Spruance-class destroyer

Spruance-class destroyer

USS Briscoe on 21 March 2003
Class overview
Name	Spruance class
Builders	Ingalls Shipbuilding, Pascagoula, Mississippi
Operators	United States Navy
Preceded by	Charles F. Adams class
Succeeded by	Kidd class
Built	1972–1983
In commission	1975–2005
Completed	31
Active	1 (Paul F. Foster) as SDTS
Retired	30
General characteristics
Type	Destroyer
Displacement	8,040 (long) tons full load
Length	529 ft (161 m) waterline; 563 ft (172 m) overall
Beam	55 ft (16.8 m)
Draft	29 ft (8.8 m)
Propulsion	4 × General Electric LM2500 gas turbines, 2 shafts, 80,000 shp (60 MW)
Speed	32.5 knots (60.2 km/h; 37.4 mph)
Range	6,000 nautical miles (11,000 km; 6,900 mi) at 20 knots (37 km/h; 23 mph) 3,300 nautical miles (6,100 km; 3,800 mi) at 30 knots (56 km/h; 35 mph)
Complement	19 officers, 315 enlisted
Sensors and processing systems	AN/SPS-40 air search radar AN/SPG-60 fire control radar AN/SPS-55 surface search radar AN/SPQ-9 gun fire control radar Mk 23 TAS automatic detection and tracking radar Missile fire control radar AN/SQS-53 bow mounted Active sonar TACTAS towed array Passive sonar Naval Tactical Data System
Electronic warfare & decoys	AN/SLQ-32 Electronic Warfare System AN/SLQ-25 Nixie Torpedo Countermeasures Mark 36 SRBOC Decoy Launching System AN/SLQ-49 Inflatable Decoys AN/WLR 1 in DD-971 & DD-975.
Armament	As built 2 × 5-inch (127mm) 54 calibre Mark 45 dual purpose guns 1 × 8 cell ASROC launcher 1 × 8 cell NATO Sea Sparrow Mark 29 missile launcher 2 × Mark 32 triple 12.75 in (324 mm) torpedo tubes (Mk 46 torpedoes) Later fitted 2× quadruple Harpoon missile canisters 2 × 20 mm Phalanx CIWS Mark 15 guns 2 × quadruple ABL Mark 43 Tomahawk missile launchers (7 ships) 1 x 61-cell Mark 41 VLS launcher for Tomahawk/ASROC missiles in place of the 8-cell ASROC launcher (24 ships). 1 × 21 cell Rolling Airframe Missile launcher in some ships.
Aircraft carried	2 x Sikorsky SH-60 Seahawk LAMPS III helicopters.
Aviation facilities	Flight deck and enclosed hangar for up to two medium-lift helicopters

The Spruance-class destroyer was developed by the United States to replace the many World War II–built Allen M. Sumner- and Gearing-class destroyers and was the primary destroyer built for the U.S. Navy during the 1970s and 1980s. It was named in honour of United States Navy Admiral Raymond A. Spruance, who successfully led major naval battles in the Asiatic-Pacific Theater during World War II such as the Battle of Midway and Battle of the Philippine Sea.

First commissioned in 1975, the class was designed with gas-turbine propulsion, a flight deck and hangar for up to two medium-lift helicopters, all-digital weapons systems, and automated 127 mm (5-inch) guns. Serving for three decades, the Spruance class was originally designed to escort a carrier group with a primary ASW mission, with point defense anti-aircraft warfare (AAW) missiles and limited anti-ship warfare, while 24 members of the class upgraded with Tomahawk cruise missiles for land attack.^[1] Rather than extend the life of the class, the Navy accelerated its retirement. The last ship of the class was decommissioned in 2005, with most examples broken up or destroyed as targets.^[2] They were replaced in service by the Arleigh Burke-class destroyer.

