USS Laffey ( DD - 724 ) USS " Laffey " ( DD - 724 ) , an , was the 2nd ship of the United States Navy to be named for Bartlett Laffey . Seaman Laffey was awarded the Medal of Honor for his stand against Confederate forces on 5 March 1864 . 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 both conventional and the most unrelenting " kamikaze " air attacks in history . " Laffey " is a U . S . National Historic Landmark and is preserved as a museum ship in Charleston , South Carolina . " Laffey ' s " keel was laid down on 28 June 1943 by Bath Iron Works Corp . , Bath , Maine ; launched on 21 November ; sponsored by Ms . Beatrice F . Laffey , daughter of Seaman Laffey ; and commissioned on 8 February 1944 , with Commander F . Julian Becton in command . Service history . World War II . Upon completion of underway training , " Laffey " visited Washington Navy Yard for one day and departed on 28 February 1944 , arriving Bermuda on 4 March . She returned briefly to Naval Station Norfolk , where she served as a school ship , then headed for New York to join the screen of a convoy escort bound for England on 14 May . Refueling at Greenock , Scotland , the ship continued on to Plymouth , England , arriving on 27 May . " Laffey " immediately prepared for the invasion of France . On 3 June , she headed for the Normandy beaches escorting tugs , landing craft , and two Dutch gunboat s . The group arrived in the assault area , off Utah beach , Baie de la Seine , France , at dawn on D - Day , 6 June 1944 . On 6 – 7 June , " Laffey " screened to seaward , and on 8 – 9 June , she successfully bombarded gun emplacements . Leaving the screen temporarily , " Laffey " raced to Plymouth to replenish and returned to the coast of Normandy the next day . On 12 June , pursuing enemy E - boat s that had torpedoed the destroyer , " Laffey " broke up their tight formation , preventing further attacks . Screening duties completed , " Laffey " returned to England , arriving at Portsmouth on 22 June , where she tied up alongside the battleship . On 25 June , she got underway with the battleship to join Bombardment Group 2 shelling the formidable defenses at Cherbourg - Octeville . Upon reaching the bombardment area , the group was taken under fire by shore batteries ; destroyers and were hit . " Laffey " was hit above the waterline by a ricocheting shell , but it failed to explode and did little damage . Late that day , the bombardment group retired and headed for Ireland , arriving at Belfast on 1 July 1944 . She sailed with Destroyer Division 119 ( DesDiv 119 ) three days later for home , arriving at Boston on 9 July . After a month of overhaul , the destroyer got underway to test her newly installed electronic equipment . Two weeks later , " Laffey " set course for Norfolk , arriving on 25 August . The next day , " Laffey " departed for Hawaii via the Panama Canal and San Diego , California , arriving at Pearl Harbor in September . On 23 October , after extensive training , " Laffey " , departed for the war zone , via Eniwetok mooring at Ulithi on 5 November . The same day , she joined the screen of Task Force 38 ( TF 38 ) , then conducting airstrikes against enemy shipping , aircraft , and airfields in the Philippines . On 11 November , she spotted a parachute , left the screen , and rescued a badly wounded Japanese pilot who was transferred to the aircraft carrier during refueling operations the next day . " Laffey " returned to Ulithi on 22 November , and on 27 November set course for Leyte Gulf with ships of Destroyer Squadron 60 ( DesRon 60 ) . Operating with the 7th Fleet , " Laffey " screened the big ships against submarine and air attacks , covered the landings at Ormoc Bay on 7 December , silenced a shore battery , and shelled enemy troop concentrations . After a short upkeep in San Pedro Bay , Leyte on 8 December , " Laffey " with ships of Close Support Group 77 . 3 departed on 12 December for Mindoro , where she supported the landings on 15 December . After the beachhead had been established , " Laffey " escorted empty landing craft back to Leyte , arriving at San Pedro Bay on 17 December . Ten days later , " Laffey " joined Task Group 77 . 3 ( TG 77 . 3 ) for patrol duty of Mindoro . After returning briefly to San Pedro Bay , she rejoined the 7th Fleet , and during the month of January 1945 screened amphibious ships landing troops in the Lingayen Gulf area of Luzon . Retiring to the Caroline Islands , " Laffey " arrived at Ulithi on 27 January . In February , she supported TF 58 , conducting diversionary air strikes on Tokyo and direct air support of Marines fighting on Iwo Jima . Late in February , " Laffey " carried vital intelligence information to Admiral Chester Nimitz at Guam , arriving on 1 March . The next day , " Laffey " arrived at Ulithi for intensive training with battleships of TF 54 . On 21 March , she sortied with the task force for the Okinawa invasion . " Laffey " helped capture Kerama Retto , bombarded shore establishments , harassed the enemy with