The Ship That Would Not Die: USS Laffey and Her 5in Guns
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 3 ส.ค. 2024
- In this episode we're on board the destroyer USS Laffey and talking about her 5in guns.
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Met an older gentleman, Naval Veteran WW II. Asked him about his service. I served 71 -73 during the Viet Nam Conflict - US Army. He very quietly told me about his service on a destroyer. The USS Laffey. I knew him slightly. I asked if that was the destroyer that didn't sink? He said ..... Yes. I got to listen to some Living History. He was a quiet, respectful, gentleman.
He's a treasure.
I too met someone who served on the USS Laffey.
Some years ago I noticed an older gentleman in a local WalMart wearing a hat with a pine tree on it. I walked up to him and commented on his hat as I recognized the pine tree as the unit insignia for the 91st Infantry Division. I knew a little of the unit's WWII history, which I imparted and thanked him for his service before walking away.
A little later, the man approached me with a few tears in his eyes. He told me that I was the first person ever to recognize his unit insignia and the first person to ever thank him for serving. I didn't really know how to respond to this and most likely I mumbled something unintelligible.
We never saw each other again, and it has been a long time since I last saw any WWII veterans, but when I think of the ones it has been my honor to meet, I always remember this man, though I never knew his name.
@@DaleRaby Thanks. Made his day. Someone remembered.
What an honor, thank you
The F6F Hellcat was a fairly effective antiaircraft weapon.
Good point!
As was the F4U Corsair
@@benn454 Yes agree
It was definitely superior to the Wildcat.
I came here to say a fighter patrol
There is a sailor, who died as a result of his wounds from the kamikaze attacks on the USS Laffey, buried in my parish cemetery in Michigan. His name was John Kappa, and he died in late July 1945, three months after the massive attack on the Laffey that occurred on April 15. I presumed that Kapa died from burn wounds; it is common for burn victims to survive for several weeks until they succumb to their injuries. We did not know the history behind John Kapa - he has a Veteran's grave marker, until a representative from Patriots' Point contacted our cemetery manager seeking the grave. The gentleman was on a mission to visit as many of the gravesites of the crew who died as a result of the kamikaze attack.
I believe one poor sailor lost one or both his legs and asked to hold the flag before he passed away. There where many horrific stories from that day. The guys in the back part of that ship got the worst of it.
During my visit to Patriots Point I was actually more impressed with the Laffey than I was with the Yorktown. You can just feel the history of the Laffey in every space on board her.
You know it's special when Ryan puts on a tie..
I have to admit that I was too. Yorktown is a grand lady, don't get me wrong on that by any means, but Laffey blew my mind. Most ships with half those hits would be with Davey Jones already, but Laffey flat-out refused to go down. And to think that, when we arrived there to tour Yorktown, initially I wasn't even interested in Laffey because she was "only" a destroyer and I hadn't heard of her yet. I got my mind changed real fast on that, lemme tell ya. After watching the newsreels on board in the aft turret and on the larger screen belowdecks, I radically revised my opinion of Laffey and destroyers in general. That tiny little ship had guts for days, y'all.
My great grandfather served in Laffey during the Korean War. 1951 to 1955. He still tells me stories about what happened on the Laffey and he still alive to this day. Is he going to 90 in 2024 he was born 1934. He’s a good old sailor he swears like it too. He loves ship the flies a red , White and blue. He said the Laffey was the greatest time of his life he was a proud to be known as a sailor on board the ship that would not die. I’m playing on making a documentary about him and recording his experiences on the Laffey. He tells me a lot of stories and I can’t remember them all. Someday I will post it on TH-cam so someone can see it. I think all the veterans include my relatives that served in most of the branches of neosmilitary im most of the wars. But he is one of my favorites. He usually goes down to the Laffey reunions Pommosa more gone but he still around. I love my great grandpa Bob. You be always in my heart and I’ll always remember him from the rest of my days.
Please video your grandfather's stories. Don't try to write them down. Just let him talk.
You need to record his stories asap before its too late. So much history has disappeared before it could be recorded.
All sons and grandsons should do that . For me my grandpa died before I could do that . I do have a notebook with some of his story's. Do it now ! Not later
And grand girls too !!!
