The USS Laffey (DD-724), an Allen M. Sumner class destroyer, is a destroyer that participated in the Atlantic and Pacific side of World War II. It is best known for its miraculous survival after being attacked by numerous kamikaze aircraft on April 16th, 1945, and thus is nicknamed: “The Ship that wouldn’t die.” She was commissioned on February 8th, 1944, and was sponsored by Miss Beatrice F. Laffey. The ship is 114.8 meters long and has three, twin five inch guns. She had a displacement of 2,200 tons, and could travel at a good 34 knots.
Action
The USS Laffey would participate at D-Day by giving support to the Utah Landing site in Normandy. She would also be in the Battle of Cherbourg with other US battleships. Later on, Laffey would participate in the Pacific Theater. It was here that she would face more than six kamikaze hits and numerous bombings, and miraculously survive. Morison, a navy historian, would comment about Laffey’s survival by stating: “probably no ship has ever survived an attack of the intensity that she experienced.”
During the kamikaze attacks, Laffey’s crew did all they could to shoot down the Japanese planes. Even when someone suggested that they abandon ship after sustaining heavy damage, the commander, Frederick J. Becton, would state: “No! I’ll never abandon ship as long as a single gun will fire!”
By the end of World War II, the Laffey earned 5 battle stars and a presidential unit citation. She would survive and take part in the Korean War, where she would go on to earn two more battle stars.
Fate
In 1975, the USS Laffey was decommissioned. Then, in 1978, she was converted to a museum ship located in Patriot’s Point, Charleston Harbor in South Carolina, where she is still there to this day.
My Opinion
The USS Laffey in my opinion is an amazing ship that survived when odds of survival were near zero percent. I am also excited to hear that the Laffey survived scrapping (unlike poor USS Enterprise) and was transformed into a museum ship. This means that I could one day go and visit the place in South Carolina and do a lot of research on this ship, such as scrutinizing the exhibits, and taking cool pictures of it.
