USS Reuben James (FFG-57), an Oliver Hazard Perry-class guided missilefrigate, was the third ship of the U.S. Navy named for Reuben James, a boatswain's mate who distinguished himself fighting the Barbary pirates. Her crew totaled 201 enlisted, 18 chief petty officers, and 26 officers.

Reuben James played a significant role in Tom Clancy's 1986 novel Red Storm Rising. She appeared in the 1990 movie The Hunt for Red October (although her appearance in the film was anachronistic, since she was commissioned about a year after the events in the film). In some scenes, Reuben James was portrayed in the film by other Oliver Hazard Perry frigates — Wadsworth (now ORP Generał Tadeusz Kościuszko)[23] and Gary (the hull number can be seen as Soviet submariners are in their rafts) The ship was later featured prominently in the 2010 novel by Don Brown entitled Malacca Conspiracy.