The Kauffman (FFG 59) is the 49th Oliver Hazard Perry-class guided-missile frigate and is named for Vice Adm. James L. Kauffman (1887-1963) and his son, Rear Adm. Draper L. Kauffman (1911-1979), both experts in sub-surface naval missions. The keel was laid down on April 8, 1985, by the Bath Iron Works, in Bath, Maine. The ship was christened and launched on March 29, 1986, by Mrs. Elisabeth Kauffman Bush, the daughter of Vice Adm. James L. Kauffman; USS Kauffman was commissioned on February 28, 1987; Cmdr. John C. Dranchak is the first commanding officer.

January 23, 2003 USS Kauffman returned to Naval Station Norfolk after a six-month deployment in the U.S. 5th and 6th Fleet AoR, as part of the USS George Washington (CVN 73) Battle Group.

February 28, Cmdr. John P. Gelline relieved Cmdr. Mark R. Hagerott as the 10th commanding officer of Kauffman.

February 11, 2004 The guided-missile frigate moored at Naval Weapons Station Yorktown, Va., for ammo onload. Underway for local operations from Feb. 17-20, 23-25, March 8-10, 15-17 and 22-26th; Underway for Group Sail with the USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75) CSG from April 5-26; Underway in support of Career Orientation Training for Midshipmen (CORTRAMID) program from June 8-9, 15-16 and 22-23rd; Underway for Independent Steaming Exercises (ISE) on June 28.

June 30, USS Kauffman arrived in Eastport, Maine, for a five-day port visit to celebrate the Independence Day. Returned home on July 7; Underway for a Friends and Family Day Cruise on July 9; Underway in support of the USS Kearsarge (LHD 3) ESG amphibious operations from Aug. 23-31.

August 31, Cmdr. Kenneth A. Krogman relieved Cmdr. John P. Gelline as CO of FFG 59.

From October 25-27, the Kauffman was underway for Group Sail operations in the VACAPES Op. Area. Underway in support of PHIBRON/MEU Integration Training (PMINT) from Nov. 15-23; Conducted small boat attack exercise at Gulf Anchorage from Dec. 14-15.

March 25, 2005 USS Kauffman departed Norfolk for a scheduled deployment, with the USS Kearserge Expeditionary Strike Group (ESG), in support of Maritime Security Operations (MSO).

May 20, The Kauffman, in a coalition effort involving ships from Commander, Task Force (CTF) 150, under the Coalition Forces Maritime Component Command, assisted in the seizure of more than 4,200 pounds of hashish after a flag boarding team discovered the drugs hidden behind a false bulkhead. The ship also took part in exercise Inspired Siren, a bilateral joint MSO exercise between the United States and Pakistan navies.

September 25, USS Kauffman returned to homeport after a six-month Middle East deployment.

April 18, 2006 The guided-missile frigate is currently underway in the Atlantic Ocean, conducting routine operations with the USS Wasp (LHD 1) ESG.

May 19, Cmdr. Christopher A. Rhoden relieved Cmdr. Kenneth A. Krogman as CO of the Kauffman.

October 27, FFG 59 is currently underway in support of the USS Bataan (LHD 5) ESG's Composite Training Unit Exercise (COMPTUEX) as part of opposition forces.

November 27, USS Kauffman departed Naval Station Norfolk as part of Surface Strike Group (SSG) 07-1 for a six-month deployment in support of Maritime Security Operations.

February 14, 2007 The Kauffman departed Port Gentil, Gabon, after a four-day port visit.

February 20, USS Kauffman arrived in Luanda, Angola, for a scheduled port call.

March 10, The guided-missile frigate recently departed Sao Tome and Principe after a four-day port visit.

April 11, USS Kauffman is currently participating in a two-week multinational exercise Phoenix Express 2007, in the Gulf of Cadiz through April 24.

May 1, The Kauffman recently pulled into Funchal, Portugal, for a brief stop to refuel.

May 16, FFG 59 is currently participating in a joint exercise Flexible Leader, off the East Coast, designed to conduct scenario-based training to increase the joint speed and cohesiveness when standing up a Joint Forces Maritime Component Command in direct support of Commander, Naval Forces Europe-Commander, Sixth Fleet strategic priority to respond to any contingency.

November 15, Cmdr. Robert J. Cepek relieved Cmdr. Christopher A. Rhoden as the 13th CO of Kauffman.

