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Allied Warships

USS Laffey (ii) (DD 724)

Destroyer of the Sumner class

NavyThe US Navy
TypeDestroyer
ClassSumner 
PennantDD 724 
Built byBath Iron Works (Bath, Maine, U.S.A.) 
Ordered 
Laid down28 Jun, 1943 
Launched21 Nov, 1943 
Commissioned8 Feb, 1944 
End service 
Loss position
 
HistoryThe only preserved Allen M. Sumner class destroyer, as well as the only surviving U.S. World War II destroyer that saw action in the Atlantic, USS Laffey acted as an escort for convoys to Great Britain. On D-Day, the destroyer helped bombard Utah Beach at Normandy. Sent into the Pacific, Laffey was involved in one of the most famous destroyer-kamikaze duels in the war. Hit several times, racked by explosions and fires, Laffey remained afloat because of the valiant efforts of her crew to earn the sobriquet "the ship that would not die." 32 of her crew were lost and remain on duty. 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 was stricken on 1 March 1975. USS Laffey is a National Historic Landmark and is preserved as memorial and berthed at Patriots Point, Charleston, South Carolina.  

Noteable events involving Laffey (ii) include:

28 Feb, 1944
USS Laffey (Cdr. F.J. Beston) departs Washington to undergo her shakedown training at Bermuda.

4 Mar, 1944
USS Laffey (Cdr. F.J. Beston) arrives at Bermuda.

10 Mar, 1944
USS Laffey (Cdr. F.J. Beston) picks up 19 survivors of a US Catalina aircraft that crashed the previous day northwest of Bermuda.

2 Apr, 1944
USS Laffey (Cdr. F.J. Beston) arrives at Boston.

5 May, 1944
USS Laffey (Cdr. F.J. Beston) departs Boston for Norfolk.

9 May, 1944
USS Laffey (Cdr. F.J. Beston) departs Norfolk for New London.

10 May, 1944
USS Laffey (Cdr. F.J. Beston) arrives at New London.

11 May, 1944
USS Laffey (Cdr. F.J. Beston) departs New London bound for New York.

12 May, 1944
USS Laffey (Cdr. F.J. Beston) arrives at New York.

14 May, 1944
USS Laffey (Cdr. F.J. Beston) departs New York bound for England to participate in the Normandy landings.

24 May, 1944
USS Laffey (Cdr. F.J. Beston) arrives at Greenock, Scotland.

25 May, 1944
USS Laffey (Cdr. F.J. Beston) departs Greenock, Scotland bound for Plymouth, England.

27 May, 1944
USS Laffey (Cdr. F.J. Beston) arrives at Plymouth, England.

3 Jun, 1944
USS Laffey (Cdr. F.J. Beston) departs Plymouth, England for the Normandy beaches.

10 Jun, 1944
USS Laffey (Cdr. F.J. Beston) returns to Plymouth.

11 Jun, 1944
USS Laffey (Cdr. F.J. Beston) departs Plymouth again for the invasion area.

21 Jun, 1944
USS Laffey (Cdr. F.J. Beston) departs the invasion area for Portland, England.

25 Jun, 1944
USS Laffey (Cdr. F.J. Beston) departs Portland, England to participate in a bombardment of Cherbourg, France, returning to Portland upon completion of this assignment.

