The Thach (FFG 43) is the 34th Oliver Hazard Perry-class guided-missile frigate and is named for Adm. John Thach (1905-1981), a Naval Aviator during World War II, who invented the Thach Weave dogfighting tactic. The keel was laid down on March 6, 1982, by Todd Pacific Shipyards Corp., Seattle Division. The ship was christened and launched on December 18, 1982. USS Thach was commissioned during a ceremony at Pier 7 in Naval Station Long Beach, Calif., on March 17, 1984. Cmdr. Dale H. Moses is the first commanding officer.

From January 22-31, 2001, The Thach was underway for Fleet Exercise (FLEETEX) off the coast of southern California. Underway for JTFEX from Feb. 2-13; Underway for a Friends and Family Day Cruise on Feb. 27.

March 15, USS Thach departed Naval Station San Diego for a scheduled deployment, as part of the USS Constellation (CV 64) Battle Group (BG), in support of Maritime Interception Operations (MIO).

March 19, AMSC(AW) Ronald Hiland was killed when he helped to tie down one of the frigate's SH-60 helicopters, assigned to Helicopter Anti-Submarine Squadron Light (HSL) 49 Det. 8, during an emergency landing about 9.40 a.m., in the eastern Pacific.

April 4, USS Thach arrived in Sydney, Australia, for a five-day port visit. Inport Adelaide from April 12-15.

May 4, The guided-missile frigate pulled into Manama, Bahrain, for a three-day port call. Brief stop in Manama on May 11 before underway for "Sister Ship" exercise with the BANS Sabha (FFG 90), the former USS Jack Williams (FFG 24); Inport Mina Salman Port in Manama again from May 15-18.

June 22, Cmdr. William A. Sheehan relieved Cmdr. Richard W. Daniel as the 12th CO of Thach during a change-of-command ceremony on board the ship in the Arabian Gulf.

July 15, USS Thach pulled into Jebel Ali, United Arab Emirates, for a three-day liberty visit to Dubai. Inport Manama, Bahrain, from July 26-29.

August 12, FFG 43 anchored off the coast of Phuket, Thailand, for a two-day port visit. Port call to Hong Kong from Aug. 20-25; Inport Pearl Harbor from Sept. 5-9.

September 15, USS Thach returned homeport after a six-month deployment in the U.S. 5th and 7th Fleet Areas of Responsibility (AoR).

From November 2-8, the Thach was underway in support of the USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74) BG's JTFEX as part of opposition forces. Underway for ammo offload at Naval Weapons Station Seal Beach, Calif., from Dec. 11-14.

January 10, 2002 USS Thach entered the graving dry-dock at 32nd Street for a 10-week Drydocking Selected Restricted Availability (DSRA). Moved to Pier 6 N on Feb. 25; Underway for sea trials from March 21-22; Underway again on april 29; Ammo onload at Seal Beach from May 1-3.

May 4, FFG 43 pulled into Port Hueneme, Calif., for a six-day port call to conduct combat systems assessment with the Naval Surface Warfare Center. Returned home on May 11.

From May 21-24, the guided-missile frigate was underway for Tailored Ship's Training Availability (TSTA); Underway again from May 28-31; Underway for a port visit to Mazatlan, Mexico, from June 3-14; Underway for local operations from June 20-21, 22-27 and July 1-3; Underway for Final Evaluation Problem (FEP) from July 8-9; Underway for COMPTUEX from July 10-24; Underway for local operations from Aug. 6-7; Underway for ammo onload at NWS Seal Beach from Aug. 19-21; Underway for a Board of Inspection and Survey (INSURV) assessment on Aug. 28; Underway for SUSTEX from Sept. 9-12; Underway for JTFEX from Oct. 17-29.

November 2, USS Thach departed San Diego for a scheduled deployment, with the USS Constellation Battle Group, in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.

November 22, The Thach anchored in Victoria Harbour for a five-day port visit to Hong Kong.

December 1, FFG 43 moored at Changi Naval Base in Singapore for a six-day port call.

December 17, USS Thach entered the Arabian Gulf in support of Maritime Interception Operations (MIO).

In early January 2003, the Thach arrived in Manama, Bahrain, for a brief port call before underway for a "Sister Ship" exercise with the Royal Bahrain Naval Ship Sabha.

In late February, USS Thach made a port call to Doha, Qatar, for exercise Eastern Sailor 03-2.

March 23, The Thach is currently underway in the Arabian Gulf conducting missions with the Constellation BG in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, the multinational coalition effort to liberate the Iraqi people, eliminate weapons of mass destruction and end the regime of Saddam Hussein.

April 1, USS Thach responded to a man overboard after an S-3B, assigned to Sea Control Squadron (VS) 38, crashed into the water shortly after landing aboard USS Constellation. Thach's Search and Rescue (SAR) RHIB (rigid-hull inflatable boat) crew launched and was in position in minutes. The two pilots were subsequently rescued by an SH-60 helicopter from the Connie.

April 11, Cmdr. James T. Loeblein relieved Cmdr. William A. Sheehan as commanding officer of the Thach.

April 17, The guided-missile frigate departed Arabian Gulf after transiting Strait of Hormuz.

June 2, USS Thach returned to Naval Station San Diego after a seven-month deployment in support of Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom.

October 9, FFG 43 pulled into San Francisco, Calif., for a four-day port visit to participate in Fleet Week festivities.

December 6, 2004 USS Thach departed homeport for a scheduled deployment, with the USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD 6) Expeditionary Strike Group (ESG) 5, in support of the Global War on Terrorism.

January 5, 2005 The Thach anchored off the coast of Dili, East Timor, for a goodwill port visit.

