Namesake:	Rear Admiral Richard E. Hawes
Builder:	Bath Iron Works
Laid down:	26 August 1983
Launched:	18 February 1984
Commissioned:	9 February 1985
Decommissioned:	10 December 2010
Homeport:	Norfolk, Virginia
Motto:	"Ever Ready, Ever Fearless"
Status:	Decommissioned
General characteristics
Class & type:	Oliver Hazard Perry-class frigate
Displacement:	4,100 long tons (4,200 t), full load
Length:	453 feet (138 m), overall
Beam:	45 feet (14 m)
Draught:	22 feet (6.7 m)
Propulsion:	2 × General Electric LM2500-30 gas turbines generating 41,000 shp (31 MW) through a single shaft and variable pitch propeller 2 × Auxiliary Propulsion Units, 350 hp (260 kW) retractable electric azimuth thrusters for maneuvering and docking.
Speed:	over 29 knots (54 km/h)
Range:	5,000 nautical miles at 18 knots (9,300 km at 33 km/h)
Complement:	15 officers and 190 enlisted, plus SH-60 LAMPS detachment of roughly six officer pilots and 15 enlisted maintainers
Sensors and processing systems:	AN/SPS-49 air-search radar AN/SPS-55 surface-search radar CAS and STIR fire-control radar AN/SQS-56 sonar.
Electronic warfare & decoys:	AN/SLQ-32
Armament:	As built: One OTO Melara Mk 75 76 mm/62 caliber naval gun two Mk 32 triple-tube (324 mm) launchers for Mark 46 torpedoes one Vulcan Phalanx CIWS; four .50-cal (12.7 mm) machine guns. one Mk 13 Mod 4 single-arm launcher for Harpoon anti-ship missiles and SM-1MR Standard anti-ship/air missiles (40 round magazine) Note: As of 2004, Mk13 systems removed from all active US vessels of this class.Mark 13 launcher was removed from Hawes in 2004.
Aircraft carried:	2 × SH-60 LAMPS III helicopters

USS Hawes (FFG-53) is a later model Oliver Hazard Perry-class guided missile frigate. She is named for Rear Admiral Richard E. Hawes (1894–1968) who was twice decorated with the Navy Cross for submarine salvage operations. Any ship that bears his name is the only ship in the U.S. naval fleet that can fly the pirate flag, jolly roger, that RDML Hawes designed himself.

The contract to build Hawes was awarded to Bath Iron Works 22 May 1981, and her keel was laid 26 August 1983. She was launched 18 February 1984, delivered 1 February 1985, and commissioned 9 February 1985.

On 12 October 2000, USS Hawes was involved, along with USS Donald Cook (DDG-75), in providing repair and logistics support to the USS Cole (DDG-67), shortly after she was attacked in Aden, Yemen.

As of 2006, Hawes is homeported at NAVSTA Norfolk, Virginia; she is part of Destroyer Squadron 26.

In July 2010, Hawes docked for five days at Pier 4 of the Charlestown Navy Yard, participating in a Navy Week coordinated alongside Boston's Harborfest.The ship was decommissioned at the end of 2010.