USS Kauffman (FFG-59)

USS Kauffman (FFG-59)
USS Kauffman (FFG-59)
	USS Kauffman
Namesake:	Vice Admiral James L. Kauffman and Rear Admiral Draper L. Kauffman
Builder:	Bath Iron Works
Laid down:	8 April 1985
Launched:	29 March 1986
Commissioned:	28 February 1987
Homeport:	NS Norfolk, Virginia
Status:	in active service, as of 2024
Badge:
General characteristics
Class & type:	Oliver Hazard Perry class frigate
Displacement:	4,100 tons (4,165 t) full load
Length:	453 ft (138 m) overall
Beam:	45 ft (14 m)
Draft:	22 ft (6.7 m)
Propulsion:	2 × General Electric LM2500-30 gas turbines generating 41,000 shp (31 MW) through a single shaft and controllable-pitch propeller
Speed:	29+ knots (54+ km/h)
Range:	5,000 nm (9,300 km) at 18 knots (33 km/h)
Complement:	15 officers and 190 enlisted, plus SH-60 LAMPS detachment of roughly six officer pilots and 15 enlisted maintainers
Armament:	One OTO Melara Mk 75 76 mm/62 caliber naval gun; one Mk 13 Mod 4 single-arm launcher for Harpoon anti-ship missiles and SM-1MR Standard anti-ship/air missiles (40 round magazine); two Mk 32 triple-tube (324 mm) launchers for Mark 46 torpedoes; one Vulcan Phalanx CIWS; four .50-cal (12.7 mm) machine guns.
Aircraft carried:	2 × SH-60 LAMPS III helicopters
Motto:	Toujours en Vedette ("Always in the Lead")
Nickname:	Special K

USS Kauffman (FFG-59), an Oliver Hazard Perry-class frigate, is a ship of the United States Navy named for Vice Admiral James L. Kauffman (1887–1963) and his son, Rear Admiral Draper L. Kauffman (1911–1979), both experts in sub-surface naval missions.

Kauffman was laid down on 8 April 1985 by the Bath Iron Works, Bath, Maine; launched on 29 March 1986; sponsored by Mrs. Elizabeth Kauffman Bush the daughter of Vice Admiral James L. Kauffman; and commissioned on 28 February 1987 at Bath, Maine, Commander John C. Dranchak, USN in command. As of 2012, Kauffman is captained by Commander William K. Shafley, III, USN, homeported at NS Norfolk, Virginia, and assigned to Destroyer Squadron 22.

Milestones[]

Note: the milestones are extracted from the official command histories [1] and no other sources. The set of command histories available is not complete, resulting in the partial record following.

1988 [2][]

6 January – 28 May: 4100 ton modifications by Bath Iron Works in Bath, Maine
12 August: BM3 Kerekgyarto died instantly when the Slewing Arm Davit broke from its mount and fell on him.

1989 [3][]

7 April: Commander Ronald C. Bogle, USN relieves Commander John C. (30 knot)Dranchak, USN
31 May – 10 November: Maiden deployment, Med 3–89
4—7 August: Sevastapol, USSR port visit
13 September – 3 October: NATO exercise Display Determination-89

1990 [4][]

9 January: presented with Battle 'E'
15 January – 15 March: ships restricted availability, #1A gas turbine generator and the Mk. 75 76mm gun mount are replaced
8–15 June: BALTOPS-90

1991 [5][]

5 April: Commander James H. Chapman Jr., USN relieves Commander Ronald C. Bogle, USN
26 April – 26 October: deployment, MEF 2–91
4 June – 16 September: Middle East Force (MEF) operations in the Persian Gulf

1992 [6][]

6 January – 21 February: counter narcotic operations, Caribbean Sea
- towed a vessel that had lost propulsion 250 NM to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba
- rescued the crew from the striken 237 feet (72 m) coastal freighter Ramsli just before she sank
2 August – 23 October: Ships Restricted Availability (Drydock), by Bath Iron Works Bath, Maine
15 September: presented with Battle 'E'
18 December: Commander James F. Deppe, USN relieves Commander James H. Chapman Jr., USN

