The Ship That Wouldn't Die

[Subdeacon Joe]

 

This image captures a dramatic moment on April 16, 1945, in the waters around Okinawa, when the United States Navy destroyer USS Laffey (DD-724) faced one of the most brutal battles in the history of modern naval warfare. Taken from the escort carrier USS PCE-851, the photograph shows Laffey, heavily damaged, yet holding on to Radar Picket Station No. 1—the most vulnerable outpost that served as an early warning line against Japanese air attacks.

 

In a remarkably short time, the ship was subjected to a coordinated barrage of kamikaze attacks. At least five suicide planes struck the ship directly, followed by two aerial bombs, and dozens of shells and explosions fell all around her. The barrage of attacks reduced the ship's decks and superstructure to charred rubble—the bridge was ripped off, armor plates were ripped off, and blast scars were visible throughout the ship.

 

Despite the destruction, casualties, and widespread fires, USS Laffey did not surrender. The ship's crew maintained remarkable discipline and courage, battling the fires while controlling structural damage that threatened the ship's survival. Meanwhile, anti-aircraft guns continued to fire, providing a last-ditch effort to protect the ship and the surrounding Allied fleet. The USS Laffey's resilience in this battle made her a symbol of the tenacity and courage of sailors during one of the most brutal phases of the Pacific War. 

 

 

https://www.laffey.org/HomePage/DD724WWII.html

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Chantry]

A tribute to outstanding damage control, a USN strength during WWII.  USN damage control was far superior to our enemies and allies, with only the British Royal Navy coming even close to the USN.

 

Also a tribute to the design and builders of the USS Laffey.

 

And PCE-851 was the USS Rockville, a "Patrol Craft Escort Rescue"  ttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Rockville   

[Subdeacon Joe]

13 minutes ago, Chantry said:

And PCE-851 was the USS Rockville, a "Patrol Craft Escort Rescue"

https://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/r/rockville.html

[Marshal Mo Hare, SASS #45984]

Awards

Laffey received the Presidential Unit Citation and five battle stars for World War II service,^[10] the Korean Presidential Unit Citation and two battle stars for Korean War service, the Meritorious Unit Commendation during the Cold War, and the Battle "E" during all three conflicts.

Laffey was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1986, at which time she was recognized as the only remaining US-owned Sumner-class destroyer, and for her spirited survival of the kamikaze attack.^[11]

Museum ship

USS Laffey (DD-724) in June 2019

Laffey is currently a museum ship at Patriots Point in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, alongside the aircraft carrier Yorktown.

[Forty Rod SASS 3935]

Okinawa is often overlooked in favor of places like Iwo Jima, Guadalcanal, and others, but...

 

the longest single battle in our history (82 continuous days) was fought there...

 

the first mass use of Kamikaze planes (and one of the last) was there...

 

mass suicides of non-combatants, (because the Japanese told the Okinawan civilians that we would kill all the men, rape the women, and eat the children) happened there...

 

Hacksaw Ridge, where the only Conscientious Objector to earn a Medal Of Honor, took place not far from where I was stationed...

 

Item Pocket, a huge volcanic circular hole in the ground with caves and tunnels covering the entire inner surface, made in nearly impossible to take from the ground...but we did it...was where my supply operation was located...

 

One old man called it "Hell's Holiday".  He was an Okinawan gent who saw it all happen.

[Grumpy Old Man]

A friend of my dad was on the Laffey when she got hit.

[Capt. R. Hugh Kidnme]

I worked with a gentleman who was a sailor on the Laffey, off Okinawa. He was injured when a kamikaze hit the water a few yards off the ship, and shrapnel hit him. Lost his right eye. 

[Iron City Sage]

I think some people have the impression, that the Navy had it better than the other services. On the surface, it seems a reasonable assumption. A rack to sleep in. Food was generally plentiful. Not sweating it out or freezing in a foxhole. And to some extent that could be true, but Sailors had a very real threat, countless hazards, from the sea, their own equipment, as well as the enemy, and often endured terrible conditions, depending on where they were sailing. Without AC those metal ships were ovens. On Arctic convoys, they were ice boxes. If sunk, (and an unimaginable number of something like 1000 US ships were, with over 62,000 sailors killed during the war) rescue was not very likely, resulting in a lonely, cold death at the hands of the sea. Accidents and injuries were as common as combat deaths. Sailors fought very difficult conditions as well as the enemy. Truly iron men. 

[Abilene Slim SASS 81783]

There’s something weird about that photo. Yes, it’s the Laffey, but the land mass with buildings in the relatively close background is odd for a ship holding a picket station off Okinawa. I’m thinking the image was taken off the coast of Hawaii or California (on its way home for repairs) from a much smaller craft than an escort carrier, or even another destroyer. 
 

 

Edited January 31 by Abilene Slim SASS 81783

[Subdeacon Joe]

45 minutes ago, Abilene Slim SASS 81783 said:

There’s something weird about that photo. Yes, it’s the Laffey, but the land mass with buildings in the relatively close background is odd for a ship holding a picket station off Okinawa. I’m thinking the image was taken off the coast of Hawaii or California (on its way home for repairs) from a much smaller craft than an escort carrier, or even another destroyer. 
 

 

 

It's probably a Photoshop or AI composit.

 

Here are some period photos 

 

 

 

 

 

(Lordy! It would be nice to be able to post something without having someone count the rivets)

 

[Sedalia Dave]

10 hours ago, Subdeacon Joe said:

(Lordy! It would be nice to be able to post something without having someone count the rivets)

 

Side effect of all the AI pictures and videos that are spreading like a virus across the internet.   If something doesn't change, in 5 years no one will be able to take any photo or video on the internet at face value.  

[Subdeacon Joe]

45 minutes ago, Sedalia Dave said:

 

Side effect of all the AI pictures and videos that are spreading like a virus across the internet.   If something doesn't change, in 5 years no one will be able to take any photo or video on the internet at face value.  

 

Sounds just like the warnings about Photoshop. 

[Abilene Slim SASS 81783]

On 1/27/2026 at 5:59 AM, Subdeacon Joe said:

Taken from the escort carrier USS PCE-851, the photograph shows Laffey, heavily damaged, yet holding on to Radar Picket Station No. 1—the most vulnerable outpost that served as an early warning line against Japanese air attacks.

No one is counting rivets. The image has clearly been altered and a phony caption has been assigned to it. Why is noting that a problem? People look at that stuff and think it’s real. Reality is dramatic enough, so why embellish it for social media and pass it off as fact?

 

Thank you for the black and white pics. Fascinating!

 

*****

 

EDIT: There was never an escort carrier with the designation PCE-851. That belongs to the USS Rockville, a patrol craft escort. The carriers were designated CVE

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Rockville

 

Edited February 1 by Abilene Slim SASS 81783