USNS ''Hayes'' (T-AGOR-16/T-AG-195) was a
''Hayes''-class oceanographic research ship acquired by the
U.S. Navy in 1971. In 1992 she was reconfigured as an
acoustics
Acoustics is a branch of physics that deals with the study of mechanical waves in gases, liquids, and solids including topics such as vibration, sound, ultrasound and infrasound. A scientist who works in the field of acoustics is an acoustician ...
research ship
A research vessel (RV or R/V) is a ship or boat designed, modified, or equipped to carry out research at sea. Research vessels carry out a number of roles. Some of these roles can be combined into a single vessel but others require a dedicated ...
and assigned to the Navy's program of acoustic noise reduction for
submarines
A submarine (or sub) is a watercraft capable of independent operation underwater. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability. The term is also sometimes used historically or colloquially to refer to remotely o ...
.
Built at Seattle, Washington
''Hayes'' was built in
Seattle, Washington, by
Todd Shipyards, Corp., and was laid down on 12 November 1969 and launched on 2 July 1970. She was named after Dr. Harvey C. Hayes, a pioneer in underwater acoustics and the former head of the US Navy Sound Division of Naval Research Laboratory.
She was delivered to the Navy 21 July 1971 and placed in service by the
Military Sealift Command
Military Sealift Command (MSC) is an organization that controls the replenishment and military transport ships of the United States Navy. Military Sealift Command has the responsibility for providing sealift and ocean transportation for all US m ...
(MSC) as USNS ''Hayes'' (T-AGOR-16). After completing service with the MSC, she was placed into Ready Reserve 10 June 1983. In 1984 ''Hayes'' was laid up in the
National Defense Reserve Fleet,
James River
The James River is a river in the U.S. state of Virginia that begins in the Appalachian Mountains and flows U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map , accessed April 1, 2011 to Chesapea ...
,
Fort Eustis, Virginia.
Conversion to acoustics research ship
''Hayes'' was reacquired by the Navy during
fiscal year 1986 and was converted into an Acoustic Research Ship at
Tacoma Boatbuilding Company, Tacoma, Washington. MSC placed the ship back into service in 1992, this time as USNS ''Hayes'' (T-AG-195).
Hayes was equipped in 1994 with one-of-a-kind sensor arrays, including three acoustic deploy-able buoys from each of which were suspended a custom designed seven hundred channel High Frequency Baffled Cylindrical Array designed and built by the Westinghouse Oceanic Division of Annapolis, MD; and a Low Frequency Array of vertical line arrays designed and constructed by SAIC of McLean, Virginia. Each buoy provided over 1500 acoustic channels of information that required extensive processing by two Cray IV computers also custom designed for the application. The arrays and computer created a fully steerable sensor suit that could isolate noise sources in the submarines and assist in determining the source of excessive noise emitted by the submarine.
Submarines to be used for test and development, and to be quietened by engineers using the data from the Hayes, would pass submerged through the three buoy arrays in the deep waters off Andros Island, Bahamas.
History of operations
''Hayes'' was assigned to underwater acoustics research for the purpose of reducing the acoustic noise of underwater submarines. She was struck from the Naval Register in 2008 and laid up at the
Philadelphia Naval Shipyard.
Note
There is no history of Hayes’ operations in
DANFS
The ''Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships'' (''DANFS'') is the official reference work for the basic facts about ships used by the United States Navy.
When the writing project was developed the parameters for this series were designed ...
.
See also
*
United States Navy
*
Sonar
References
NavSource Online: Service Ship Photo Archive - USNS Hayes (T-AG-195) – ex - USNS Hates (T-AGOR-16) (1971 - 1992)The USNS Hayes - A New Dimension in Ocean Research (part 1)The USNS Hayes - A New Dimension in Ocean Research (part 2)Naval Vessel Historical Evaluation - USNS Hayes - 2011
Ships built in Seattle
1970 ships
Oceanographic research ships of the United States Navy
Anti-submarine warfare
Military catamarans
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