Present Day
Laffey is currently a museum ship at Patriots Point in Charleston, South Carolina, alongside two other US National Historic Landmarks: the aircraft carrier Yorktown, and submarine Clamagore. In October 2008, it was discovered that over 100 leaks had sprung up in Laffey's hull, and officials at Patriots Point were afraid that the ship would sink at her mooring. An estimated $9 million was needed to tow the ship to dry dock for repairs, prompting Patriots Point officials to secure a $9.2 million loan from the state of South Carolina to cover the costs. On 19 August 2009, she was towed to Detyens Shipyards in North Charleston on the Cooper River for repair in drydock. The rust-eaten, corroded hull was repaired with thicker plating, miles of welding, and new paint. On 16 April 2010, the Board of Trustees of Clemson University reached a lease agreement for Patriots Point organization to moor Laffey adjacent to Clemson's property at the former Navy base in North Charleston. Laffey was returned to Patriots Point on 25 January 2012 with more than a dozen former crew members among the crowd on hand to greet her. Said one veteran, "This means a lot of years of fighting to get her saved again. The Germans tried to sink her. The Japanese tried to sink her and then she tried to sink herself sitting here. She's whipped them all and she's back again." It cost $1.1 million to return the ship and to make repairs to accommodate her in a new berth at the front of the museum.
Read more about this topic: USS Laffey (DD-724)
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