BIW launched USS Emmons (DD-457) in 1941. During the battle for Okinawa in 1945, the Gleaves-class destroyer was hit by five separate Japanese kamikazes. Survivors abandoned ship and the vessel was sunk intentionally to keep it from falling into enemy hands. Lying in 140 feet of water, the ship is now a popular scuba diving site. In 2010, thieves stole the keel plate, which had commemorated the laying of the keel at BIW in 1940. NCIS recovered the plaque and the original is now preserved at the U.S. Naval History and Heritage Command in Washington, D.C. A copy was returned to the wreck site – resting place for some 60 sailors and a ship that earned four battle stars and the Navy Unit Commendation.
