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USS Laffey (DD-459) was a Benson-class destroyer of the United States Navy during World War II. She was the first destroyer named for Bartlett Laffey.
Laffey was laid down on 13 January 1941 by Bethlehem Shipbuilding Company, San Francisco, California; launched 30 October 1941; sponsored by Miss Eleanor G. Forgerty, granddaughter of Seaman Laffey; and commissioned on 31 March 1942, Lieutenant Commander William E. Hank in command. She was lost in action on 13 November 1942.
Trivia[]
- Her skill "Solomon War God" is a reference to her actions in the Battle of Guadalcanal also known as the Third Battle of the Solomon Sea. She did a tremendous amount of damage to several Japanese ships and even took on the Battleship Hiei at point-blank range. She ended up surrounded by Japanese ships and, despite putting up a great fight, exploded and sunk.
- She mentions battleships in her self-introduction. In the Battle of Guadalcanal, she ended up within 20 feet of Battleship Hiei. She raked Hiei's sides with torpedos and shelled her bridge and superstructure. While she, alone, didn't sink Hiei, her shells wounded Admiral Abe and killed his Chief of Staff. This greatly limited Admiral Abe's ability to lead the Japanese fleet for the rest of the battle.
- The line with Furutaka references the battle of Cape Esperance, during which Furutaka's deck caught fire after a shell fragment landed on her torpedo pipes and burned bright during the night. Thus she became a prime target, but nonetheless, she charged onto the US fleet to shield Aoba from US fire. She was promptly sunk with over 90 shells landing on her already burning hull. Laffey, as mentioned above, engaged in similar self-sacrificial actions.