Yes I second that. Video record him telling his stories, so we can hear his voice and see the facial expressions as he reflects.
US 5" guns were amazing, the fact that they were dual purpose AND standardized across the fleet gave them such an advantage.
It blows my mind to know that standardized guns were uncommon at one point. Logistics is so much simpler. Theres a reason why the American military and civilians buy 12Ga, 9mm, 5.56, and .308, as well as AR and Glock mags, by the truck load, even if they use them in vastly different guns.
agreed. IIRC they were the first dual purpose guns in the world to see such a wide scale deployment. Possibly even the best DP guns of the war but the UKs 5.25" were better guns outright but the US 5"/38 was available for years when the 5.25" was not so I personally am undecided which is the better system when the availability and usage comes into the question. Honestly what may swing the issue is the best gun is debatable but the US FCS was best outright.
@@Colonel_Overkill The British 5.25" was definitely a better antisurface weapon and had longer range in the AAA role but it much slower rate of fire.
@@johnshepherd8687
5.25" smaller cousin 4.5" DP gun was better AA weapon but was also limited in accessibility.
100mm/L65 Japanese is also worth of mention due to excellent ballistics, but for surface engagements the 13 kg HE projectile was rather weak. Still Akizuki class DD's are worth of mention, as a first fully capable AA Fleet vessels smaller than cruiser.
That is a very good point. Manual loaded the 5.25" was inferior to the 5"/38. Once the UK got powered assistance to load it became a beast but the parts were just a hair too heavy for goor rate of fire sustainability. I agree the 100mm and 4.5" were great single use weapons, hell the 4.7" was an amazing surface only weapon but dual purpose these two were the only real contenders for the best. The german 12.8cm SK C/41 may have been added to the great gun list but by the time it was in a position to be mounted the Kriegsmarine had a bad case of zerstört so we will never know. The 12.7cm/40 type 89 was decent but the low velocity and god awful directors kept it from shining.
The stories of both Laffeys, this one, 724 and her previous namesake, 459, are amazing. Truly one of the most badass ships in history!
Her and Johnston are tied in my books. Both fought with absolutely everything they could muscle against anything thrown at them. Tough old ships with a tougher crew. Rest easy Johnston.
I served on the Laffey from 1969 to 1970 and for part of my tour on this ship my general quarters station was trainer in MT 51. I made one cruise to the Caribbean and one to the Med. Still have my DD 724 ball cap and ships cruise book. Finished my time on the Laffey as a radioman and visited the ship about 3 years ago. A funny incident while visiting with my wife, there was an officer giving a tour to visitors and they were in MT 51 with the officer explaining the operation of the gun mount and the different positions in it. I informed the officer that I was a trainer in that exact gun mount and he offer to let me finish giving the tour.
I wish I was on that tour that day.
My father and I went to patriot point a few years ago. He served on the USS O'BRIEN DD-725 68 TO 72. When he walked the Gangway you could see he was 20 years old again and reliving it all again. Was a humble experience for me and we spent hours on the ship .
When my father visited the Laffey he slid down the ladder like he was 18 again 🤣
In addition to the rate of fire the proximity fuse is what the 5"/38 so effective later in the war. No longer were fuses set by hand for a timed explosion nor did the projectile require a direct hit to be effective. As soon as the projectile passed within a certain distance of the target the round exploded. Scratch one Zero.
Kamikazes were lethal because once they were in their terminal dive to their target, even if you were to blow the wings off, kill the pilot, and set the fuselage on fire, you wouldn't stop the bulk of the airplane from continuing on its ballistic path. Essentially it's like trying to shoot down a bomb falling at you. The key is to damage the kamikaze while it's far enough away that it still has to do some actual flying to reach you. Proximity-fuzed shells were good for that since they increased the odds of inflicting damage at long range. That's why the USN started replacing its lighter 20mm Oerlikons and 40mm Bofors guns with 3-inch/50-caliber guns in the last year of the war - the 3" fired the smallest shell that could take a proximity fuze. By the time the kamikaze gets close enough to hit with the lighter guns, you're less likely to stop it. So even though the heavier weight of the 3" gun meant having fewer AA barrels after the upgrade, the advantages of proximity fuzes made up for it.