History[]

Design[]

The Spruances were much larger than destroyers of that era, being comparable in size to contemporary guided-missile cruisers (CG and CGN) and U.S. Navy light cruisers (CL) in World War II. Their hull dimensions allowed them not only to accommodate a helicopter landing pad, a first for a U.S. Navy destroyer as flight decks were previously only found on frigates and cruisers, they were the first U.S. Navy destroyer/cruiser class to have an enclosed hangar (with space for up to two medium-lift helicopters) which was a considerable improvement over the basic aviation facilities of earlier cruisers.^[3] The "Spru-cans" were the first large U.S. Navy ships to use gas turbine propulsion; they had four General Electric LM2500 gas turbines to generate about 80,000 horsepower (60 MW). This configuration (developed in the 1960s by the Royal Canadian Navy for the Iroquois-class destroyers and known as COmbined Gas And Gas, or COGAG) was very successful and used on most subsequent U.S. warships. As of 2010, all U.S. Navy surface combatants (except nuclear-powered aircraft carriers and the LCS-1) use the LM2500 COGAG arrangement, usually with two such turbines per shaft.^[4]

The Spruance-class received the "DD" designation in the hull classification symbol system which was previously applied to gun destroyers, though their primary armament as designed was missiles. However their original complement of 8 Sea Sparrow anti-aircraft missiles was only sufficient for point defense, compared to other American destroyers designated as DDG which were designed to provide anti-aircraft warfare screening to the fleet, while some newer DDG ships further added powerful surface-to-surface capabilities for anti-ship or land strike. A major update from the mid-1980s added a 61-cell Vertical Launch Missile System (VLS) for the Tomahawk surface-to-surface missile which modernized 24 members of the Spruance-class to a strike destroyer standard, although they remained as DD because they continued to lack the anti-aircraft capabilities of guided-missile cruisers (CG and CGN) and destroyers (DDG).^[5]

The ships were initially controversial, especially among members of the United States Congress who believed that their unimposing looks, with only two guns and an ASROC and Sea Sparrow missile launcher per ship implied that the vessels were weak compared to Soviet designs which carried large numbers of anti-ship missiles. The Spruance-class was also unfavorably compared to earlier U.S. designs which had more visible guns or launchers for the Standard medium range missiles. Despite the criticism they were successful in their intended ASW role due to their seaworthiness, quiet operation, and ability to operate two helicopters.^[6]

The entire class of 30 ships was contracted on 23 June 1970 to the Litton-Ingalls shipyard in Pascagoula, Mississippi, under the Total Package Procurement concept originated by the Whiz Kids of Robert McNamara's Pentagon. The idea was to reap the benefits of mass construction, but labor and technical problems caused cost overruns and delayed construction.^[7][8]

Six Spruance-class destroyers fitting out, c. May 1975

One additional ship, USS Hayler, was ordered on 29 September 1979. Hayler was originally planned as a DDH (Destroyer, Helicopter) design, which would carry more anti-submarine helicopters than the standard design of the Spruance class. Eventually this plan to build a DDH was scrapped and a slightly modified DD-963 class hull was put in commission.^{[citation needed]}

Four additional ships were built originally for the Iranian Navy with the Mark 26/Standard AAW missile system and commissioned as the Kidds for the U.S. Navy. The Kidd-class destroyers used the same hull as the Spruances but they were more advanced general-purpose ships with significant anti-air warfare capabilities that the Spruance-class lacked. It was once planned to build all of the Spruance class up to this standard, but it was too expensive. A slightly lengthened version of the hull was also used for the Ticonderoga-class cruisers, originally planned as DDG-47-class destroyers but redesignated as cruisers in 1980 to emphasize the additional capability provided by the ships' Aegis combat systems, and their flag facilities suitable for an admiral and his staff.^[9]

An air-capable mini V/STOL aircraft carrier with fighters and ASW helicopters based on the Spruance hull was seriously considered but not produced.^[10][11]

Upgrades[]

The Spruance design is modular in nature, allowing for easy installation of entire subsystems within the ship. Although originally designed for anti-submarine warfare, 24 ships of this class were upgraded with the installation of a 61 cell Vertical Launch Missile System (VLS) capable of launching Tomahawk missiles. The remaining seven ships not upgraded were decommissioned early. Deyo was the only Spruance-class destroyer that received the armored box launchers for Tomahawk that also later received the VLS upgrade, while Harry W. Hill was the only one that never received the Tomahawk, having had its VLS upgrade cancelled.^{[citation needed]}

