USS Laffey (DD-724)

USA / South Carolina / Mount Pleasant /
 military, destroyer (ship), NRHP - National Register of Historic Places, historic landmark, United States Navy, museum ship
The only preserved Allen M. Sumner Class Destroyer in the United States, USS Laffey's extensive service record saw her escorting convoys to Great Britain, shelling Utah Beach on D-Day and upon her reassignment to the Pacific Theatre she fought numerous close-quarter battles with Japanese Kamikaze's off Okinawa.

Involved in one of the most famous destroyer-kamikaze duels in the war, Laffey was struck by six kamikaze aircraft and four bombs in one action in April 1945, and despite heavy casualties and severe damage her intrepid crew earned her the title of "ship that would not die".

USS Laffey earned five battle stars and a Presidential Unit Citation for her World War II service and two battle stars for her Korean War service She is listed on both the U.S. National Register of Historic Places and as a U.S. National Historic Landmark.

www.patriotspoint.org/explore_museum/uss_laffey/
www.hnsa.org/ships/laffey.htm
www.navsource.org/archives/05/724.htm
Wikipedia article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Laffey_(DD-724)
Nearby cities:
Coordinates:   32°47'21"N   79°54'28"W

Comments

  • The USS Laffey was discovered to be taking on water through corroded hull plating in Mid-December 2008 and needs to be drydocked to allow repairs to be done on her hull. Donations to help cover the drydocking costs and help save the USS Laffey can be submitted to the address on this link: http://www.laffey.org/sos.htm
This article was last modified 13 years ago