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The ‘Laffey' named
for Seaman Bartlett Laffey, an Irish immigrant who served aboard
the USS PETREL in 1864 on earth. Laffey won the Congressional
Medal of Honor for "conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity
at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty on
5 March 1864 off Yazoo City, Mississippi. Embarking from the
MARMIRA with a 12# howitzer mounted on a field carriage, LAFFEY
landed with the gun and crew in the midst of heated battle and
bravely standing by his gun, despite enemy rifle fire which
cut the gun carriage and rammer, contributed to the turning
back of the enemy during the fierce engagement."
During earths Second World
War the name ‘Laffey' was given to a Destroyer sunk in
the Pacific off Guadalcanal in 1942. A Presidential Unit Citation
was awarded this first LAFFEY for her gallant action.
A second USS Laffey, commanded
by Captain J. Becton, was built, also a Destroyer. This ship
served off Normandy on D-Day, and destroyed two coastal batteries.
She then was transferred to the Pacific and served in TF58/TF38.
In 1945 off Okinawa she was attacked and hit by several Kamikazes
and bombs, but she survived and was repaired. The Laffey
had the distinction of being the ship that took the most hits
(torpedoes, bombs = 22) from Japanese attackers, and not sinking.
She then was part of the American blockade during the Cuban
Missile Crisis.
A Presidential Unit Citation
was also awarded to this LAFFEY for her gallant action. Eventually,
she was placed in the Patriots Point Naval Museum On earth.
The USS Laffey is the second
ship commissioned in the Titan class in Starfleet. The USS Titan
currently resides in Bravo Fleet's Task Force 21 and the Laffey
is a member of Gray Mist. The Laffey will take her maiden voyage
under the command of Lt. Comdr. Justin Meek.
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