She is often portrayed as sleepy or tired, or even as drunk (with her preferred drink being whiskey). This is a reference to the historical Laffey's final battle against the Japanese battleship Hiei and two other destroyers during the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal, where Laffey nearly collided with Hiei due to the battle taking place at midnight. She would eventually sink after taking direct hits from Hiei's 356 mm guns and a torpedo from destroyer Murasame.
