USS Kauffman to Retire after 28 Years of Service

After nearly 28 years of Naval service, friends, family members, former and present crewmembers will gather at Naval Station Norfolk to decommission USS Kauffman (FFG 59), Norfolk’s last Oliver Hazard Perry-class frigate, Sept. 18.

In the 28 years of service, USS Kauffman gave its nation, the ship and its crews more than 20 deployments in the Middle East, Africa, Mediterranean Sea and Caribbean Sea, with notable contributions to counter-narcotics and counter-piracy missions.

Kauffman’s final deployment to the U.S. 4th Fleet area of responsibility, in support of Operation Martillo, brought a suiting end to the ship’s Navy career when the crew seized nearly 20,000 pounds of illicit narcotics.

Kauffman also played a diplomatic role as one of only a handful of American warships to visit the Soviet Union.

The ship was commissioned Feb. 28, 1987, and was named for Vice Adm. James L. Kauffman, a veteran of World War I and World War II, and his son, Rear Adm. Draper Kauffman, a veteran of World War II. The elder Kauffman had the distinction of having served the longest time in command and the longest time at sea than any other officer of his time; both were renowned for their focus on anti-submarine warfare.

With the Kauffman decommissioning, USS Simpson (FFG 56) becomes the last Oliver Hazard Perry-class frigate in the Navy. The Mayport, Florida-based ship is slated for decommissioning, Sept. 29.

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Image: US Navy