T he Sumner Sentinel © Spring 2021 Volume VIII Number 1 “The Ship That Would Not Die” History of the USS Laffey (Part 1) LCS 51 came alongside to help fight Editor’s Note: the Sumner Sentinel the fires, but the little vessel had also is now a quarterly publication (every been hit and could only offer limited three months -Spring, Summer, Fall help. and Winter. The only preserved Allen M. Sum- See Editor’s Desk ner-class destroyer for more info. in the U.S., as well USS Laffey (DD- as the only surviv- 724), an Allen M. ing U.S. World War Sumner-class de- II destroyer that saw stroyer, was laid down action in the Atlantic, and launched in 1943, USS Laffey acted as and commissioned in an escort for convoys February 1944. to Great Britain. The ship earned the On D-Day, the nickname “The Ship destroyer helped That Would Not Die” bombard Utah Beach for her exploits during the battle of at Normandy. Okinawa when she successfully with- Sent into the Pacific, Laffey was stood a determined assault by conven- involved in one of the most famous tional bombers and the most unrelent- destroyer-kamikaze duels in the war. ing kamikaze air attacks in history. Hit several times, racked by explo- When the battle was finally over the sions and fires, grim toll was staggering: 80 minutes Laffey remained afloat because of of continuous air attack, 22 separate the valiant efforts of her crew to earn attacks, six kamikazes crashed into the five battle stars and a Presidential ship and four bomb hits. Unit Citation for her World War II But Laffey‘s gunners had shot down service and two battle stars for her nine attackers. The ship’s casualties to- Korean War service. taled 32 dead and 71 wounded. Amaz- Laffey was the second ship of the ingly, eight guns were still able to fire. United States Navy to be named for See Laffey, Page 4 Page 1 Reunion Association President’s message . Officers Greetings to all, Hope everyone is doing well and are President. staying healthy. Unfortunately things here in Frank DiBello Texas haven’t gotten any better, if anything [email protected] it has gotten worse. Between the Covid-19 1st Vice President Virus and unusual Open [email protected] weather we have 2nd Vice President been receiving, life Open as we have known [email protected] it is only a memo- (Still) Past President ry. Everyday seems Bob Kelly like a new chapter [email protected] in life starting over Secretary again. Scott Kopfstein I am sorry to [email protected] say I think the Treasurer Frank DiBello reunion in Texas Pete Dromms isn’t going to hap- [email protected] pen in May. I can only hope we can either Chaplain get something together later in the year, or James Gorman [email protected] plan our 2022 reunion. With the Covid-19 Master-At-Arms Virus still not being under control, I just Pete Dromms don’t see how we can do our usual get [email protected] together. I am working on something with a Historian smaller scaled down get together. Fred Willshaw I will be contacting our officers for some [email protected] advice and any ideas we might try to have Directors/Terms Expire a “Mini” reunion. We would also like any John Hruska input that the rest of our shipmates might be - 2020 - able to share with us. If so, there will be a [email protected] registration form then. Open Please be safe and let’s all get thru this - 2021 - challenging time together, so that we can [email protected] once again have a great Sumner family Joe Drabick reunion together. - 2022 - Frank DiBello, President USS Allen M. [email protected] Sumner DD-692 Association Page 2 vaccine just by going to a health club at a hospital used by her primary care doctor. She told my wife Jane about the experience and said we should go since we had used the same he health club for many TSenti- years. By Don Hayden nel is now The following day we both went to TM3 (1961-62) a quarterly the health club where the neighbor publication but had gone and while I waited in the car there is no need at this time to fill out my Jane went inside to get informa- a registrtion form. tion about what I could do to get on a Perhaps in the next edition there list. will be a time to do so. Currently When there are no plans to hold a reunion in Jane inside May (See President’s Message). and told Throughout this Covid-19 BS I’m one of the sure lot of us were looking forward to nurses she making the Texas reunion had an I’ll not be going to any reunion 80-year- without Dr. Anthony Fauci’s blessing. old man in And maybe