Simviation Forum - Some history on the "Laffey"

Mar 22^nd, 2004 at 2:18pm

flyboy 28 Offline
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Jacksonville, FL

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This is just a breif overview of my dad's ship he served on in Vietnam... This history dosen't include it's service in Vietnam, because it wasn't really that important... It just provided fleet defense and directed P-3's...

The ‘Laffey' named for Seaman Bartlett Laffey, an Irish immigrant who served aboard the USS PETREL in 1864. Laffey won the Congressional Medal of Honor for "conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty on March 5, 1864 off Yazoo City, Mississippi. Embarking from the USS Marmira with a 12" howitzer mounted on a field carriage, Laffey landed with the gun and crew in the midst of heated battle and bravely standing by his gun, despite enemy rifle fire which cut the gun carriage and rammer, contributed to the turning back of the enemy during the fierce engagement."
During the Second World War, the name "Laffey" was given to a Destroyer sunk in the Pacific off Guadalcanal in 1942. A Presidential Unit Citation was awarded this first Laffey for her gallant action.
A second USS Laffey, commanded by Captain J. Becton, was built, also a Destroyer. This ship served off Normandy on D-Day, and destroyed two coastal batteries. In 1945 off Okinawa, she was attacked and hit by several Kamikazes and bombs, but she survived and was repaired. The Laffey had the distinction of being the ship that took the most hits (torpedoes, bombs = 22) from Japanese attackers, and not sinking. She then was part of the American blockade during the Cuban Missile Crisis.
A Presidential Unit Citation was also awarded to this Laffey for her gallant action. Eventually, she was placed in the Patriots Point Naval Museum.

The second "Laffey" built

The one my dad served on

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Reply #1 - Mar 23^rd, 2004 at 12:09am

SilverFox441 Offline
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Can anyone say which destroyer class these two ships belong to (as originally built)?

As a R/C ship modeller both are familiar to me...

Steve (Silver Fox) Daly

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Reply #2 - Mar 23^rd, 2004 at 6:53am

Felix/FFDS Offline
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Quote:

Can anyone say which destroyer class these two ships belong to (as originally built)?

As a R/C ship modeller both are familiar to me...

DD-459 is a Benson Class,
DD-724 is a Sumner class

Felix/FFDS

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Reply #3 - Mar 23^rd, 2004 at 12:36pm

SilverFox441 Offline
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Dang Felix, I was hoping for some confusion between a late Benson and the early, round-bridge [i]Fletcher/i], especially considering the Laffey is one of the overlap ships.

Steve (Silver Fox) Daly

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Reply #4 - Mar 26^th, 2004 at 1:38pm

flyboy 28 Offline
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Jacksonville, FL

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Nope....

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Reply #5 - Mar 29^th, 2004 at 11:15am

Felix/FFDS Offline
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Nope....

No to which - the question or the answers?

Felix/FFDS

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Reply #6 - Mar 29^th, 2004 at 2:12pm

SilverFox441 Offline
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The answers are correct...

DD-459: http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/sh-usn/usnsh-l/dd459.htm

DD-724: http://www.scocca.org/hyperwar/USN/ships/DD/DD-724_Laffey.html

Steve (Silver Fox) Daly

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Reply #7 - Mar 29^th, 2004 at 2:48pm

Hagar Offline
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My Fox Four colleague Tom Sanford told me all about the history of this plucky little ship some months ago. Unfortunately I missed the opportunity of paying her a visit while passing through Charleston on my last trip to the US as we were on a tight schedule. If I had known her history then I might have made time. I wish we could have stayed longer in that charming city. We did manage a tour of the USS Yorktown before we had to leave.

Founder & Sole Member - Grumpy's Over the Hill Club for Veteran Virtual Aviators
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Reply #8 - Mar 29^th, 2004 at 3:29pm

SilverFox441 Offline
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Being a ship fan I like touring any Memorial ship I come across...and most any warship I get a chance at.

Canada has a couple of great ships of this type, HMCS Haida (last of the Tribal class DD's) and HMCS Sackville (the last Flower class Corvette) have to be the top of the list.

A great site about Haida can be seen here: http://www3.sympatico.ca/hrc/haida/home.htm

HMCS Sackville: http://www.hmcssackville-cnmt.ns.ca/

Steve (Silver Fox) Daly

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Reply #9 - Mar 29^th, 2004 at 3:38pm

Woodlouse2002 Offline
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Go and visit HMS Belfast then. Prime example of a British WWII Cruiser. She also played a part in the demise of the Scharnorst, D-Day and the Korean war.

Woodlouse2002 PITA and BAR!!!!!!!!&&&&Our Sovereign Lord the King chargeth and commandeth all persons, being assembled, immediately to disperse themselves, and peaceably to depart to their habitations, or to their lawful business, upon the pains contained in the Act made in the first year of King George the First for preventing tumults and riotous assemblies. God Save the King.&&&&Viva la revolution!

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Reply #10 - Mar 29^th, 2004 at 5:54pm

SilverFox441 Offline
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Thank you for that!

I've got a model planned of a Southhampton class cruider for next winter...might make it a modifed Southhampton now based on HMS Belfast...love that paint scheme, also easier to figure out the peculiararities of a ship that still exists.

Steve (Silver Fox) Daly

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