Sedalia Dave Posted July 27, 2020 Share Posted July 27, 2020 The Ship That Wouldn’t Die (2)—USS Laffey (DD-724), 16 April 1945 Quote In the brief lull that followed, assistant communications officer Lieutenant Frank Manson arrived on the bridge to report to the skipper. When Mason finished talking, he hesitated a bit and then added: “Captain, we’re in pretty bad shape aft. Do you think we’ll have to abandon ship?” Becton quickly replied: “Hell no, Frank. We still have guns that can shoot. I’ll never abandon ship as long as a gun will fire.” Relieved, the lieutenant went back to his duties. How the USS Laffey Survived a Vicious Kamikaze Attack off Okinawa Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Major Crimes Posted July 27, 2020 Share Posted July 27, 2020 Seems to be a Navy thing, This guy was denied a VC at the time and a recent review didn't overturn it. Sure seems like he earnt one to me. Armidale undertook evasive action, manoeuvring frantically to avoid the aerial attack. However, at 15:15, the vessel was struck by two air-launched torpedoes, one hitting her port side and the other colliding with the engineering spaces, before a bomb exploded aft.[1] Armidale listed sharply to port at this stage, and the order was given to abandon ship.[12] As the crew leapt into the sea, they were strafed by the attacking aircraft. Sheean—after assisting to free a life-raft[1]—was hit by two bullets from one of the aircraft,[10] wounding him in the chest and back. Scrambling across the deck, he strapped himself into the aft Oerlikon 20 mm cannon and began shooting at the fighters in an effort to protect some of the sailors already in the sea.[1][12] Subject to the fire from Sheean's Oerlikon, the Japanese aircraft were kept at bay and were unable to effectively strafe those in the water.[3] With Armidale rapidly sinking, Sheean continued to fire and managed to shoot down one of the Japanese bombers. He damaged a further two aircraft before Armidale's stern was engulfed by the sea.[5][13] Despite this, Sheean maintained his fire as the water rose above his feet, and remained firing as he "disappeared beneath the waves".[1][10][12] Sheean's crewmates later testified to witnessing tracers rising from beneath the water's surface as Sheean was dragged under.[3] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grumpy Old Man Posted July 27, 2020 Share Posted July 27, 2020 A friend of my Dad's was on the Laffey. His son told me about it after he passed away. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sedalia Dave Posted July 27, 2020 Author Share Posted July 27, 2020 3 hours ago, Major Crimes said: Seems to be a Navy thing, This guy was denied a VC at the time and a recent review didn't overturn it. Sure seems like he earnt one to me. Armidale undertook evasive action, manoeuvring frantically to avoid the aerial attack. However, at 15:15, the vessel was struck by two air-launched torpedoes, one hitting her port side and the other colliding with the engineering spaces, before a bomb exploded aft.[1] Armidale listed sharply to port at this stage, and the order was given to abandon ship.[12] As the crew leapt into the sea, they were strafed by the attacking aircraft. Sheean—after assisting to free a life-raft[1]—was hit by two bullets from one of the aircraft,[10] wounding him in the chest and back. Scrambling across the deck, he strapped himself into the aft Oerlikon 20 mm cannon and began shooting at the fighters in an effort to protect some of the sailors already in the sea.[1][12] Subject to the fire from Sheean's Oerlikon, the Japanese aircraft were kept at bay and were unable to effectively strafe those in the water.[3] With Armidale rapidly sinking, Sheean continued to fire and managed to shoot down one of the Japanese bombers. He damaged a further two aircraft before Armidale's stern was engulfed by the sea.[5][13] Despite this, Sheean maintained his fire as the water rose above his feet, and remained firing as he "disappeared beneath the waves".[1][10][12] Sheean's crewmates later testified to witnessing tracers rising from beneath the water's surface as Sheean was dragged under.[3] After reading that I am not so sure he didn't deserve two. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cat Brules Posted July 27, 2020 Share Posted July 27, 2020 USS Laffey (DD-724) is an Allen M. Sumner-class destroyer, which was constructed during World War II, laid down and launched in 1943, and commissioned in February 1944. 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 conventional bombers and the most unrelenting kamikaze air attacks in history. Today, Laffey is a U.S. National Historic Landmark and is preserved as a museum ship at Patriots Point, outside Charleston, South Carolina.[4] USS Laffey(DD-724) USS Laffey (DD-724) in 1964 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sedalia Dave Posted July 27, 2020 Author Share Posted July 27, 2020 Watched a show on the Smithsonian channel and the USS Laffey and the above battle were one of the topics. The show pointed out that one of the reasons that the Laffey survived is that their CO, Commander Frederick Julian Becton, drilled them relentlessly between the time they left Hawaii and when they arrived in theater. The show noted that many of the crew complained about drilling all hours of the day and night. However, when it counted, the crew instinctively knew what to do in an emergency. The correct responses were second nature and no one had to stop and think or ask for guidance. I was a little disappointed that none of the printed accounts of the events I found pointed out that seemingly small but crucial detail. One I believe allowed the ship and most of her crew to survive when many others did not. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Major Crimes Posted August 10, 2020 Share Posted August 10, 2020 On 7/27/2020 at 10:03 PM, Sedalia Dave said: After reading that I am not so sure he didn't deserve two. You wont believe this? The Aust Govt just announced today they have changed their minds and are awarding the VC to Sheean. They must have seen my post and your response SD. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Abilene Slim SASS 81783 Posted August 10, 2020 Share Posted August 10, 2020 Bravo. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teddy_Sheean Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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