The Smith & Wesson 59 was developed in response to the U.S. Navy's request for a double stacked magazine version of the Smith & Wesson 39 (which was used by Navy SEALs suppressed aka "the Hush Puppy" during the Vietnam conflict). Seeing the market demand for a high capacity version of the S&W 39, the Smith & Wesson 59 was released in 1970. Production stopped in 1982 when it was replaced by the second generation models; Smith & Wesson 459 and Smith & Wesson 659.