I agree. The proximity fuse was a very effective weapon against kamikaze attacks but an F4F was the Cat's Meow.
@@danielmocsny5066 i don't think the US used 3" during WW2 but I could be wrong
@@amistrophy many ships had a couple different types of 3" guns. Earlier light and heavy cruisers made use of them as secondary batteries, and they were small and versatile enough to find use on several light support vessels, like the LCS gunboats.
Then some bright boy got the idea of taking that fuse and sticking it on artillery shells, creating a round that would airburst at just the right height to get maximum effect from the frag.
I'd say the most effective AA weapon was the proximity fuse. You no longer had to guess and set the timer or hit the airplane. The shell would automatically explode when it got near one.
There are many technologies that helped defend ships from aircraft but if I had to pick just a couple that stood out during WWII it would be the development and deployment of proximity fuses for 5 inch guns and the rapid advancements in radar. True until the introduction of guided and/or tracking missiles in the following decade. Drachinifel's channel does an excellent biography of USN Admiral Ernest King, which explores his struggles with the bureaucratic red-tape that slowed the proximity's fuse adaptation by the US Navy during WWII. Until proximity fuses were introduced, most AAA relied on timed fuses and guess work.
Drachinifel's channel rocks.
Dark Seas is another good channel
@@verneblestien315 I don’t believe the Dark ______ series content creator does reliable presentations. I was subscribed to the Dark Skies channel for a while and several of their WWII and Korean aviation videos were significantly flawed on basic details. Scrolling through comments on their other channels, again basic details are regularly being demonstrated as wrong. The Dark _______ channels content creator is well intended and passionate, but not nearly as accurate as Drachinifel, Mark Felton, Forgotten Weapons, The History Guy’s respective channels.
Dracinifel's video on the Laffey was, as usual, both informative and entertaining.
I think the 5"/38 firing proximity fused ammunition was the best anti-aircraft gun of world war II.
Until the Brits finally got their 5.25" twin mounts to work properly, including using the proximity fuses and the Mark 37 fire control director. That was VERY late in the Pacific Theater.
Also very late in the war the 5-inch/54-caliber Mark 16 gun was a significant upgrade over the 5-inch/38-caliber against both aircraft and surface targets. It was intended for the secondary battery on the Montana-class battleships. With the cancellation of the Montanas, it ended up on the Midway-class aircraft carriers, the first of which was completed too late to see action in WWII.
Those are all good points, but the 5"/38 entered service in 1934 and served throughout the war. It deserves a lot of credit for that.
My Father attended a Shipmate reunion aboard the Yorktown in 2002 at Patriot Point's. My Father served aboard the USS Lowry (DD 770) another Sumner class destoryer. He was a plank owner and radarman. Served on her from time ships company was formed until she retured to San Pedro after WWII. I truly enjoyed walking with him on the Laffey as he told me stories about the Lowry! Thank you Ryan enjoy your videos! Joe Franks
My cousin Jack Newsome was a snipe when she was hit but all the kamikazes. He used to tell me stories about how after the battle he could see sun shine coming in the the after fire room. Due to all the strafing and shrapnel damage. Said looked like holding calendar up to sunlight. He also told me about a Lt in the same fire room that had big flat feet and it sounded like he was going to come though the gratings. He sad they would take a canned ham and put it in the uptake and in a few hours eat like kings. Jack lived in Athans, Ga latter in life. He passed away in 2006. I will be taking my boys to see her next Saturday. 2/26/2022.
I worked at Detyen's Shipyard in North Charleston when the Laffey was moved from Patriots Point to undergo hull repair. Was a great experience to know you were helping to maintain a part of history. The 5" gun holds a special place in my heart. I was a fire controlman that operated the computer system to shoot the 5"/54 on Burke Class Destroyers. A lot of fun times shooting that thing. Fixing the smiley faces the powder cans leave in the nonskid could be a pain though.
My father served on the USS Henry Wiley (DM-29) based on the Sumner class like the USS Laffey. The USS Wiley served 34 days on Radar Picket Duty during the 2 months of the Battle of Okinawa. Many destroyers were hit during this battle, 84 of ~ 125 destroyers in the battle were hit, including the USS Laffey.
