USS Kauffman

USS Kauffman (FFG-59)
USS Kauffman (FFG-59)
USS Kauffman (FFG-59), in 1986.
History
United States
NameKauffman
Namesake
Awarded28 October 1982
BuilderBath Iron Works, Bath, Maine
Laid down8 April 1985
Launched29 March 1986
Sponsored byElizabeth Kauffman Bush
Commissioned28 February 1987
Decommissioned18 September 2015
HomeportNS Norfolk, Virginia
Identification
Motto
  • "Toujours en Vedette"
  • ("Always in the Lead")
Nickname(s)Special K
Statusdecommissioned
Badge
General characteristics
Class and typeOliver Hazard Perry-class guided missile frigate
Displacement4,100 long tons (4,200 t), full load
Length453 feet (138 m), overall
Beam45 feet (14 m)
Draught22 feet (6.7 m)
Propulsion
Speedover 29 knots (54 km/h)
Range5,000 nautical miles at 18 knots (9,300 km at 33 km/h)
Complement15 officers and 190 enlisted, plus SH-60 LAMPS detachment of roughly six officer pilots and 15 enlisted maintainers
Sensors and
processing systems
Electronic warfare
& decoys
AN/SLQ-32
Armament
Aircraft carried2 × SH-60 LAMPS III helicopters
Aviation facilities

USS Kauffman (FFG-59), an Oliver Hazard Perry-class guided missile frigate, was 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 sister of Rear Admiral Draper L. Kauffman; and commissioned on 28 February 1987 at Bath, Maine.[1]

As of 2012, Kauffman was homeported at NS Norfolk, Virginia, and assigned to Destroyer Squadron 22.

Kauffman deployed for the final time on 8 January 2015. She was decommissioned on 18 September 2015. At the time of her decommission, she was one of only two Oliver Hazzard Perry-class ships remaining; the last Oliver Hazard Perry-class ship to be decommissioned was USS Simpson (FFG-56).[2]

  1. ^ Frey, Courtney; Evans, Mark L. (1 October 2015). "Kauffman (FFG-59)". Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. Navy Department, Naval History and Heritage Command. Retrieved 12 January 2016.
  2. ^ "USS Kauffman to be Decommissioned". U.S. Navy, USS Kauffman Public Affairs. 17 September 2015. Archived from the original on 31 December 2019. Retrieved 23 February 2019.