not even with his. the car, the According to Dr. Fauci we may be nurse said wearing masks well into 2022 with to “get him Dr. Anthony Fauci appropriate vaccination or not. in” as there Any shipmate who has information was a cancellation and I could use it. on what our organization could do And so I did! should get in touch with the president. And a month later I was able to go Oklahoma has a “portal” system back to the health club for the second whereby persons 65 and older can shot. pre-register and supposedly get ap- So maybe now even if I can’t attend pointments. a reunion I can my hair cut at Great What you really do is get on a list Clips or eat breakfast like I used too! for appointment locations. But it And needless to say I’m really look- seemed that every time I tried to use ing forward to 2022 when I might be it, all the appointment slots were not going to a Sumner reunion or at least available. be able to attend the 30th reunion of Then my next door neighbor got a the closing of the The Tulsa Tribune. Page 3 Laffey Bartlett ing craft, and two Dutch gunboats. Continued from Page 1 Laffey. The group arrived in the assault Seaman area, off Utah beach, Baie de la Seine, Laffey was awarded the Medal of France, at dawn on D-Day, 6 June Honor for his stand against Confeder- 1944. ate forces on 5 March 1864. On 6–7 June, Laffey screened to Laffey’s keel was laid down on 28 seaward, and on 8–9 June, she suc- June 1943 by Bath Iron Works Corp., cessfully bombarded gun emplace- Bath, Maine; launched on 21 Novem- ments. ber; sponsored by Ms. Beatrice F. Leaving the screen temporarily, Laffey, daughter of Seaman Laffey; Laffey raced to Plymouth to replenish and commissioned on 8 February and returned to the coast of Norman- 1944, with Commander Frederick dy the next day. Becton in command. On 12 June, pursuing enemy E- Upon completion of underway boats that had torpedoed the destroyer training, Laffey visited Washington Nelson, Laffey broke up their tight Navy Yard for one day and departed formation, preventing further attacks. USS Laffey (DD-724) is an Allen M. Sumner-class destroyer was, laid down and launched in 1943, and commissioned in February 1944. on 28 February 1944, arriving in Ber- Screening duties completed, Laffey muda on 4 March. returned to England, arriving at Ports- Refueling at Greenock, Scotland, mouth on 22 June, where she tied up the ship continued on to Plymouth, alongside the battleship Nevada. England, arriving on 27 May. Laffey On 25 June, she got underway with immediately prepared for the invasion the battleship to join Bombardment of France. Group 2 shelling the formidable de- On 3 June, she headed for the Nor- fenses at Cherbourg-Octeville. mandy beaches escorting tugs, land- See Next Page Page 4 Upon reaching the bombardment Hawaii via the Panama Canal and San area, the group was taken under fire Diego, California, arriving at Pearl by shore batteries; destroyers Barton Harbor in September. and O’Brien (both Sumner class Operating with the 7th Fleet, Laffey destroyers) were hit. screened the big ships against subma- Laffey was hit above the waterline rine and air attacks, covered the land- by a ricocheting shell, but it failed to ings at Ormoc Bay on 7 December, explode and did little damage. silenced a shore battery, and shelled Late that day, the bombardment enemy troop concentrations. group retired and headed for Northern After a short upkeep in San Pedro Ireland, arriving at Belfast on 1 July Bay, Leyte on 8 December, Laffey 1944. with ships of Close Support Group She sailed with Destroyer Division 77.3 departed on 12 December for 119 (DesDiv 119) three days later for Mindoro, where she supported the home, arriving at Boston on 9 July. landings on 15 December. After a month of overhaul, the de- After the beachhead had been estab- stroyer got underway to test her newly lished, Laffey escorted empty landing installed electronic equipment. craft back to Leyte, arriving at San Two weeks later, Laffey set course Pedro Bay on 17 December. for Norfolk, arriving on 25 August. In February, she supported TF 58, The next day, Laffey departed for conducting diversionary air strikes USS Laffey (DD-724) Shipmate group photo taken by Sumner Sentinel editor during a 2008 reunion at Patroits’ Point, SC.. Page 5 The next day, the Japanese launched another air attack with some 50 planes including the Aichi D3A - the first Japanese aircraft to bomb American targets in the war, commencing with Pearl Harbor and U.S.