• Merrill served as the Navy's test platform for the Tomahawk Cruise Missile Program receiving armored box launchers and test launching a Tomahawk 19 March 1980. Merrill carried two ABLs and an ASROC launcher into the 1990s until the ASROC launcher was removed.^{[citation needed]}
• David R. Ray tested the RAM system in the 1980s, but had the system removed after the tests.^{[citation needed]}
• Oldendorf was the test platform for the AN/SPQ-9B Anti-ship Missile Defense (ASMD) Firecontrol Radar to be outfitted on the San Antonio-class amphibious transport docks. The AN/SPQ-9B is used to detect all known and projected sea skimming missiles.^{[citation needed]}
• Arthur W. Radford tested the Advanced Enclosed Mast/Sensor system which helped in the mast design of the San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock ships.^{[citation needed]}

At least ten VLS ships, including Cushing, O'Bannon, and Thorn, had a 21 cell RIM-116 Rolling Airframe Missile launcher mounted on the starboard fantail.^{[citation needed]}

Spruance-class destroyers fired 112 land attack Tomahawks during Operation Desert Storm.^[12]

Decommissioning[]

In order to save $28 million a year, the Navy accelerated the decommissioning of the Spruance class, though they could have served to 2019 had they been maintained and updated.^[13] Despite the recent modifications to the Spruance and Kidd classes, they were still considered expensive and manpower intensive to operate, while the succeeding Arleigh Burke-class were more capable and versatile due to their Aegis combat system while also being more cost-efficient, and by the end of the 1990s many Arleigh Burke-class destroyers had entered the fleet. While the early Flight I Arleigh Burke ships only had a flight deck, Flight IIA and subsequent vessels added the enclosed hangar which made their aviation facilities comparable to the Spruance-class.^{[citation needed]}

The US Navy planned to replace its current destroyers and cruisers with the new Zumwalt-class (DDG-1000) vessels, but the 2010 U.S. Defense budget funded the construction of only three DDG-1000s^[14] and production of Arleigh Burke class continued and it became the U.S. Navy's only operational class of destroyers after the USS Cushing was decommissioned on 21 September 2005.^[15]

Rather than being preserved in storage like some older classes or offered up for sale to foreign navies, some were broken up and the remaining majority of the class finished their lives as targets in various fleet exercises. The last Spruance-class destroyer on active service, USS Cushing, was decommissioned on 21 September 2005. It was unsuccessfully offered to the Pakistan Navy before being sunk as a target 29 April 2009. The four Kidd-class destroyers were decommissioned in 1998 and were sold to Taiwan in 2005 and 2006.^{[citation needed]}

One notable exception to this fate is the ex–Paul F. Foster which replaced the ex-Decatur in 2005 as the Self Defense Test Ship. The SDTS is remotely-controlled to tow a barge targeted by live weapons. This avoids the safety concerns and other problems associated with manned ship exposure to live weapons.^[16][17]

Ships in class[]

