Sunday, September 20, 2015

USS Kauffman

Does anyone else think that 30 years isn't a long time to keep a ship in commission?  Planes, sure, cars, ok. But shouldn't ships last longer than that?

Anyway, the oldest is back east this weekend, attending the decommissioning of the USS Kauffman, named after her grandfather and great-grandfather, Adm J. Kauffman and Adm D. Kauffman, father and son


Draper Kauffman is also known as the father of the UDT program, and the SEAL Navy special forces. I was lucky enough to have had hours of listening to his stories, everything from being captured by the Germans in WW2 while serving as a French Army ambulance driver, being commissioned in the Royal Navy to disarm unexploded bombs in England, to founding the underwater warfare program for the US Navy. 


I'm back in Montana, we have snow on the surrounding mountains, fall is at hand.  I leave in a couple weeks for Europe, will post pictures of that as it occurs. 



11 comments:

  1. What a glorious past. You must be proud to be linked to such a proud tradition.

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    1. That's a hard one....yes I think they were good people, and my father in law particularly did some of the first beginnings in race relations in the Navy.

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  2. Neat.

    Snowed up in Rocky Mountain National and on Cameron Pass. Still looking for the snow on the peaks here, but it is autumn. The leaves are loverly.

    Look forward to the pictures.

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  3. Interesting connections of that ship to your family... 30 years doesn't seem long for a ship since their are still flying B-52s that are almost twice that age. Interesting about your grandfather as a POW of the Germans as I just reviewed a book about my POW 5th Grade teacher (held by the Japanese)

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    1. Draper was a prisoner for only a few weeks, in 1939 the US was not at war with Germany. He was repatriated, went to England and joined their navy and served on bomb disposal until 1941, when his father, an admiral, 'drafted' him into the US Navy, knowing a conflict was coming.

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  4. My father's best advice was for me to go to sea after college for a few years. Being the idiot I was (am?) I didn't listen. It is my biggest regret.
    I am jealous of your European trip. Have a great time!

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  5. I never thought about ships' ages - they always somehow looked old to me when I'd go to the shipyards with my Dad.

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  6. I always thought ships were ancient and never got retired, just modified as needed.

    What a great honour for your daughter.

    XO
    WWW

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