29 Jun, 1944
USS Laffey (Cdr. F.J. Beston) departs Portland bound for Belfast, Northern Ireland.

1 Jul, 1944
USS Laffey (Cdr. F.J. Beston) arrives at Belfast, Northern Ireland.

3 Jul, 1944
USS Laffey (Cdr. F.J. Beston) departs Belfast, Northern Ireland to return to the United States.

9 Jul, 1944
USS Laffey (Cdr. F.J. Beston) arrives at Boston.

25 Aug, 1944
USS Laffey (Cdr. F.J. Beston) arrives at Norfolk.

26 Aug, 1944
USS Laffey (Cdr. F.J. Beston) departs Norfolk bound for the Pacific.

1 Sep, 1944
USS Laffey (Cdr. F.J. Beston) transits the Panama Canal.

10 Sep, 1944
USS Laffey (Cdr. F.J. Beston) arrives at San Diego, California.

12 Sep, 1944
USS Laffey (Cdr. F.J. Beston) departs San Diego bound for Pearl Harbour.

18 Sep, 1944
USS Laffey (Cdr. F.J. Beston) arrives at Pearl Harbour.

23 Oct, 1944
USS Laffey (Cdr. F.J. Beston) departs Pearl Harbour bound for Eniwetok.

30 Oct, 1944
USS Laffey (Cdr. F.J. Beston) arrives at Eniwetok.

31 Oct, 1944
USS Laffey (Cdr. F.J. Beston) departs Eniwetok.

5 Nov, 1944
USS Laffey (Cdr. F.J. Beston) arrives at Ulithi. She departed the same day as part of TF 38.

22 Nov, 1944
USS Laffey (Cdr. F.J. Beston) returns to Ulithi.

27 Nov, 1944
USS Laffey (Cdr. F.J. Beston) departs Ulithi bound for San Pedro Bay, Philippines.

29 Nov, 1944
USS Laffey (Cdr. F.J. Beston) arrives at San Pedro Bay, Philippines.

6 Dec, 1944
USS Laffey (Cdr. F.J. Beston) departs San Pedro Bay, Philippines bound for Ormoc Bay.

8 Dec, 1944
USS Laffey (Cdr. F.J. Beston) returns to San Pedro Bay.

10 Dec, 1944
USS Laffey (Cdr. F.J. Beston) departs San Pedro Bay to patrol in Leyte Gulf.

11 Dec, 1944
USS Laffey (Cdr. F.J. Beston) returns to San Pedro Bay.

12 Dec, 1944
USS Laffey (Cdr. F.J. Beston) departed San Pedro Bay to support the landings at Mindoro.

29 Dec, 1944
USS Laffey (Cdr. F.J. Beston) returns to San Pedro Bay.

2 Jan, 1945
USS Laffey (Cdr. F.J. Beston) departs San Pedro Bay to participate in the Luzon landings.

22 Jan, 1945
USS Laffey (Cdr. F.J. Beston) departs the Lingayen Gulf bound for Ulithi.

29 Jan, 1945
USS Laffey (Cdr. F.J. Beston) arrives at Ulithi.

10 Feb, 1945
USS Laffey (Cdr. F.J. Beston) departs Ulithi with TF 58.

1 Mar, 1945
USS Laffey (Cdr. F.J. Beston) arrives at Guam.

2 Mar, 1945
USS Laffey (Cdr. F.J. Beston) arrives at Ulithi.

21 Mar, 1945
USS Laffey (Cdr. F.J. Beston) departs Ulithi to participate in the Okinawa campaign.

16 Apr, 1945
While on radar picked duty of Okinawa USS Laffey (Cdr. F.J. Beston) is heavily damaged by Japanese kamikaze aircraft in position 27º16'N, 127º50'E. 32 of her crew were dead and 71 were wounded. (see map)

17 Apr, 1945
The heavily damaged USS Laffey (Cdr. F.J. Beston) arrives off Okinawa where emergency repairs are made.

22 Apr, 1945
USS Laffey (Cdr. F.J. Beston) departs Okinawa for Saipan.

29 Apr, 1945
USS Laffey (Cdr. F.J. Beston) arrives at Saipan.

1 May, 1945
After some more repairs USS Laffey (Cdr. F.J. Beston) departs Saipan bound for Eniwetok.

4 May, 1945
USS Laffey (Cdr. F.J. Beston) arrives at Eniwetok.

5 May, 1945
USS Laffey (Cdr. F.J. Beston) departs Eniwetok bound for Pearl Harbour.

12 May, 1945
USS Laffey (Cdr. F.J. Beston) arrives at Pearl Harbour.

14 May, 1945
USS Laffey (Cdr. F.J. Beston) departs Pearl Harbour for Seattle.

24 May, 1945
USS Laffey (Cdr. F.J. Beston) arrives at Seattle for full repairs at the Todd-Pacific Yard.

6 Sep, 1945
With her repairs completed USS Laffey (Cdr. O.D. Waters, Jr.) departs Seattle for San Diego.

9 Sep, 1945
USS Laffey (Cdr. O.D. Waters, Jr.) arrives at San Diego.

11 Sep, 1945
USS Laffey (Cdr. O.D. Waters, Jr.) departs San Diego but in thick fog she collides with the US patrol craft USS PC-815 that sinks. Laffey rescued all but one of the patrol crafts crew before returning to San Diego for repairs.


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