Through the Spy Glass: Laffey

USS Laffey is an Allen M. Sumner-class destroyer, the last surviving ship of her class, living up to her nickname—"The Ship That Would Not Die." Laffey soon saw action after being commissioned in February 1944, taking part in the Normandy landings, and later—amphibious operations in the Philippines. In 1945, during the Battle of Okinawa, she endured six kamikaze strikes but survived thanks to the extraordinary resilience of her crew. After repairs, Laffey remained in service until the mid-1970s. Today, she is preserved as a museum ship.

In World of Warships: Legends, Laffey is a U.S. Tier VIII Premium destroyer. She is an extremely maneuverable ship, capable of dodging incoming projectiles with ease. Her damage per minute is also impressive—among the best at her tier—thanks to being armed with both HE and AP shells, though her penetration values are not significantly stronger than those of other same-tier destroyers.

One of Laffey's standout features is her excellent set of consumables. Her Smoke Generator has unlimited charges, though each use has a short duration and dispersion time, requiring careful timing and skillful use to maximize survival and reposition effectively. She also has a potent Repair Party, similar to that of Neustrashimy and Lüshun. Finally, her Defensive AA Fire enhances the ship's already strong air defense capabilities.

Here's the optimal set of upgrades for Laffey:

• Aiming Systems Mod. 1
• Propulsion Mod. 2
• Concealment System Mod. 1
• Main Battery Mod. 3

Commander William Halsey is an excellent choice for Laffey. His "I Mean Harm" base trait increases your destroyer AP shell damage by up to 5%.

Below is the skillset we suggest:

• Observant Rage, reducing your destroyer main battery reload time by up to 5% and increasing torpedo acquisition range by up to 12% at the cost of rudder-shift time being slowed by up to 10%.
• Look at me Now, improving ship concealment by up to 6%.
• Twist n' Track, improving your destroyer gun traverse speed by up to 1.5°/s and indicating the direction of the closest enemy ship.
• Smoke on the Water, increasing smoke screen deployment and dispersion times by up to 8%.
• Unstoppable, reducing engine repair time by up to 15%, providing reduced mobility with a disabled engine/rudder, and improving Damage Control Party cooldown time by up to 50% when an enemy ship is within a certain range.

Recommended inspirations:

• William Sims, increasing your HP per ship tier by up to +400.
• Erich Bey, improving your destroyer concealment by up to 4%.

Turn the tide with Laffey!