USS Laffey (DD-724)

USS Laffey (DD-724)

USS Laffey (DD-724), an Allen M. Sumner-class destroyer, was the 2nd ship of the United States Navy to be named for Bartlett Laffey. Seaman Laffey was awarded the Medal of Honor for his stand against Confederate forces on 5 March 1864. The ship earned the nickname "The Ship That Would Not Die" for her exploits during the D-Day invasion and the battle of Okinawa when she successfully withstood a determined assault by both conventional and kamikaze air attacks. Laffey is a U.S. National Historic Landmark and is preserved as a museum ship in Charleston, South Carolina.

Laffey's keel was laid down on 28 June 1943 by Bath Iron Works Corp., Bath, Maine; launched on 21 November; sponsored by Ms. Beatrice F. Laffey, daughter of Seaman Laffey; and commissioned on 8 February 1944, with Commander F. Julian Becton in command.