History of the USS Joseph Hewes (FF-1078)

USS Joseph Hewes (FF-1078): History, Patrols, Crews

Commissioning

The USS Joseph Hewes was the 27th ship of the Knox Class of escort destroyers (and later, frigates) of the US Navy. She was named in honor of Joseph Hewes, an American Revolutionary figure and the first Secretary of the Navy.
The order to build the Joseph Hewes was awarded to the Avondale Shipyards of Westwego, La., on Aug. 25, 1966. Her keel was laid on May 14, 1969; she was launched on March 7, 1970. She was commissioned on April 24, 1971.

Underway

The Joseph Hewes was originally commissioned as a Destroyer Escort. When she joined the fleet, she was assigned ocean escort duties. The ship's first homeport was Newport, Rhode Island.

The Joseph Hewes made a West Pac cruise to Vietnam in 1972, participating in a gunfire support role off the coast of Quang Tre. The ship would provide gunfire support during the day and reload at night. During her successful Vietnam tour, a Light Airborne Multi-Purpose System (LAMPS) helicopter was deployed aboard the ship, the first such deployment in the history of the Navy. After leaving Vietnam, the Joseph Hewes circled the globe to return to homeport.

The Joseph Hewes was the first ship to test the prototype of the SQR-18 towed array sonar system. After deploying to the to the Western Pacific in 1972, the ship toured the Mediterranean in 1973 and Indian Ocean in 1975. In 1975, she was the first naval ship to make an operational transit of the Suez Canal after it was reopened.

On June 30, 1975, she was re-designated as a frigate. Her hull number changed to FF-1078 and she was assigned to anti-submarine warfare duties.

The ship then went through a major overhaul at the Brooklyn Navy yards between January 1981 and February 1982. By April 1983, the Joseph Hewes deployed as part of the international peacekeeping force in Beirut.
The ship was only about 12,000 yards from the U.S. Marine barracks at the Beirut International Airport when it was destroyed by a terrorist attack on Oct. 23, 1983. She then operated for a while with USS New Jersey battle group, during a 390-day deployment away from her homeport of Long Beach, 1983-1984.

Decommissioning

The Joseph Hewes was decommissioned on June 30, 1964 and struck from the Naval Vessel Register on Jan. 11, 1995. She was disposed of through the Security Assistance Program, transferred and sold to Taiwan as the Lan Yang (FF-935).

Characteristics

Class and type: Knox-class frigate
Propulsion system: 2 - 1200 psi boilers; 1 geared turbine, 1 shaft; 35,000 shaft horsepower
Length: 438 feet (133.5 meters)
Beam: 47 feet (14.4 meters)
Draft: 25 feet (7.6 meters)
Displacement: approx. 4,200 tons full load
Speed: 27 knots
Armament: one Mk-16 missile launcher for ASROC and Harpoon missiles, one Mk-42 5-inch/54 caliber gun, Mk-46 torpedoes from single tube launchers, one Mk-25 BPDMS launcher for Sea Sparrow missiles
Aircraft: one SH-2F (LAMPS I) helicopter

Career

Ordered: Aug. 25, 1966
Builder: AVONDALE MARINE
Laid down: May 14, 1969,
Launched: March, 71970
Acquired: April 6, 1971
Commissioned: April 24, 1971
Decommissioned: June 30, 1994
Struck: January 11, 1995
Fate: Disposed of through the Security Assistance Program, transferred and sold to Taiwan as the Lan Yang (FF-935)

Timeline

August 1966: USS Joseph Hewes ordered
May 1969: Keel of USS Joseph Hewes laid
March 1970: USS Joseph Hewes launched
April 1971: USS Joseph Hewes commissioned
1973: USS Joseph Hewes in the Mediteranian
1975: USS Joseph Hewes in the Indian Ocean
1975: USS Joseph Hewes in the Suez Canal
1983: USS Joseph Hewes deployed off the coast of Beirut as part of multinational peacekeeping force
June 1994: Joseph Hewes decommissioned

Crewmembers of the USS Joseph Hewes

An unofficial list of crew members that served on the USS Joseph Hewes can be found on the unofficial navy website at: http://navysite.de. This list is compiled by former crewmembers that voluntarily register. Some quoted comments from former crewmembers are listed below; many more are available on the source website at the following Web address:
http://www.navysite.de/crew.php?action=ship&ship=ff_1078

Troy Raxsdale (served November 1987—September 1991): “Made some great friends on that boat. Wish I could find them.”
Sam Cornett (served March 1987—August 1990): “I have only great memories of the "Joey Boat". Some of the best friends of my life are from my time in the Navy. I wish I could find more of them.”
David Sumber (served March 1988—December 1992): “This was my first ship when I came into the Navy. I had a great time onboard and wish that it was still around because I would love to go back to it.”

Sources

http://www.mesotheliomaweb.org/destroyerspostwwii.htm
http://www.nvr.navy.mil/nvrships/details/FFT1078.htm
http://ussjosephhewes.com/
http://navysite.de
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Joseph_Hewes_(FF-1078)

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