USS Thach (FFG-43)

• Namesake: USS Thach (FFG-43) was named after Admiral John S. "Jimmy" Thach, a legendary World War II naval aviator famous for devising the "Thach Weave" dogfighting tactic. • Class: Thach was an Oliver Hazard Perry-class guided-missile frigate, a class renowned for versatility and service with dozens of navies worldwide. • Commissioning: USS Thach was commissioned on 17 March 1984 in Long Beach, California, with Admiral Thach himself present at the ceremony. • Cold War Service: Thach served during the final decade of the Cold War, conducting anti-submarine warfare and escort operations in both the Pacific and Indian Oceans. • Operation Earnest Will: In 1987, USS Thach participated in Operation Earnest Will, escorting reflagged Kuwaiti oil tankers through the Persian Gulf amidst the Iran-Iraq War. • Humanitarian Missions: Thach was involved in several humanitarian and rescue missions, including assisting Vietnamese boat people in the South China Sea during the late 1980s. • Drug Interdiction: In the 1990s, Thach was deployed for counter-narcotics patrols in the Eastern Pacific, helping seize illegal drug shipments heading for North America. • 9/11 Response: Following the September 11 attacks, Thach was dispatched for Homeland Defense duties and later supported Operation Noble Eagle. • Decommissioning: USS Thach was decommissioned on 1 November 2013, after nearly 30 years of continuous service to the US Navy. • Final Fate: In July 2016, Thach was sunk as a target during the RIMPAC (Rim of the Pacific) exercise, helping to train allied naval forces and providing valuable live-fire training data.