D-Day 80th Anniversary Memorial

To commemorate the 80th anniversary of the Invasion of Normandy, Patriots Point Naval and Maritime Museum will welcome visitors aboard the USS Laffey DD-724 to learn about the role our destroyer played in this historic event.  Living history enactors will be present throughout the USS Laffey to share the part the ship played at Normandy.  US Navy destroyer veterans will also be present throughout the ship to discuss the role of destroyers in naval defense.

At 2pm in the USS Laffey theater, guest speaker and PPDA Board Member, James Smith, will share about his grandfather, Lt. Paul Smith who served on board the Laffey at Normandy and Okinawa. He will be followed by guest speaker, and Patriots Point Volunteer of the Year, Bill Cassasa at approximately 2:20pm to discuss the role of a destroyer in naval warfare and share information about weapons operations.

Patriots Point and the Yorktown Foundation teamed up to send artifacts from the USS Laffey to Normandy, France. The items were packed into a World War II C-47 to be featured in events across Europe in the days leading up to June 6th.  The Laffey is one of only five warships remaining that supported the invasion of the beach at Normandy.

History of the Laffey at Normandy

The USS Laffey DD-724 was part of Operation Neptune, the naval phase of the D-Day invasion. Under command of Admiral Sir Bertram Ramsey of the UK’s Royal Navy, the fleet was responsible for the sweeping of mines and marking channels.  They also provided transportation of troops and equipment to the beaches, landing the troops and supporting them with gunfire and reinforcement, and resupply by sea. In transit, the force was screened by the destroyers USS Jeffers, Obrien, Glennon, Barton, Laffey, Meredith, the French corvettes Aconit and Renoncule, plus 3 trawlers, 7 Patrol Crafts, 7 Submarine Chasers and 7 Motor Launch vessels.

The USS Laffey provided support to the Utah Beach landing site. Twenty-four hours after the first wave had landed, 66,000 US troops had crossed the beaches and within 7 days the number had grown to 250,000.