“The Ship That Would Not Die” Returned Home
- January 30 , 2012
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The final remaining American World War II destroyer to have seen action in the Atlantic was finally returned home on Wednesday.
The USS Laffey was towed back to the Patriot’s Point Naval and Maritime Museum on the Charleston Harbor in South Carolina just after sunrise on Wednesday. She was greeted by an enthusiastic crowd, which included many of its former crewmembers who came to welcome her home.
The ship was moved over 2 years ago to undergo $9 million in repairs.
The Laffey has been affectionately known as “The Ship That Would Not Die” after it was attacked in 1945 off Okinawa by over 50 Japanese planes. The ship was hit by 5 kamikaze planes and 4 bombs and sadly suffered 103 casualties.
Having the Laffey back where she belongs means the world to the men and women who served our country on that ship.
“This means a lot of years of fighting to get her saved again,” explained Sonny Walker of Abingdon, Md., Walker served on the Laffey in the early 1960s. “This is the third time. The Germans tried to sink her. The Japanese tried to sink her and then she tried to sink herself sitting here. She’s whipped them all and she’s back again.”
Article written by Rachelle Underwood-Lowe
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