1993 [7][]

11 March – 8 September: deployed, Med 2–93
29 April – 18 June: Operation Deny Flight in the Adriatic Sea, Operation Maritime Guard
22 June – 17 August: Maritime Interdiction Operations enforcing United Nations sanctions against Iraq, North Red Sea
7 November: provided assistance to the Argentine frigate ARA Granville (P-33) while in port at Roosevelt Roads Naval Station, Puerto Rico
9 November – 6 December: counter drug operations, Caribbean Sea

1994 [8][]

13 May – 3 June: Maritime Interception Operations enforcing United Nations sanctions against Haiti
6 June: Homeport shift from Newport, Rhode Island to Norfolk, Virginia
1 July – 1 August: Operation Support Democracy, Haiti with 3 US Army OH-58 Kiowa helicopters
5—6 July: rescued 787 migrants from Haitian waters, transported to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba
20—21 July: towed the Motor Vessel Valerie I from the south coast of Haiti to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba
9 September: Commander David F. Britt, USN relives Commander James F. Deppe, USN

1996 [9][]

24 April: completion of an extended ships restricted availability period beginning September 1995, including installation of Mod 6 to the Mk 92 Guided Missile Fire Control System
8 July – 24 August: counter drug operations, Caribbean Sea
20 September: Commander John A. Kunert, USN relives Commander David F. Britt, USN
10—31 December: Operation Carib Shield – counter drug operations, Caribbean Sea

1997 [10][]

1—17 January: Operation Carib Shield – counter drug operations, Caribbean Sea
4 March – 24 June: ships restricted availability (drydock) by Norfolk Shipbuilding and Drydock Company

1998 [11][]

6 March: Commander George J. Karol II, USN relieves Commander John A. Kunert, USN
13 March – 11 September: deployed, Med (originally tasked to Middle East Force)
12 October – 11 December: planned restricted availability

1999 [12][]

27 August: Commander Rigoberto Sáez-Ortiz, USN relieves Commander John A. Kunert, USN
15—18 September: sortied for Hurricane Dennis

2004 [13][]

15 July – 22 September: ships restricted availability, installed Mk 53 "Nulka" Decoy Launching System (DLS)
31 August: Commander Kenneth A. Krogman, USN relieves Commander John P. Gelinne, USN

Commanding officers[]

Note: unless otherwise referenced, information has been sourced from the official command histories [14].

28 February 1987 [15] — 7 April 1989: Commander John C. Dranchak, USN
7 April 1989 – 5 April 1991: Commander Ronald C. Bogle, USN
5 April 1991 – 18 December 1992: Commander James H. Chapman Jr., USN
18 December 1992 – 9 September 1994: Commander James F. Deppe, USN
9 September 1994 – 20 September 1996: Commander David F. Britt, USN
20 September 1996 – 6 March 1998: Commander John A. Kunert, USN
6 March 1998 – 27 August 1999: Commander George J. Karol III, USN
27 August 1999 — (unknown): Commander Rigoberto Sáez-Ortiz, USN
May 2001 (est) — 28 February 2003: Commander Mark Reagan Hagerott [16]
28 February 2003 [17] — 31 August 2004: Commander John P. Gelinne, USN
31 August 2004 — (unknown), at 30 September 2005 [18]: Commander Kenneth A. Krogman, USN
at 27 November 2006 [19] and at 12 March 2007: Commander Chris Rhoden, USN [20]
at 7 April 2008 [21] and at 16 November 2008 [22] — 8 June 2009 [23]: Commander Robert Cepek
8 June 2009 — (unknown) : Commander Dale W. Maxey, USN [24]
present: Commander William K. Shafley III, USN [25]

References[]

This article includes information collected from the Naval Vessel Register, which, as a U.S. government publication, is in the public domain. The entry can be found here.

External links[]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to USS Kauffman (FFG-59).

All or a portion of this article consists of text from Wikipedia, and is therefore Creative Commons Licensed under GFDL.
The original article can be found at USS Kauffman (FFG-59) and the edit history here.