In May of 2017, my father and I toured the USS Cassin Young, another WWII destroyer, at Charlestown Navy Yard near Boston. As soon as we were on deck, he walked to the aft 5” gun mount, turned and said, “This was my battle station.” (Gun Captain) Although the tour was only allowed on the main deck, the docent let my father and me down into the berthing area. The lights were out below deck, but sunlight through the hatch was sufficient for us to talk. I asked to see his 5” gun’s ammo handling room. The docent said, “Wait here, I’ll go to the breakers and turn on the lights.” As I turned back, my 95-year-old father was walking briskly away from me, down dark hallways, stepping over hatch openings. I followed quickly and caught up to him just as the lights came on. He was at the handling hoists. After 72 years, he could find that station in the dark.
Wow! USS Laffey is still afloat!!! I'm awestruck! She's a beauty! I knew she returned to battle after that horrendous day of April 16th, 1945. That day in a hellish, non-stop 80 minute long attack by 50 Kamikazes she was hit by no less than six Kamikazes and four 500 lbs bombs…! Out of 355 Courageous Crew, 32 died and 71 were wounded. Ari Phoutrides aboard Laffey always praised
-Laffey's captain, Commander Frederick Julian Becton
-Combat Air Patrol
-The Brave Crew and
-God
for seeing them through that hellish day. And captain Becton… What a guy! He told his Crew that he would not abandon his ship while "A SINGLE GUN IS STILL FIRING". That is what I call Leadership under Heavy Fire!
As for best AA gun there is no doubt the 5 inch Main Battery. I know Laffey had radar guided gunnery platforms. What I do not know is whether they had proximity fuses in the shells. I expect they did not.
Proximity fuses, which was part of the Tizzard mission of Technology Transfer from the UK to the US, enabled a cooperation across the Atlantic where the American team cracked the problem of making electronics that would survive the up to 20,000 G and 30,000 RPM of acceleration and centrifugal forces. A solution which was made able by electronic components (tubes) made for pocket sized hearing aids in America.
In the battle of Britain it could take up to 20,000 AA shells to bring down just 1 aircraft. It's true enough that the distances they needed to hit the German Bombers at, were much greater than Laffey vs her Kamikaze Attackers. But still, even in April 1945 this was freshly minted technology still filtering out to the front line warriors.
But nevertheless, many regard the Proximity Fuse as the 3rd Most Important Invention of World War 2, after
- The Atomic Bomb and
- The Radar.
I share this view. th-cam.com/video/N0SgC78YFPc/w-d-xo.html
So, yes - even though Laffey's 40 mm and 20 mm AA guns had a vastly higher rate of fire than the 3 shells per minute of her six 5 inch Main Battery, the sheer conservation of momentum of the incoming planes helped the six Kamikazes that got through to leave their murderous calling cards.
Finally, I would say, God Bless You All at Battleship New Jersey for taking care of and keeping afloat this vital piece of History for all our sakes. I was sure Laffey had been broken up after the war. Luckily someone obviously had the sense and providence to save her.
Salute from Norway!
🇺🇸🇳🇴
The CO of Laffey at the time of the kamikaze attack was Frederick J. Becton & he later commanded Iowa in the 1950s.
How about a coincidence I live in Iowa and that’s where my great grandpa was living and he is still living in Iowa. In 1951 he was in the Navy on board the USS Laffey DD 724 and he got out of the Navy in 1955
I work with a guy who was a gunners mate on the USS Berkeley. I think it would be nice to do something on the Berkeley and New Jersey during Vietnam, and a little info on the Berkeley as well. I mentioned this channel to him and he got bright eyed and smile on his face. Thank you very much for all that you are doing, and helping brighten the man's spirit
I served on DD729 in 1965/66. My GQ station was the #fifty-two gun magazine in the very bottom of the ship. I fed those elevators. When called upon, we could empty the magazine in one night of shore bombardment. We fired so many rounds we melted the barrels and had to refit in Hong Kong. We called ourselves Thorson's Raders and made patches for our blue jackets commemorating the Tolkien Gulf Yacht Club. I was seventeen at the time. It was not like in the movies. War sucks.
