The USS Joseph Hewes (FF-1078) was a Knox-class frigate constructed by Avondale Shipyard in Westwego, Louisiana. Her keel was laid down on May 14, 1969, and she was launched on March 7, 1970. The vessel was delivered on April 6, 1971, and commissioned on April 24, 1971, with Mrs. Caroline Groves Gayler christening her. As a Knox-class frigate, she measured 438 feet (133.5 meters) in length, had a beam of 47 feet (14.3 meters), and a draft of 25 feet (7.6 meters). Her full load displacement was approximately 4,066 long tons (4,131 metric tons). The ship's propulsion system consisted of a single Westinghouse geared steam turbine producing 35,000 shaft horsepower, driving one propeller, and capable of reaching a top speed of 27 knots. Her range was about 4,500 nautical miles at 20 knots. Armament included a 5"/54 caliber Mark 42 gun forward, a 3-inch/50 caliber gun aft, and an ASROC missile launcher situated between the guns. For anti-submarine warfare, she was equipped with two twin 12.75-inch Mk 32 torpedo tubes and initially carried a DASH drone helicopter, later replaced by a SH-2 Seasprite LAMPS I helicopter, making her the first in the Navy to deploy this system. She also featured an eight-cell BPDMS missile launcher for Sea Sparrow missiles, later replaced by a Phalanx CIWS. The USS Joseph Hewes was modified to serve as a flagship, with changes to accommodate flag staff and additional staterooms. Notably, she participated in rescue efforts, such as assisting after the M/V A. Regina ran aground in 1985, delivering supplies via helicopter due to surf conditions. She was decommissioned on June 30, 1994, struck from the naval register in January 1995, and transferred to the Republic of China Navy, where she was renamed ROCS Lan Yang (FFG-935). Throughout her service, Lan Yang underwent modernization, including the Wujin III Combat System upgrade in 2006. She participated in various operations and incidents, including protection during Typhoon Nissa in 2017 and a fire during overhaul in 2019. The vessel conducted her last cruise in January 2025 before being decommissioned due to aging and declining combat capability, marking the end of her distinguished service 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.