USS Laffey (DD-459)

USS Laffey alongside another U.S. Navy ship, while at sea in the South Pacific on 4 September 1942
History
United States
Name	USS Laffey
Namesake	Bartlett Laffey
Builder	Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corporation, San Francisco, California
Laid down	13 January 1941
Launched	30 October 1941
Commissioned	31 March 1942
Identification	DD-459
Fate	Sunk at the Battle of Guadalcanal,[1] 13 November 1942
General characteristics
Class and type	Benson-class destroyer
Displacement	1,620 long tons (1,650 t)
Length	347 ft 10 in (106.02 m)
Beam	36 ft 1 in (11.00 m)
Draft	11 ft 10 in (3.61 m)
Speed	37.5 kn (69.5 km/h; 43.2 mph)
Complement	208
Armament	4 × 5 in (127 mm) /38 cal guns 1 × 1.1"/75 caliber anti-aircraft cannon 5 × 20 mm anti-aircraft cannons 5 × 21 inch (533 mm) torpedo tubes 5 × depth charge projectors 2 × depth charge tracks

USS Laffey (DD-459) was a Benson-class destroyer of the United States Navy during World War II. She was the first destroyer named for Seaman Bartlett Laffey. She was lost in action on 13 November 1942.

Construction and commissioning

Laffey was

Laffey had her first fleet action in the Battle of Cape Esperance (also known as the Second Battle of Savo Island) on 11 and 12 October 1942. The destroyer operated with Admiral Norman Scott's cruiser group, guarding against enemy attempts to reinforce Guadalcanal. On 11 October, when the group formed into single column, Laffey joined two other destroyers in the van. About an hour later, sailors ran to their battle stations, steel doors clanged shut, and all made ready for battle. When the engagement began, Laffey raked the cruiser Aoba with three of her 5-inch (127 mm) guns. The furious gunfire roared on through the night. At dawn, destroyer Duncan was sinking, Farenholt was badly damaged, and cruiser Boise, though hard hit, had weathered several powerful blows. However, the Japanese losses were even greater. Furutaka was sinking, Aoba was badly damaged, and Fubuki had sunk.^[2]

After the battle, Laffey met with a group escorting transports from Nouméa on 11 November, and sailed to

Of the 247 crew members aboard, 59 were killed, including the commanding officer, William E. Hank. The wounded in the engagement numbered 116.[9]

Awards

Laffey was awarded the

Service ribbons

Presidential Unit Citation

American Campaign Medal

Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal with three bronze service stars

World War II Victory Medal

References

• Brown, David (1990). Warship Losses of World War Two. London, Great Britain: Arms and Armour.
  ISBN 0-85368-802-8
  .
• ISBN 0-517-56952-3
  .
• ISBN 0-345-27894-1.- Firsthand account of the first engagement of the battle by the captain of the Japanese destroyer Amatsukaze
  .
• Jameson, Colin G. (1944). "The Battle of Guadalcanal, 11–15 November 1942". Publications Branch, Office of Naval Intelligence, United States Navy (Somewhat inaccurate on the details of actual damage done to and actions by Japanese ships). Retrieved 8 April 2006.
• ISBN 0-316-58305-7
  .
• This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be found here.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to USS Laffey (DD-459).

• USS Laffey website at Destroyer History Foundation
• Roll of Honor

Further reading

• Barham, Eugene Alexander (1988). The 228 days of the United States Destroyer Laffey, DD-459. OCLC 17616581.