I recently met someone who served on USS Laffey during the Cuban missile crisis. Bought a battleship model and a few other military related stuff from him.
Until the Kamikaze, whatever could throw the most lead into the air was going to be king. With the Kamikaze, you had to make a balanced compromise between volume and and stopping power. I'm sure it helped to have a target that more or less didn't even try to dodge.
Due to conservation of momentum, and gravity, you aren't going to actually "stop" a diving kamikaze by firing AA shells into it. Imagine someone drops a large rock off a skyscraper and you're standing under it. Even if you blast the big rock into smaller rocks, all the mass of the rock is still coming down. The trick was to damage the kamikaze enough to render it unflyable while it was still far enough away to have some flying left to do before entering its terminal dive. Larger-caliber AA shells with proximity fuzes increased the probability.
The lighter AA guns were not so much to "stop" an enemy aircraft as to stop it from flying home. As kamikazes didn't intend to fly home they weren't deterred by absorbing the kind of damage on their way to the target that would prevent a conventional aircraft mission from returning to base.
The increasing effectiveness of the USN's anti-aircraft gunnery during the war may have been one of the reasons for the switch to kamikaze tactics. Once the probability of shooting down attacking aircraft becomes high enough, the reasoning of the Japanese may have been we're going to crash anyway, we might as well crash on the target ship.
@@danielmocsny5066 Stopping power in relation to ordinance doesn't literally meaning coming to a full stop.
Was just telling my wife the other day we need to go to Charleston to check out the museum ships. We did the north Carolina in Wilmington and the midway in san Diego.
I love that you guys jump around to all these different ships
And the next time we go to seaside I want to go to check out the new jersey too, it is in my top 5
My dad was a gunner’s mate on the Laffey during that attack. It’s a truly heroic story.
I remember reading about the Laffey and her exploits in all the military history books over 40 years ago as a kid when I first started interest .. and still being talked about and viewed today .. great stuff thanks
My late great grandfather was on that ship what a man he was and the stories he told. Thanks for the video
Another very nice video! Thanks very much for all of these and the work you're putting into preserving NEW JERSEY and these other ships---and at other locations even!
The benson class laffey was probably the other better known laffey because she squared off against hie
What really made ALL the American destroyer types weapons systems so potent were their crews! Not only the gun crews but also the damage control parties that kept he in the fight. There's a reason why they are referred to as “The Greatest Generation”.
I was assigned to the Laffey in the mid-60's and had the opportunity to see first hand the old battle scars and also to meet many of the men who fought her during a ship's reunion.
When the Japanese fleets would engage the woefully outgunned American units they would fight so ferociously as to convince the Japanese high command that they had tangled with superior vessels. American destroyers were being reported as battle ships and American Destroyer Escorts were cruisers.
All culminating in the Navy's finest hour when Taffy 3 put the fear of God into Admiral Kurita and Center Force.
You're an awesome, genuine and interesting guy and I hope you get the family you deserve. Thank you for the great videos.
My great uncle was station at Charleston when the Laffey was being brought in to become a museum and he was the chief in charge of disabling her guns and turrets for the museum.
He used to take me us to the navy campground Charleston and to patriots point every year and of course told that story everytime
How did he do it?
Also, is it possible to reactivate the guns?
My dad was on DD702 in WWII, under the same conditions. God bless these men.
I didn't even know it was still on display! Great! Thank You for the video.
When I was in the 7th grade we went to Patriots Point for a field trip. I remember that they had one of the 5 inch gun mounts open for you to go inside of. That was the most memorable thing about that field trip for me. It was pretty cool.
Great video. I served aboard a Gearing class destroyer from 1973 - 75 and my first GQ station was in the upper handling room of mount 52 so I'm very familiar with the ammo hoist outside the handling room. One hoist passed up the projectiles, while the other passed up the powder charges. I eventually became a loader in the actual mount on the starboard side gun.