February 24, 2008 USS Kauffman is currently participating in Task Group Exercise 02-08, with the USS George Washington CSG, off the coast of Florida.

April 7, USS Kauffman departed Norfolk for a scheduled deployment, in support of Partnership of the Americas 2008, in the Caribbean Sea.

May 5, The Atlantic phase of UNITAS 49-08, a multinational exercise designed to increase the interoperability of U.S. and South American navies in North and South America, ended on May 2 with the closing ceremonies in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

June 10, USS Kauffman and USS Farragut (DDG 99) completed Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) exercises with the Chilean Navy, June 3-6, off the coast of northern Chile.

June 21, The Pacific phase of UNITAS 49-08, began off the coast of Callao, Peru.

July 15, The Kauffman and Farragut transited the Panama Canal norhtbound from July 9-11 en route to Mayport, Fla., for a two-week Intermediate Maintanance Availability (IMAV), before commencing the second half of Partnership of the Americas '08.

July 29, USS Kauffman departed Mayport, Fla., to begin the second half of deployment in support of POA 2008.

August 2, The Kauffman recently arrived in Jamaica for a goodwill port visit.

August 14, USS Kauffman, USS Farragut and USS Forrest Sherman (DDG 98) began the "work up" phase of Fuerzas Aliadas (FA) PANAMAX 2008.

September 14, FFG 59 and the U.S. Coast Guard completed maritime interdiction operations focusing on the interruption of narco-terrorist activities, in Caribbean waters, from Aug. 24 through Sept. 13.

September 20, The Kauffman recently departed Bluefields, Nicaraqua, after a scheduled port call.

September 25, The guided-missile frigate recently arrived in Puerto Barrios, Guatemala, for a goodwill port visit.

October 7, USS Kauffman returned to Naval Station Norfolk after a six-month deployment.

April 15, 2009 FFG 59 departed homeport to participate in UNITAS Gold exercise, from April 20- May 5. The exercise will include more than 15 ships, two submarines and more than a dozen aircraft from the United States, Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Germany, Mexico, Peru and Uruguay.

May 13, The Kauffman pulled into Cartagena, Colombia, for a scheduled port visit after participating in Operacion Multinacional Alianza, hosted by Colombia, May 8-14, as part of U.S. Southern Command's Southern Seas 2009 deployment to Latin America and the Caribbean.

May 31, The guided-missile frigate departed Belize City, Belize, after a five-day port visit.

June 8, Cmdr. Dale W. Maxey relieved Cmdr. Robert J. Cepek as CO of the Kauffman during a change-of-command ceremony in Puerto Balboa, Panama.

June 22, USS Kauffman, USS Ford (FFG 54) and USS Doyle (FFG 39) recently arrived in port of Mejillones as part of a two-week multinational exercise Teamwork South (TWS) 2009, hosted by the Chilean Navy.

July 9, FFG 59 arrived in Arica, Chile, for a scheduled port call.

July 19, The Kauffman pulled to Bahia Malaga, Colombia, for a goodwill port visit.

August 5, USS Kauffman returned to Norfolk after a nearly four-month deployment in the U.S. Southern Command Area of Responsibility.

April 9, 2010 The guided-missile frigate arrived off the coast of Scotland to participate in the multi-national exercise Joint Warrior 10-1. Joint Warrior serves as an independent deployment certification event for USS Kauffman, USS Laboon (DDG 58) and USS Vella Gulf (CG 72).

April 29, The Kauffman arrived in Gdynia, Poland, for a three-day port visit.

May 3, FFG 59 pulled into Riga for a scheduled port call and to honor the 20th anniversary of Latvia's declaration of independence.

May 7, The frigate arrived in St. Petersburg, Russia, to take part in Victory Day celebrations. Inport HMNB Portsmouth, England, from May 14-1?.

July 8, USS Kauffman departed Naval Station Norfolk for a scheduled Middle East deployment.

December 23, USS Kauffman returned home after five-and-a-half month deployment in support of counter-piracy and maritime security operations, as part of the Standing NATO Maritime Group (SNMG) 1.

May 20, 2011 The Kauffman arrived in Philadelphia, Pa., to participate in Navy Week celebration.

May 25, FFG 59 arrived at Homeport Pier in Staten Island to participate in the 24th Fleet Week New York.

August 25, The guided-missile frigate departed Naval Station Norfolk to avoid the approaching Cat. 3 Hurricane Irene.

