lane in an in-game event as "Laffey II".


References

* *Dogfights (TV series), ''Dogfights'', Kamikaze


External links

*
hazegray.org: USS ''Laffey''Patriots Point Maritime Museum

USS Yorktown Foundation
Partner Foundation of
Patriots Point Patriots Point Naval & Maritime Museum is a naval museum located in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, at the mouth of the Cooper River on the Charleston Harbor, across from Charleston. History The museum was born out of an idea by former nav ...
, dedicated to the preservation of the ship *
Our Navy Magazine article USS ''Laffey'' August 1945
{{DEFAULTSORT:Laffey (Dd-724) Maritime accidents involving fog World War II destroyers of the United States Cold War destroyers of the United States Korean War destroyers of the United States Ships built in Bath, Maine National Historic Landmarks in South Carolina Museum ships in South Carolina Ships on the National Register of Historic Places in South Carolina 1943 ships Allen M. Sumner-class destroyers of the United States Navy Military and war museums in South Carolina Museums in Charleston County, South Carolina National Register of Historic Places in Charleston County, South Carolina Maritime incidents in April 1945 Maritime incidents in September 1945 Mount Pleasant, South Carolina