What a Tough Ole’ Battle Wagon she was!! Sir, your telling of the USN LAFFEY & her WW-II Trials and Tribulations [esp., her Dual 5-inch Cannon Turrets and charging lifts & the complexities therein!] made me like I was THERE… THX to YOU!!!🇺🇸
Thanks for showing the Patriot's Point videos. I live in S.C. and have been there several times. The Laffey is an interesting trip. I recommend this for anyone going to the Charleston area.
The operations room just did a video on the 58 kamakazes that attacked Laffey, within about the past month or so.
Great channel, highly recommended.
Laffey was featured in an episode of Dogfights all about her ordeal off Okinawa.
That was a great episode!
Thank you so much for sharing the important and incredible story of the USS Laffey and her crew. My Grandfather, Captain Paul B Smith, then LT Smith was a plank owner and Laffey’s head gunnery officer. He was so proud of the men he served with and the perfection with which the Laffey gun crews operated. #TheShipThatWouldNotDie
The most effective anti aircraft weapon of WWII was other fighters. Okay maybe that's a cheeky answer, but I do think it's true.
haha! Right. Although the best anti aircraft weapon was really anything that hurt their logistics.
So the m2 .50 the fighters used😀
Visit the Laffey 5 years ago. The story of the ship was very impressive. Greetings from germany 👍🏼
Love the videos, your knowledge of the inner workings of these ships is second to none. One constructive comment on this video, please get a new belt. Keep up the good work and keep the videos coming!
Also I want to add, the captain of the Laffey incessantly drilled his crew with an emphasis on damage control, which no doubt played a major part in the Laffeys survival. Their efforts once among countless other examples showed the dedication and commitment of our servicemen and women. They’re simply the finest!!!
I was stationed in Charleston in 1983-84 on USS Semmes DDG 18. I toured the ships at Patriots Point on July 4th 1983. Also served on USS Cape Cod AD 43, USS Kinkaid DD 965, USS Whidbey Island LSD 41, and USS Wasp LHD 1
Ryan, did you see the upper handling room for MT 51? I was incharge of the upper and lower handling room during Vietnam. The chiefs galley would fill up with the power canisters 4 ft high before we would get a break to stow them on the 01 LEVEL.
Great video from the battleship.
Visited the Laffey and it was really great!
My uncle was a radioman on her in the early 70s. Got to visit her back in 2012 while stationed down there myself. Probably one of the more underrated museum ships around, especially since she sits in the shadow of a giant.
Love the tie! Keepn it gentlemenly! Distinguished more of that!
I think you nailed it, Ryan .... the 40MM Bofors worked well to disable aircraft that were expected to pull up to survive. When the kamikaze missions began, the airframes had to be shattered to avoid damage to the ship ... and they had to be hit far enough out as to keep high-speed incoming debris from doing damage as well. Not only good on the Laffey for changing doctrine basically on the fly, but good on the US Navy for recognizing it quickly.
My grandfather served on the Arizona during the 1930s. I've enjoyed visiting both the Laffey and the Yorktown.
I met an old sailor who served on the Nevada, in Reno, Nevada, over 15 years ago. He was wearing a USN Nevada cap.. turns out he was there that fateful day at Pearl Harbor.. I should've pressed him for more details, but didn't want to overwhelm him. I can still remember him saying.. We didn't have much anti aircraft training beforehand, but we certainly had it After. I guess if you are are born in a certain state, you can request to be stationed aboard the ship of your state. The mighty Nevada, the only battleship to get underway during the attack. What stories the old sailor could've told.. I should've bought him some drinks and spent an hour talking with him, I'm sure he's passed on by now, and I lost an opportunity to speak at length with a Pearl Harbor survivor. Further up on this comment post, there was a man who talked about recording his family members experiences, I hope he sees this, and does not miss his chance to do so.
I got my team and hat yesterday, thanks for the quick shipment. I wish I knew you were at Patriot's Point I would have swung by to say Hi
Love the tie. Good look for you.
I toured Laffey in 2018. Our tour guide was outstanding and extremely knowledgeable.
My dad served on the USS Keppler ( DD765 ) in Vietnam as a gunners mate ( GMG3 ) and was wounded when a Vietnamese 155mm shell smacked his forward gun mount in 1966 or '67 and nearly lost his right arm. He loved his ship and occasionally would talk about the 5"-38 twins that he manned during the war and they were awesome machinery. The Laffey was a tough nut to crack.
