The USNS Hayes (T-AGOR-16/T-AG-195) was a Hayes-class oceanographic research vessel constructed to support scientific and acoustic research missions for the United States Navy. Built by Todd Shipyards in Seattle, Washington, she was laid down on November 12, 1969, and launched on July 2, 1970. Named after Dr. Harvey C. Hayes, a pioneer in underwater acoustics and former head of the US Navy Sound Division at the Naval Research Laboratory, the ship was delivered to the Navy on July 21, 1971. Initially, she served with the Military Sealift Command (MSC), designated as USNS Hayes (T-AGOR-16). In 1983, she was placed in the Ready Reserve and subsequently laid up in the National Defense Reserve Fleet at James River, Virginia, in 1984. Reacquired by the Navy in 1986, she was converted at Tacoma Boatbuilding Company into an acoustics research ship, reflecting her specialization in underwater sound and noise reduction. The ship was reclassified as USNS Hayes (T-AG-195) and placed back into service in 1992. By 1994, Hayes was equipped with advanced, custom-designed sensor arrays, including three deployable acoustic buoys, each fitted with a high-frequency cylindrical array with 700 channels, and a low-frequency vertical line array. These arrays, along with powerful Cray IV computers, enabled the creation of a steerable sensor system capable of isolating and analyzing submarine noise sources. This technology was crucial for submarine quieting research, with sonar data collected off Andros Island in the Bahamas, where submarines would pass submerged through the sensor arrays for testing. Hayes's primary mission was underwater acoustics research focused on reducing submarine noise signatures. She was struck from the Naval Register in 2008 and laid up at the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard. Ultimately, she was towed to Brownsville, Texas, in December 2021 and scrapped in 2022. Her contributions to submarine acoustics and underwater research mark her as a significant vessel in maritime scientific history.

This description has been generated using GPT-4.1-NANO based on the Vessel's wikidata information and then modified by ShipIndex.org staff.