
Caption | Destroyer USS Laffey (foreground) and cruiser USS Juneau in Luganville anchorage, Espiritu Santo, New Hebrides, 16 Sep 1942. Both ships arrived with survivors of the sunken USS Wasp (Wasp-class). Photo 1 of 4. ww2dbase | |||||||||||
Source | ww2dbaseUnited States Navy Naval History and Heritage Command | |||||||||||
Identification Code | NH 97867 | |||||||||||
More on... |
| |||||||||||
Photos in Series | See all photos in this series | |||||||||||
Photos on Same Day | 16 Sep 1942 | |||||||||||
Photos at Same Place | Espiritu Santo, New Hebrides | |||||||||||
Added By | C. Peter Chen | |||||||||||
Added Date | 20 Aug 2007 | |||||||||||
This photograph has been scaled down; full resolution photograph is available here (740 by 581 pixels). | ||||||||||||
Licensing | Public Domain. According to the US Navy Naval History and Heritage Command, as of 21 Jul 2010: |
Did you enjoy this photograph or find this photograph helpful? If so, please consider supporting us on Patreon. Even $1 per month will go a long way! Thank you. Share this photograph with your friends: Stay updated with WW2DB: |
Visitor Submitted Comments
All visitor submitted comments are opinions of those making the submissions and do not reflect views of WW2DB.
Change View
Desktop ViewSearch WW2DB & Partner Sites
Modern Day Location
WW2-Era Place Name | Espiritu Santo, New Hebrides |
Lat/Long | -15.5257, 167.2202 |
Current Site Statistics
- » 1,094 biographies
- » 332 events
- » 38,156 timeline entries
- » 1,126 ships
- » 337 aircraft models
- » 190 vehicle models
- » 352 weapon models
- » 117 historical documents
- » 225 facilities
- » 464 book reviews
- » 27,151 photos
- » 351 maps
Famous WW2 Quote
"Among the men who fought on Iwo Jima, uncommon valor was a common virtue."Fleet Admiral Chester W. Nimitz, 16 Mar 1945
27 Mar 2018 10:20:05 PM
The official US Navy caption for this photo says the USS Laffey is maneuvering alongside either the cruiser USS Pensacola or the cruiser USS Salt Lake City but the War Diaries are very clear about where those ships were. USS Pensacola was at sea when this photo was taken and USS Salt Lake City was in port at Espiritu Santo. Specifically, the Salt Lake City War Diary lists taking aboard Wasp survivors from Laffey. Since the photo clearly shows Laffey’s decks covered with Wasp survivors, it is clear that this photo was taken as Laffey was approaching Salt Lake City, or about 1530 hours local time.
The Salt Lake City War Diary goes on to say that when Laffey cast off at 1635, Laffey rammed Salt Lake City’s starboard anchor tearing a hole in Laffey’s forecastle about 3 feet above the waterline. Then, after Laffey had cleared the side, the destroyer USS Lardner came alongside to transfer more Wasp survivors and accidentally dropped a 300-pound depth charge overboard. The depth charge was on ‘Safe’ so it did not explode.
Anyway, this photo shows a piece of the Salt Lake City, not the Pensacola, no matter what the Navy says.