USS Laffey (DD-459)

USS Laffey (DD-459) was a Benson-class destroyer of the United States Navy during World War II. Named for Seaman Bartlett Laffey, a Medal of Honor recipient from the American Civil War, the ship had a brief but distinguished combat career in the Pacific War. Commissioned in early 1942, she served with valor in the critical Guadalcanal campaign before being lost in a fierce night surface action.

Construction and commissioning

The destroyer was authorized as part of the 1940 6th Supplemental Appropriations Act and her keel was laid down on 13 January 1941 at the Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corporation yard in San Francisco. She was launched on 30 October 1941, sponsored by Eleanor Laffey, the granddaughter of the ship's namesake. Following fitting out and sea trials, the vessel was commissioned into active service on 31 March 1942 under the command of Commander William E. Hank.

Service history

After shakedown exercises off the West Coast of the United States, *Laffey* was assigned to Task Force 18 and transported to the South Pacific war zone. She screened the aircraft carrier USS *Wasp* during the Invasion of Guadalcanal and the subsequent Battle of the Eastern Solomons in August 1942. Following the sinking of the *Wasp*, she was reassigned to Task Force 64, a cruiser-destroyer force commanded by Rear Admiral Norman Scott. In this role, she participated in the Battle of Cape Esperance in October 1942, where her gunfire helped sink the Imperial Japanese Navy destroyer *Fubuki*.

Loss at the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal

On the night of 12–13 November 1942, *Laffey* was part of a U.S. task force under Rear Admiral Daniel J. Callaghan that intercepted a powerful Japanese battleship bombardment group headed for Henderson Field. In the chaotic, close-range melee of the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal, *Laffey* engaged the Japanese battleship *Hiei* at point-blank range, scoring hits with her 5-inch guns and torpedoes. During this furious exchange, she was simultaneously engaged by the battleship and several enemy destroyers. Struck by a salvo of 14-inch shells from the *Hiei* and possibly a torpedo, *Laffey*'s ammunition magazine exploded. The ship broke in two and sank quickly off Savo Island, with the loss of 59 of her crew, including her commanding officer, Lieutenant Commander William E. Hank.

Awards and legacy

For her heroic final action, USS *Laffey* (DD-459) was posthumously awarded the Presidential Unit Citation. The citation commended the ship and her crew for "extraordinary heroism in action against enemy Japanese forces." She also earned a Battle star for her World War II service. The name *Laffey* was immediately reassigned to a new Allen M. Sumner-class destroyer (DD-724), which would earn great fame surviving a massive kamikaze attack during the Battle of Okinawa. The wreck of DD-459 was discovered in 1992 by an expedition led by Robert Ballard and rests in Ironbottom Sound.

See also

* List of United States Navy destroyers * Naval Battle of Guadalcanal order of battle * Bartlett Laffey * USS Laffey (DD-724)

Category:Benson-class destroyers Category:World War II destroyers of the United States Category:Ships built in San Francisco Category:1941 ships