Ships of the Spruance destroyer class

Name	Hull no.	Crest	Laid down	Launched	Commissioned	Decommissioned	Disposition	Ref
Spruance	DD-963		27 November 1972	10 November 1973	20 September 1975	23 March 2005	Sunk as target, 8 December 2006	[18]
Paul F. Foster	DD-964		6 February 1973	22 February 1974	21 February 1976	27 March 2003	Struck 6 April 2004; in use as a Self Defense Test Ship	[19][20]
Kinkaid	DD-965		19 April 1973	25 May 1974	10 July 1976	7 January 2003	Sunk as target, 14 July 2004	[21]
Hewitt	DD-966		23 July 1973	24 August 1974	25 September 1976	19 July 2001	Sold for scrap, 9 August 2001	[22]
Elliot	DD-967		15 October 1973	19 December 1974	22 January 1977	2 December 2003	Sunk as target, 25 June 2005	[23]
Arthur W. Radford	DD-968		31 January 1974	1 March 1975	16 April 1977	18 March 2003	Scuttled as artificial reef off coast of Delaware, 10 August 2011	[24]
Peterson	DD-969		29 April 1974	21 June 1975	9 July 1977	4 October 2002	Sunk as target, 16 February 2004	[25]
Caron	DD-970		1 July 1974	24 June 1975	1 October 1977	15 October 2001	Sunk as target, 4 December 2002	[26]
David R. Ray	DD-971		23 September 1974	23 August 1975	19 November 1977	28 February 2002	Sunk as target, 11 July 2008	[27]
Oldendorf	DD-972		27 December 1974	21 October 1975	4 March 1978	20 June 2003	Sunk as target, 22 August 2005	[28]
John Young	DD-973		17 February 1975	6 January 1976	20 May 1978	30 September 2002	Sunk as target, 13 April 2004	[29]
Comte de Grasse	DD-974		4 April 1975	26 March 1976	5 August 1978	5 June 1998	Sunk as target, 7 June 2006	[30]
O'Brien	DD-975		9 May 1975	8 July 1976	3 December 1977	24 September 2004	Sunk as target, 9 February 2006	[31]
Merrill	DD-976		16 June 1975	1 September 1976	11 March 1978	26 March 1998	Sunk as target, 1 August 2003	[32]
Briscoe	DD-977		21 July 1975	28 December 1976	3 June 1978	2 October 2003	Sunk as target, 25 August 2005	[33]
Stump	DD-978		25 August 1975	1 January 1977	19 August 1978	22 October 2004	Sunk as target, 7 June 2006	[34]
Conolly	DD-979		29 September 1975	3 June 1977	14 October 1978	18 September 1998	Sunk as target, 29 April 2009	[35]
Moosbrugger	DD-980		3 November 1975	23 July 1977	16 December 1978	15 December 2000	Scrapped, 2006	[36]
John Hancock	DD-981		16 January 1976	29 October 1977	10 March 1979	16 October 2000	Scrapped, 2007	[37]
Nicholson	DD-982		20 February 1976	11 November 1977	12 May 1979	20 December 2002	Sunk as target, 30 July 2004	[38]
John Rodgers	DD-983		12 August 1976	25 February 1978	14 July 1979	4 September 1998	Scrapped, 2006	[39]
Leftwich	DD-984		12 November 1976	8 April 1978	25 August 1979	27 March 1998	Sunk as target, 1 August 2003	[40]
Cushing	DD-985		2 February 1977	17 June 1978	21 September 1979	21 September 2005	Sunk as target, 14 July 2008	[41]
Harry W. Hill	DD-986		1 April 1977	10 August 1978	17 November 1979	29 May 1998	Sunk as target, 15 July 2004	[42]
O'Bannon	DD-987		21 February 1977	25 September 1978	15 December 1979	19 August 2005	Sunk as target, 6 October 2008	[43]
Thorn	DD-988		29 August 1977	3 February 1979	16 February 1980	25 August 2004	Sunk as target, 22 July 2006	[44]
Deyo	DD-989		14 October 1977	20 January 1979	22 March 1980	6 November 2003	Sunk as target, 25 August 2005	[45]
Ingersoll	DD-990		5 December 1977	10 March 1979	12 April 1980	24 July 1998	Sunk as target, 29 July 2003	[46]
Fife	DD-991		6 March 1978	1 May 1979	31 May 1980	28 February 2003	Sunk as target, 23 August 2005	[47]
Fletcher	DD-992		24 April 1978	16 June 1979	12 July 1980	1 October 2004	Sunk as target, 16 July 2008	[48]
Hayler	DD-997		20 October 1980	2 March 1982	5 March 1983	25 August 2003	Sunk as target, 13 November 2004	[49]

Gallery[]

• 

  starboard quarter view of Fife

• 

  Ingersoll with only ASROC launcher forward, as all destroyers were initially built. Image also shows an example of black masts and no Phalanx CIWS

• 

  Deyo with ASROC and ABL's forward.

• 

  starboard bow view of Deyo, VLS equipped

• 

  Kidd class compared to Spruance class

• 

  Ticonderoga-class cruiser compared to the Spruance class

• 

  Arthur W. Radford with experimental mast

• 

  Cushing with VLS forward and RAM launcher on fantail

• 

  Hayler, the last Spruance destroyer to be built, is sunk

References[]

External links[]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Spruance class destroyers.

• Spruance-class destroyers at Destroyer History Foundation
• News story: "Last Spruance-Class Destroyer Decommissioned"