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The United States Navy Memorial

Navy Memorial Honoring the Men & Women of the Sea Services

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Laffey

Ship Designation: 
DD-459
Date Lost: 
Friday, November 13, 1942
Naval Battle of Guadalcanal
The naval battle of Guadalcanal was just about to begin when the enemy force, a group of two battleships, one cruiser and 14 destroyers appeared on the horizon. Laffey lashed out at the enemy with gunfire and torpedoes. At the height of the violent battle, an enemy battleship came slashing through the darkness and both ships headed at full speed for the same spot. The destroyer unleashed her torpedoes and using all her firepower, machine-gunned the battleship's bridge. With a battleship on her stern, a second on her port beam, and two destroyers on her port bow, Laffey fought the Japanese ships with the three remaining main battery guns in a no-quarter duel at point blank range. ... Suddenly, from the battleship whose bridge she had shot away, came a salvo of 14-inch guns, swamping the crippled destroyer. Then a torpedo in her fantail put Laffey out of action. As the order to abandon ship was passed, a violent explosion ripped the destroyer apart; and she sank immediately. But her gallant skipper and crew had made the enemy pay a fearful price of one battleship severely damaged, one cruiser and two destroyer sunk.

Lost At Sea Log

Number of sailors in this log: 58

Name Service Branchsort descending
Sea 2c Guy Chase USN
Sea 2c Raymond Wilkinson USN
TM 1c James Geer USN
TM 1c John Green USN
Sea 2c Eugene Graham USN
LCdr William Hank USN
TM 3c Harold Hansen USN
Sea 2c Ercel Hensarling USN
Sea 2c Dale Hoeye USN
GM 3c James Connolly USN
GM 3c Clayton Churchill USN
RM 2c Frank Baer USN
FC 1c Donald Brown USN
Matt 2c Charlie Brown USN
TM 3c David Broughton USN
Sea 1c Jack Branham USN
Sea 2c William Bledsoe USN
MM 1c Albert Berendt USN
MM 1c Orville Beckendorf USN
EM 3c Donald Barnes USN

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Prepared by CAPT R. O. Strange USN (Ret.)