USS Aubrey Fitch ( FFG - 34 ) The USS " Aubrey Fitch " ( FFG - 34 ) , the twenty - sixth ship of the " Oliver Hazard Perry " class of guided - missile frigate s , was named for Vice - Admiral Aubrey Fitch ( 1883 – 1978 ) , who was noted for his outstanding command work in the South Pacific during World War II . Ordered on 23 January 1978 , as a part of the FY - 1978 program , the " Aubrey Fitch " was laid down on 10 April 1981 at the Bath Iron Works , Bath , Maine . She was launched on 17 October 1981 — sponsored by Mrs . Francesca Fitch Ferguson , the granddaughter of the late Admiral Fitch — and she was commissioned at Bath , Maine , on 9 October 1982 , with Commander Floyd A . Weeks in command . This warship was decommissioned on 12 December 1997 and stricken from the Navy ' s list on 3 May 1999 . 1982 . After commissioning , the USS Aubrey Fitch remained at Bath for another five weeks completing her outfitting , propulsion plant testing , and sailors ' training . In mid - November , she made the passage from Bath to her home port , Mayport , Florida , where she spent the remainder of 1982 . 1983 . Early in January 1983 , the guided - missile frigate embarked upon her shakedown cruise to the vicinity of Guantanamo Bay , Cuba . The warship returned to Mayport during the middle of February and then launched into a series of trials , qualifications , and certifications preparatory to her final acceptance by the Navy . She completed final acceptance trials late in May and entered the yard at Bath Iron Works for a three - month , post - shakedown availability . " Aubrey Fitch " completed repalrs and returned to Mayport in September . In October , she commenced refresher training out of Guantanamo Bay . The guided - missile frigate was so engaged when United States military forces invaded the small Caribbean island nation of Grenada on 25 October in response to a power struggle between leftist factions that endangered the stability of the region as well as the lives of United States citizens attending the medical college there . " Aubrey Fitch " interrupted refresher training to conduct patrols in defense of the base at Guantanamo Bay against possible hostile action by Cuba as a result of the conflict in Grenada where Americans found themselves fighting Cuban " advisors " and " construction workers " . Early in November , however the warship completed refresher training and assumed tactical control of and for the purpose of testing the feasibility of operating guided - missile frigates and guided - missile hydrofoil gunboats together in the same task organization . Demands attendant to the continuing American presence in Grenada , however , overtook the experiment and sent " Aubrey Fitch " and her two consorts south to the tiny republic . Duty in the waters adjacent to Grenada lasted until mid - December when the warship returned to Mayport . 1984 . " Aubrey Fitch " began 1984 in her home port . Later in January , she embarked upon a normal schedule of training operations in the West Indies . That employment occupied her through the month of May and into June . On 22 June , the guided missile frigate put to sea to become a unit of NATO ' s Standing Naval Force , Atlantic , based at Plymouth , England . That deployment included visits to a number of ports in northern Europe as well as training evolutions in the Baltic Sea . Early in the fall of 1984 , the NATO force visited American waters and made calls at Charleston , Savannah , and New Orleans . Late in November , the warships visited " Aubrey Fitch " ' s home port in Florida . Early in December , the NATO force headed back to Europe , leaving " Aubrey Fitch " at Mayport . 1985 . The warship opened 1985 much the same way as she did 1984 . After concluding holiday leave and upkeep at Mayport during the first half of January , she returned to sea for the usual training exercises , equipment operation certifications , and ASW helicopter landing qualifications . These and similar evolutions alternated with periods in port for routine upkeep and availability occupied her time during the first five months of the year . In June , " Aubrey Fitch " began providing escort and plane guard services for and when the carriers put to sea to conduct landing qualifications . Near the end of June , she put to sea for special operations off the west coast of the Isthmus of Panama . She transited the Panama Canal and then operated from the base at Rodman , Panama during July , August , and part of September . After passing back through the canal in mid - September , " Aubrey Fitch " arrived back at Mayport on the 21st . Repairs took up the remainder of September as well as October and November . She concluded her restricted availability with sea trials on 5 and 6 December and , after a brief round trip to Charleston and back , settled into the usual year - end holiday routine . 1986 . The relative inactivity of holiday standdown carried over into the first three weeks of 1986 . On 21 January , " Aubrey Fitch " put to sea for a week of ASW training in the Bahama Islands . On 28 January , she interrupted her return voyage when the disintegrated soon after launch . From her position just 50 miles southeast of Cape Canaveral " Aubrey Fitch " rushed to the scene of the tragedy and began recovering debris . She collected several tons of material which she later delivered to Cape Canaveral to be inspected as a part of the investigation into the cause of the disaster . From Cape Canaveral the guided - missile frigate returned to Mayport and remained there until the second week in February . On 10 February , " Aubrey Fitch " resumed training operations out of Mayport , and she continued so employed until the beginning of April at which time the warship began preparations to deploy to the Persian Gulf . On 4 June , " Aubrey Fitch " stood out of Mayport in company with to rendezvous with and . She and her traveling companions then laid in a course that took them across the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea , through the Suez Canal , and around the Arabian Peninsula to the Strait of Hormuz . " Aubrey Fitch " and her consorts arrived at Bahrain in the Persian Gulf on 8 July . The guided - missile frigate spent the next four months conducting patrols and escorting merchant ships in the strategic – and troubled – waters of the Persian Gulf , the Gulf of Oman , and the northern portion of the Arabian Sea . No untoward events marred her sojourn in the region , and she concluded her assignment on 30 October by turning her responsibilities over to . Retracing her outward - bound voyage via the Red Sea , the Suez Canal , the Mediterranean Sea , and the Atlantic Ocean , " Aubrey Fitch " steamed into Mayport on 4 December . Post - deployment standdown took up the remainder of 1986 . 1987 – 1997 . " Aubrey Fitch " spent March through July 1995 touring Western Europe , including Bermuda ; Brest , France ; Rota , Barcelona and Ibiza , Spain ; Casablanca , Morocco ; Gibraltar , Portsmouth & Liverpool , UK ; Lisbon , Portugal ; Amsterdam , Netherlands ; Derry & Portrush , Northern Ireland and Rosyth , Scotland . " Aubrey Fitch " was decommissioned on 12 December 1997 and towed to the former Philadelphia Naval yard as part of the inactive reserve fleet . She was stricken on 3 May 1999 , " Aubrey Fitch " was transferred to Metro Machine Corp . for scrapping , on 26 March 2004 . " Aubrey Fitch " ( FFG - 34 ) was the first ship with this name in the U . S . Navy .