April 27, 2012 Cmdr. Corey D. Wofford relieved Cmdr. William K. Shafley, III as the 16th CO of Kauffman.

June 1, USS Kauffman recently completed a Drydocking Selected Restricted Availability (DSRA) at the General Dynamics NASSCO shipyard in Norfolk, Va.

January 20, 2013 The Kauffman is currently underway for a USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75) CSG's COMPTUEX as part of opposition forces.

February 15, Capt. John V. Fuller, Commodore, Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 22, relieved of command Cmdr. Corey D. Wofford due to "his poor performance including his failure to establish a culture of procedural compliance within the command and his inability to correct identified deficiencies as directed." Cmdr. Jennifer S. Couture assumed the command of the USS Kauffman.

September 13, NASSCO, Norfolk, Va., was awarded a $6,6 million modification to previously awarded contract (N00024-10-C-4306) for the USS Kauffman's Selected Restricted Availability (SRA). Work is expected to be completed by February 2014.

September 2, 2014 Cmdr. Michael E. Concannon relieved Cmdr. Jennifer S. Couture as CO of the Kauffman.

January 9, 2015 USS Kauffman departed Norfolk for its final deployment, the last for an Oliver Hazard Perry-class frigate, in support of Joint Interagency Task Force South (JIATF-S) counter-narcotics operations, two days later than scheduled due to bad weather and a mechanical issue with the anchor windlass.

January 14, The guided-missile frigate moored at Mole Pier, NAS Key West, Fla., for a brief port call to refuel; Brief stop at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, on Jan. 29.

February 7, USS Kauffman moored at Pier 16 in Port of Cristobal, Panama, for a brief stop to refuel; Anchored off Cartagena, Colombia, from Feb. 15-18.

February 22, The Kauffman towed fishing vessel Delta 1 with six Colombian fishermen 130 miles and turned them over to the Panamanian Coast Guard, approximately three miles from the entrance of Panama Canal in Colon, after their diesel engine suffered a catastrophic failure, 175 miles northwest of Cartagena, on Feb. 21.

February 28, USS Kauffman, with an embarked Helicopter Anti-Submarine Squadron Light (HSL) 60 Det. 1, seized more than 2200 pounds of cocaine and detained eight crew members after interdicted a fishing vessel in the western Caribbean Sea, in collaboration with the Canadian Navy and U.S. Coast Guard ships.

March 3, FFG 59 moored at Port of Cristobal in Colon, Panama, for a routine port call.

March 9, The Kauffman moored at Bravo Wharf on Naval Station Guantanamo Bay for a five-day port call; Brief stop at Port of Cristobal to refuel on March 24.

April 3, USS Kauffman moored at Berth B in Port of Oranjestad, Netherlands Antilles, for a four-day liberty visit to Aruba Island; Transited the Panama Canal southbound on April 10.

April 16, The guided-missile frigate recently moored at Vasco Nunez de Balboa Naval Base, Panama, for a routine port call.

May 6, The Kauffman, in collaboration with the U.S. Coast Guard, recovered nearly 1400 pounds of cocaine in international waters in the drug transit zone of the eastern Pacific.

May 10, FFG 59 recently moored at Balboa Naval Base for a liberty port visit to Panama City.

May 16, USS Kauffman, in collaboration with the U.S. Coast Guard, disrupted a shipment of nearly 4000 pounds of cocaine and detained three crew members, after interdicted a Costa Rican-flaged fishing vessel, while underway in the eastern Pacific Ocean.

May 29, The Kauffman departed Vasco Nunez de Balboa Naval Base after a three-day port call; Brief stop at Acajutla, El Salvador, to refuel on June 10; Transited the Panama Canal northbound on June 2?.

July 2, USS Kauffman recently arrived in Miami, Fla., for a liberty port visit to celebrate the Independence Day.

July 7, The guided-missile frigate recently arrived in Naval Station Mayport to disembark crewmembers of HSL-60 detachment, offload confiscated drugs and embark friends and family members for a Tiger Cruise.

July 12, USS Kauffman returned to homeport after a six-month deployment in the U.S. 4th Fleet Area of Responsibility (AoR).

September 18, The Kauffman held a decommissioning ceremony at Pier 1, Naval Station Norfolk after a nearly 29 years of active servise. The ship will be towed to Naval Inactive Ship Maintenance Office Philadelphia and offered for foreign military sale.

September 21, USS Kauffman (FFG 59) was officially decommissioned and stricken from the U.S. Naval Vessel Register.