That Tie, I Love it!
I read the book and this ship was built in my home town so cool great video
I hope someday you can make it up to Hamilton, Ontario and do a video on the HMCS Haida. Another unique and historically significant WWII destroyer.
The Bofors 40 mm L/60 was probably the most effective AA gun of the war. While it didn't have the stopping power of a 5 inch shell, it was still a potent, reliable weapon that could be mounted nearly anywhere. It is so good at its job that it is still used today.
The book hell from the heavens details the laffeys entire war career in detail and it is definitely worth the read absolutely amazing that the boat not only survived but is here today to visit
Sick tie man!
Wow, just saw this video on TH-cam. My Granddad served on the Laffey in WW2 as a Chief Ship Fitter.
Visited the Laffey in the late 90’s when I was in the Navy. Wish I could have taken my grandfather to see it before he passed.
Wow. I never knew how those 5 inch guns worked. Thanks!
I did not know those ships still existed. That is Flippin cool,
this ship was a shining star in the dogfight document.
7:01 The aircraft carrier. Probably the best AA weapon. ;)
But on a real note, how much did radar guidance help on the AA front? Heard a few times it was one of the major advantages over the IJN but that was more in regards to spotting and naval gunnery.
Also as big WWII nerd, and lot of that being interested in naval things thanks for making these videos.
The USN had radar-guided AA guns, with the larger-caliber AA guns firing proximity-fuzed shells; the IJN had an officer next to the gun mount pointing a stick. That may be why the super-battleship Yamato shot down so few USN aircraft before they sank her. Given that the USN steadily upgraded its radars and ballistics computers throughout the war, I'm guessing the effectiveness made it worth the trouble. For details on how effective radar was for AA gunnery, you could start with the "Radar in World War II" article on Wikipedia and follow the links to specific radar systems.
ryan, great info, and tie
About 10 years ago I was about 7 and my parents took me on vacation to Charleston, SC. I got to look at the USS Yorktown, which my pastor, may God rest his soul, was a torpedo bomber pilot off of both the Yorktown at Midway (idk if he fought at Midway specifically but I know he was on that ship) then reassigned to the more modern museum ship. Then I got to go look at the USS Laffey and talk to one of the veterans who served in it, it was an amazing (and kinda small tbh) ship. Also got to look at the sun next to her the USS Candy I think???? Anyways I thought it was amazing and that’s when I decided I’d like to be in the navy.
Also I know it’s off topic but because you’re a huge fan of the Iowa class battleships, I did get to see the USS Missouri at Pearl Harbor when I was really little. Those ships are amazing
I love that tie. I got one years ago at the USMC museum.
22 rounds a minute, wow! That requires super human effort.
Only slightly negative thing that I came across was brilliant hard working Ryan wearing a tie. Prefer to see him while climbing thru dirty areas of the New Jersey. Thanks for another great vid.
The proximity fuse was the most effective anti aircraft weapon. It made all the guns that could fire it more effective.
My father was on the Laffey 1954 to 1957. His GQ was the 52 mount. Yes, one hoist was for powder, the other for the shells. His job was to take the powder and put it into the tray to fire. They would come up really fast 1 then 2. He would put the powder on the tray, the shell went on, rammed in, fired, repeat.
We visited the Laffey at Patriot’s Point when I was in my 60’s, our son at that time being in Nuclear Power school in Charleston. In the 1960’s, I served on another Sumner class can from 1963-66. My only thought, making my way through the ship, was that it was just too small to have been the same class ship I served in. That’s the difference between being in one’s 20’s and 60’s.
there's a reason why the AC130 gunships carry what amounts to the successor of the 40mm bofors as one of it's three gun systems even to this day
The most effective antiaircraft weapons were the F6F or F4U fighter cover. Close in it was the 5in. 38cal. gun.
Thubs up for that tie!
One of the advantages to moving to Charleston, SC earlier this year was that I got to visit the Laffey last month on the anniversary of the attack.