March 23, The guided-missile frigate is currently participating in a multi-lateral surface, air and mine countermeasure exercise Arabian Gauntlet, in the Arabian Gulf.

April 12, Cmdr. Rinda K. Ranch relieved Cmdr. James T. Loeblein as CO of FFG 43.

June 6, USS Thach returned to San Diego after a six-month deployment in the U.S. 5th and 7th Fleet AoR.

September 18, 2006 The Thach moored at Prince George Wharf in Nassau, Bahamas, for a four-day port visit.

October 6, Cmdr. Steven R. Rasmussen relieved Cmdr. Rinda K. Ranch as the 15th CO of Thach.

December 15, USS Thach returned to Naval Base San Diego after a six-month counter narcotics deployment in the eastern Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea. The ship conducted four drug busts, seized nearly 23 tons of cocaine, with a street value estimated at $600 million, and detained 34 drug-traffickers. She also made port calls to Panama and Peru.

December 10, 2007 USS Thach is currently underway for routine training, with the USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76) Carrier Strike Group, off the coast of southern California.

February 28, 2008 Cmdr. David W. Haas relieved Cmdr. Steven R. Rasmussen

May 19, USS Thach departed San Diego for a scheduled western Pacific deployment, as part of the Reagan CSG.

July 14, The guided-missile frigate arrived in Shimonoseki, Japan, for a routine port visit.

July 28, FFG 43 pulled into Yokosuka, Japan, for a scheduled port call.

September 8, USS Thach is currently underway in the North Arabian Sea conducting Maritime Security Operations (MSO).

October 18, The Thach arrived in Goa, India, to participate in exercise Malabar.

November 25, USS Thach returned to Naval Base San Diego after a six-month deployment.

May 27, 2009 FFG 43 departed San Diego for a scheduled deployment with USS Ronald Reagan Carrier Strike Group.

June 25, The Thach anchored off Phuket, Thailand, for a five-day port visit.

November 5, USS Thach returned to homeport after a five-month underway period that took the ship through the Suez and Panama Canal. The guided-missile frigate operated in the northern Arabian Gulf as part of Task Group Iraqi Maritime, where it assisted in protecting Iraqi oil platforms and conducted counterpiracy and countersmuggling missions. The Thach also visited Saipan; Manama, Bahrain; Aqaba, Jordan; and Ponta Delgada, Portugal.

April 5, 2011 Cmdr. Jeffrey L. Scudder relieved Cmdr. David W. Haas as CO of the FFG 43. USS Thach recently departed Naval Base San Diego for a scheduled deployment in support of Southern Seas 2011.

April 15, The Thach arrived in Salvador, Brazil, to participate in 52nd UNITAS LANT exercise, off the coast of Brazil, from April 19 through May 9.

April 26, The guided-missile frigate pulled into Rio de Janeiro for a six-day port visit. Anchored off the coast of Rio Grande, Brazil, on May 8.

May 13, FFG 43 arrived in Montevideo, Uruguay, for a three-day port call.

May 20, USS Thach, along with USS Boone (FFG 28), arrived in Punta Arenas, Chile, for a four-day port visit.

June 3, The Thach departed Puerto Montt, Chile, after a four-day port call.

June 10, The guided-missile frigate pulled into Talcahuano naval base for a six-day port visit to Chile.

June 24, USS Thach arrived in Valparaiso, Chile, for a five-day port visit before participating in the Pacific phase of UNITAS 2011 exercise.

July 1, The Thach, Boone pulled into Coquimbo, Chile, for a four-day port call. Arrived in Valparaiso for a brief port stop on July 7.

July 18, USS Thach departed Callao naval base after a weekend port visit to Peru.

August 1, The guided-missile frigate pulled into Manta, Equador, for a brief port call to take on fuel and supplies.

August 13, The Thach pulled into Vasco Nunez de Balboa Naval Base for a scheduled port visit to Panama City before participating in exercise PANAMAX 2011, from August 15-25.

August 31, FFG 43 arrived in Acajutla, El Salvador, for a three-day port call and to participate in independence celebration of the country.

September 16, USS Thach returned to San Diego after a six-month deployment.

November 14, The Thach is currently at General Dynamics NASSCO shipyard for repairs and modernization.

September 5, 2012 Cmdr. Hans E. Lynch relieved Cmdr. Jeffrey L. Scudder as commanding officer of the USS Thach.

January 8, 2013 USS Thach, with an embarked Helicopter Anti-Submarine Squadron Light (HSL) 49 Det. 2, departed homeport for a scheduled deployment in support of Counter Transnational Organized Crime (C-TOC) operations in the U.S. 4th Fleet AoR.

January 22, The guided-missile frigate recently pulled into Puerto Quetzal, Guatemala, for a routine port call.

February 16, USS Thach recently departed Vasco Nunez de Balboa Naval Base after a port visit to Panama City, Panama; Inport Balboa again from March 14-18.

April 12, USS Thach returned to Naval Base San Diego three months earlier than scheduled as a result of budget cuts that Congress failed to avoid last month.

June 28, FFG 43 returned to San Diego after a four-day underway, off the coast of southern California, for joint training and operations with the U.S. Coast Guardsmen from the Coast Guard's 11th District and the Pacific Tactical Law Enforcement Team (TACLET).

November 1, USS Thach held a decommissioning ceremony at Naval Base San Diego after a nearly 30 years of active service.

November 15, The Thach (FFG 43) was officially decommissioned and stricken from the U.S. Naval Vessel Register.

July 14, 2016 The ex-USS Thach was sunk during a sinking exercise (SINKEX), as part of a multinational exercise Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) 2016, 55 nautical miles northwest of Kauai, Hawaii.