This week in April is home to historical dates that we must never forget here at Patriots Point.
Important dates this week:
On April 15th, the USS Yorktown (CV-10) was commissioned.
On April 16th, it was the 74th Anniversary of the Attack at the Laffey at Okinawa.
On April 18th, the Doolittle Raid responded to the attack at Pearl Harbor.
On April 16, 1945, during the attack at Okinawa, the USS Laffey (DD-724) was attacked by 22 Japanese planes, 7 kamikaze planes crashed into the ship, and 2 bombs were dropped on the ship. These attacks killed 32 and wounded 71. The USS Laffey somehow stayed afloat despite fighting through fires, smashed guns, and a jammed rudder. She would later be recognized as "The Ship That Would Not Die".
Every year, Patriots Point and theUSS Laffey Association host a ceremony in memory of those lives that were lost at the attack at Okinawa.
The USS Laffey Association is a group of women and men who want to preserve and maintain the USS Laffey at Patriots Point. The association helps to preserve the memories, records, letters, photos, and videos of the ship they all love. They visit the ship several times a year to work on the destroyer and to make sure, "shes got her makeup on", as former USS Laffey Association President Sonny Walker likes to say. The USS Laffey Association crew is made up of men of all ages, backgrounds and from all over the country. Many of the association's members served on the Laffey or other warships.
The USS Laffey Association also holds work parties several times a year to maintain the ship but to also be here in April for the yearly memorial service for fallen shipmates. They also have an annual reunion to socialize members in the association.
Pictured here are the USS Laffey Association President and Past President, (Chris Kirhagis and Sonny Walker).
This year marked the 74th year that the Laffey was attacked at Okinawa.
As the Charleston breeze blew by, USS Laffey Association crew members released a wreath in honor of fallen shipmates on this day in 1945. There also was the sound of the bell being rung after every fallen sailor's name was read aloud. To see more photos from this day, click here.
April 18th, 2019, marks 77 years ago that the United States responded to the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor with the "Doolittle Raid" on Tokyo, Japan in 1942.
The Doolittle Raid took place on April 18, 1942. The mission was named after Army Colonel James Doolittle who planned and led the attack. It was the first American airstrike on Tokyo, Japan during World War II. Sixteen B-25 planes (medium-sized bombers), each equipped with four bombs, were launched from the aircraft carrier USS Hornet (CV-8) in the Pacific Ocean – a feat that had never previously been attempted. Because of the distance needed to travel, and limited fuel capacity, Doolittle’s plan was for the B-25 crews to land in China after hitting their targets.
In total, 15 of the planes made it to China but had to crash land. The remaining crew went down in Soviet Union territory. Eight of the 80 men who participated in the raid were captured by the Japanese, and three of those prisoners were executed. The five men who landed in the Soviet Union were held as prisoners for more than a year and interned in work camps.
Jimmy Doolittle went on to receive the Medal of Honor for his leadership on this mission and all the Doolittle Raiders earned the Distinguished Flying Cross.
Lieutenant Colonel James H. Doolittle, USAAF, (center) with members of his flight crew and Chinese officials in China after the 18 April 1942 attack on Japan. Those present are (from left to right): Staff Sergeant Fred A. Braemer, Bombardier; Staff Sergeant Paul J. Leonard, Flight Engineer/Gunner; General Ho, director of the Branch Government of Western Chekiang Province; Lieutenant Richard E. Cole, Copilot; Lt.Col. Doolittle, Pilot and mission commander; Henry H. Shen, bank manager; Lieutenant Henry A. Potter, Navigator; Chao Foo Ki, secretary of the Western Chekiang Province Branch Government. Official U.S. Army Air Forces Photograph, from the collections of the Naval History and Heritage Command. Photo from here.