When I worked at the Pentagon (1971-97), one of the men I met was Charlie Sears. He was a 40mm gunner on the Laffey when it was attacked by the Kamikazes during the Okinawa operations. His gun mount was forward of the superstructure. He said that all the men killed on the rear were friends of his. Most of the deaths were among the anti-aircraft gun crews on the rear half of the ship.
I just retired from Bath Iron Works the shipyard that built this ship. They still build destroyers today. Great story.
I love the tie!
I believe the proximity fuse was a big part of the success against the kamikaze
My dad was a gunner on the aftmost starboard side 20mm Oerlikon aboard U.S.S. Abbot DD 629, 1943-1945. He spoke well of the 40mm Bofors, and the 5"/38. Of the 20mm Oerlikon, he said "By the time they got that close, we might as well have thrown rocks at them. The late WW2 3" AA guns were fairly effective.
If we define weapon as that which stops attacking planes, I would suggest that the official signing of an instrument of surrender would rank supreme.
No this is not some bad 'pen is mightier....' joke. This is to reference that war and everything entailed, is just one aspect of a much more expansive overarching setup.
The most effective AA weapon on any ship is the sailor behind the "trigger". That's why our trainning is so important.
Love the tie.
True story. My father served on the Laffey in the 50’s. He was very proud of his service in the Navy and on that ship. The day his name shake, my son was born, I was holding him when he woke up that night. I turned on the TV in my wife’s room and on the History channel they were talking about the first Laffey 452. Then afterwards Dogfights came on about kamakazi and they Laffey. I sat there watching and trying not to cry or wake up my son.
I was on a Fletcher, USS Stoddard DD 566, in the Tonkin Gulf during Vietnam. We of course had 5"-38's, but the Sumners were plentiful everywhere. I thought I remembered that their twin mounts were 5"-54's. Too many years have passed for me to be sure! Am I remembering wrong?
To Sam Singewald, Patrick, and Benjamin, consider yourselves blessed. The WWII vets are leaving us at something like 4-500 per day and will be gone totally in just a few years. To Sam, please record your great grandfathers stories. Every word and the emotion in his voice. If you do make a documentary, the inflexion in his voice and the look in his eyes as he relives those stories in his head will make the documentary even more telling for you and others. Good luck and I hope Im still around when you publish it.
I'm a combat veteran of Vietnam but after hearing and seeing photos of the gun decks ,sailors doing work on USS laffey was more than what I experienced !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Semper Fi 1967-1974 to all you sailors !!!!!!!!!!!
@TheOperationsRoom has a good Animation of the events that day.
th-cam.com/video/Us-AvuSg9Fc/w-d-xo.html
I’m wondering why they repaired the ship after taking that much damage. We had a lot of destroyers laying around after the war. Glad they did.
Hey Dave I am amazed that they managed to decontaminate her after she was a suppport ship at operation crossroads the A-Bomb tests at Bikini. She is a very special ship.
Your videos inspired me to visit Patriot's Point, North Carolina, and Wisconsin during my summer vacation. Sorry, couldn't make it up to Camden. But what I'd really like to know is - where did you get that tie?
My father served on the LAFFEY in the 50's.
Love your tie
I love your at patriots point I’ve been several times since it’s in my home state and the memories I’ve made with my family there will last forever
The 40 mm bofors were great for throwing out volume at a medium range while the 20 mm orlikons were the last line of defense but had a higher rate of fire, I would think the development of the proximity fuse made the 5 inch guns the most deadly for antiaircraft at a more comfortable range for kamikaze attacks as the pilots were poorly trained and did not usually take much evasive action or maneuver, though I can only imagine the skill required to shoot at a moving target while on a moving ship in varying sea conditions with any kind of armament. I have read about the sheer incredulity and terror the sailors had when they realized that the Japanese were purposely flying their planes on one way trips into ships vs the random pilot crashing a crippled plane into a ship as a final act of desperation. For the Laffey to endure 50 plus attacks is mind boggling.
What I find interesting is that only 2 of those Sumner class destroyers had an AA broadside that wasn't too far off from that of a New Jersey. 12 5'' vs 10, 20ish 40mm vs 40ish (and clearly not as many 20mm but oh well). Just a pair of destroyers had more AA firepower than almost any other BB or cruiser in service at the time.