MOUNT PLEASANT, S.C. — Visitors aboard the historic destroyer U.S.S. Laffey got an unexpected scare Thursday when the ship’s access walkway — known as the “brow” — detached from the pier at Patriots Point Naval & Maritime Museum. About 30 guests and volunteers were on board at the time. First responders from Mount Pleasant Fire Department helped safely escort everyone off the ship. No injuries were reported.
What Happened?
According to Patriots Point Chief Operating Officer Chris Hauff, the brow did not break or collapse, it simply moved beyond its extension range as the ship shifted in the water. “Nobody was hurt. The brow just went from off the ship into the water on a hinge. It didn’t break,” Hauff explained.
The incident happened as guests were learning about the Laffey’s role in a historic 1945 kamikaze attack during World War II. The ship, which is permanently docked as a museum, naturally moves with wind and water conditions. “That brow has different hinges and wheels so that it can move depending on where the ship goes along with the ship,” Hauff said. “Yesterday it moved a little farther away than the brow can extend, and the brow came off the ship and just hinged down into the water.”
Hauff noted that officials are still determining exactly what caused the ship to pull slightly farther from the pier. “We’re trying to determine what caused the ship to pull away from the pier a little bit more. It could have been the heavy winds. It could have been a wave that pushed it off, but it’s typical that it moves back and forth and a brow lays on the deck so that it can go up and down.”
Rescue Response
Because the brow is the only way on and off the ship, some visitors were temporarily stranded. Out of an abundance of caution, museum officials called in the fire department to oversee the evacuation. “We did have some people stranded on the ship because there’s only one way on and off with that brow,” Hauff said. “We thought the best, most safest route is to call the Mount Pleasant Fire Department and ask them with their expertise with safety to make sure that we get everybody off the ship safe.”
Rescue video shows first responders assisting guests one by one back onto land. Hauff said extra care was taken with at least one older volunteer. “One of our volunteers was on the Laffey, a little bit older gentleman that took a little bit more care, but we did everything we could and just happy to report nobody was injured.”
What’s Next for the Laffey?
The detached brow is now sitting on the pier while engineers assess the situation and prepare to reattach it. Officials say the ship itself remains secure. “The Laffey is fine. We just want to make sure that we put it back in the safest way possible and make sure that the ship doesn’t move with some of this weather we’ve had the last few days,” Hauff said.
As a precaution, the USS Laffey is closed until further notice while repairs are made and the cause of the incident is investigated. Hauff emphasized that operating a floating museum presents unique challenges. “Operating a museum on two warships is not very commonplace. Normally it’s a fixed museum in a building that’s air-conditioned, and we’ve got two 80-year-old warships.”
He added that Patriots Point follows strict safety guidelines related to weather and ship operations. “We have all sorts of regulations from the wind speeds that we allow people on the flight deck to what to do during tropical storms or even ice like we’ve had recently. None of that really was a concern.”
Patriots Point Remains Open
While the U.S.S. Laffey is temporarily closed, the rest of Patriots Point remains open to visitors, rain or shine. Updates on when the ship will reopen are expected to be posted on the museum’s official channels. For now, officials say they’re grateful the situation ended without injuries, and that their safety protocols worked exactly as intended.