fire at night and screened heavy units . Kamikaze assault . On 15 April 1945 , " Laffey " was assigned to radar picket station 1 about north of Okinawa , and joined in repulsing an air attack which downed 13 enemy aircraft that day . The next day , the Japanese launched another air attack with some 50 planes : Meanwhile , four FM - 2 Wildcats took off from the escort carrier , attempting to intercept " kamikazes " attacking " Laffey " . One of the Wildcat pilots , Carl Rieman , made a dive into the " kamikaze " formation and targeted a Val . His wingman took out that dive bomber while Rieman lined up behind another Val , opened fire , and destroyed the enemy aircraft . Ten seconds later , Rieman pursued a Kate torpedo plane , fired , and killed the Japanese pilot . Only five seconds later , Rieman lined up behind another Kate and expended the last of his ammunition . As Rieman returned to his carrier , he made diving passes at " kamikazes " , forcing some of them to break off their attacks . The other three Wildcats destroyed a few aircraft and then interfered with the enemy ' s attack runs after they exhausted their ammunition until forced to return to " Shamrock Bay " when their fuel ran too low to stay . The Wildcats were replaced by a group of 12 American Vought F4U Corsair fighters . Another Val approached the disabled " Laffey " from port . A Corsair pursued the " kamikaze " and destroyed it after forcing it to overshoot the ship . The Corsair lined up behind an Oscar making a strafing approach on " Laffey " from starboard . One of " Laffey " s gunners hit the Oscar , causing it to crash into the ship ' s mast and fall into the water . The pursuing Corsair also crashed into the ship ' s radar antenna and fell into the water , but the pilot was later rescued by " LCS - 51 " . Another Val came from the stern and dropped a bomb detonating off the port side . The Val was later destroyed by a Corsair . The Corsair quickly lined up behind another Val and fired ; but the bomb from the second Val hit and destroyed one of " Laffey " s 40 mm gun mounts , killing all its gunners . The Corsair lined up behind two Oscars approaching from the bow , took out one , and was shot down by the other . The surviving Oscar was then shot down by " Laffey " s gunners . " Laffey " s main battery destroyed a Val approaching from starboard . The last attacker , a Judy , was shot down by a Corsair . " Laffey " survived despite being badly damaged by four bombs , six " kamikaze " crashes , and strafing fire that killed 32 and wounded 71 . The assistant communications officer — Lt . Frank Manson — asked Captain Becton if he thought they ' d have to abandon ship , to which he snapped , " No ! I ' ll never abandon ship as long as a gun will fire . " Becton did not hear a nearby lookout softly say , " And if I can find one man to fire it . " Post - war . " Laffey " was then taken under tow and anchored off Okinawa on 17 April . Temporary repairs were rushed and the destroyer sailed for Saipan , arriving on 27 April . Four days later , she got underway for the west coast via Eniwetok and Hawaii , arriving at Tacoma , Washington on 24 May . She entered drydock at Todd Shipyard Corp . for repair until 6 September , then sailed for San Diego , arriving on 9 September . Two days later , " Laffey " got underway for exercises but collided with in a thick fog . She rescued all but one of the PC ' s crew before returning to San Diego for repairs . On 5 October , she sailed for Pearl Harbor , arriving on 11 October . " Laffey " operated in Hawaiian waters until 21 May 1946 , when she participated in Operation Crossroads , the atomic bomb tests at Bikini Atoll , actively engaged in collecting scientific data . Radioactive decontamination of " Laffey " required the " sandblasting and painting of all underwater surfaces , and acid washing and partial replacement of salt - water piping and evaporators . " Upon completion of decontamination , she sailed for the west coast via Pearl Harbor arriving San Diego on 22 August for operations along the west coast . In February 1947 , " Laffey " made a cruise to Guam and Kwajalein and returned to Pearl Harbor on 11 March . She operated in Hawaiian waters until departing for Australia on 1 May . " Laffey " returned to San Diego on 17 June , was decommissioned on 30 June 1947 , and entered the Pacific Reserve Fleet . Korean War . " Laffey " was recommissioned on 26 January 1951 , with Commander Charles Holovak in command . After shakedown out of San Diego , she headed for the east coast of the US , arriving at Norfolk in February for overhaul followed by refresher training at Guantánamo Bay , Cuba . In mid January 1952 , she sailed for Korea , arriving in March . " Laffey " operated with TF 77 screening carriers and . In May , with Captain Henry J . Conger in command , " Laffey " sailed to Wonsan Harbor where she took part in blockade operations in Korea . After a brief refit at Yokosuka on 30 May , " Laffey " returned to Korea where she rejoined TF 77 . On 22 June , she sailed for the east coast , transiting the Suez Canal and arriving Norfolk on 19 August . " Laffey " operated in the Caribbean with a hunter - killer group until February 1954 , departing on a world cruise which included a tour off Korea until 29 June . " Laffey " departed the Far East bound for the east coast via the Suez Canal arriving Norfolk on 25 August . Operating out of Norfolk , she participated in fleet exercises and plane guard duties and on 7 October rescued four passengers from " Able " , a schooner that had sunk in a storm off the Virginia Capes . During the first part of 1955 , " Laffey " participated in extensive antisubmarine exercises , visiting : Halifax , Nova Scotia ; New York City ; Miami ; and ports in the Caribbean . In 1958 , she operated with ASW carriers in Floridian and Caribbean waters . Cold War . On 7 November 1956 , " Laffey " departed Norfolk and headed for the Mediterranean at the height of the Suez Crisis . Upon arrival , she joined the 6th Fleet which was patrolling the Israeli - Egypt ian border . When international tensions eased , " Laffey " returned to Norfolk on 20 February 1957 , and resumed operations along the Atlantic coast . She departed on 3 September for NATO operations off Scotland . She then headed for the Mediterranean and rejoined the 6th Fleet . " Laffey " returned to Norfolk on 22 December . In June 1958 , she made a cruise to the Caribbean for a major exercise . Returning to Norfolk the next month , " Laffey " resumed regular operations until 7 August 1959 , when she deployed with DesRon 32 for the Mediterranean . " Laffey " transited the Suez Canal on 14 December , stopped at Massana , Eritrea , and continued on to the Aramco loading port of Ras Tanura , Saudi Arabia , where she spent Christmas . " Laffey " operated in the Persian Gulf until late January 1960 , when she transited the Suez Canal and headed for home , arriving at Norfolk on 28 February . " Laffey " then operated out of Norfolk , making a Caribbean cruise . In mid - August , she participated in a large naval NATO exercise . In October , she visited Antwerp , Belgium , returning to Norfolk on 20 October , but headed back to the Mediterranean in January 1961 . While there , she assisted , a British freighter in distress . " Laffey " sailed for home in mid - August and arrived at Norfolk on 28 August . " Laffey " set out in September on a vigorous training program designed to blend the crew into an effective fighting team and continued this training until February 1963 , when she assumed the duties of service ship for the Norfolk Test and Evaluation Detachment . From October 1963 - June 1964 , " Laffey " operated with a hunter - killer group along the eastern seaboard , and on 12 June made a midshipmen cruise to the Mediterranean , arriving in Palma de Mallorca on 23 June . Two days later , the task group departed for a surveillance mission observing Soviet naval forces training in the Mediterranean . " Laffey " visited Mediterranean ports of Naples , Italy ; Théoule , France ; Rota and Valencia , Spain , returning to Norfolk on 3 September . " Laffey " continued to make regular Mediterranean cruises with the 6th Fleet and participated in numerous operational and training exercises in the Atlantic and Caribbean . Honors . " Laffey " received the US Presidential Unit Citation and five battle star s for World War II service , the Korean Presidential Unit Citation and two battle stars for Korean War service , and the Meritorious Unit Commendation . " Laffey " was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1986 . Present day . " Laffey " is currently a museum ship at Patriots Point in Charleston , South Carolina , alongside two other US National Historic Landmarks : the aircraft carrier , and submarine . In October 2008 , it was discovered that over 100 leaks had sprung up in " Laffey " s hull , and officials at Patriots Point were afraid that the ship would sink at her mooring . An estimated $ 9 million was needed to tow the ship to dry dock for repairs , prompting Patriots Point officials to secure a $ 9 . 2 million loan from the state of South Carolina to cover the costs . On 19 August 2009 , she was towed to Detyens Shipyards in North Charleston on the Cooper River for repair in drydock . The rust - eaten , corroded hull was repaired with thicker plating , miles of welding , and new paint . On 16 April 2010 , the Board of Trustees of Clemson University reached a lease agreement for Patriots Point organization to moor " Laffey " adjacent to Clemson ' s property at the former Navy base in North Charleston . " Laffey " was returned to Patriots Point on 25 January 2012 with more than a dozen former crew members among the crowd on hand to greet her . Said one veteran , " This means a lot of years of fighting to get her saved again . 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 . " It cost $ 1 . 1 million to return the ship and to make repairs to accommodate her in a new berth at the front of the museum .