to Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia in the fall of 1964, Saufley was decommissioned on 29 January 1965 and stricken from the Naval Vessel Register on 1 September 1966. Her use as an experimental ship, however, continued. In 1967, instruments and gauges to register strain and stress of successive explosions were installed, and, on 20 February 1968, as a result of tests, she was sunk off Key West at .Saufley'' earned 16 battle stars during World War II, making her one of the most decorated US ships of World War II. References External links hazegray.org: USS Saufley USS Saufley Association website World War II destroyers of the United States Cold War destroyers of the United States Shipwrecks of the Florida Keys Ships built in Kearny, New Jersey 1942 ships Fletcher-class destroyers of the United States Navy Maritime incidents in 1968 Ships sunk as targets