The Spruance-class destroyer was developed by the United States to replace a large number of 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.
Serving for three decades, the Spruance class was designed to escort a carrier group with a primary ASW mission. First commissioned in 1975, the class was designed with gas-turbine propulsion, all-digital weapons systems, automated 5-inch guns and Tomahawk cruise missiles. Rather than extend the life of the class, the Navy opted to accelerate its retirement. The last ship of the class was decommissioned in 2005, with most examples broken up or destroyed as targets.
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. 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.
- David R. Ray tested the RAM system in the 1980s, but had the system removed after the tests.
- 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 dock. The AN/SPQ-9B is used to detect all known and projected sea skimming missiles.
- Arthur W. Radford tested the Advanced Enclosed Mast/Sensor system which helped in the mast design of San Antonio class amphibious transport dock ships.
- Merrill served as the Navy's test platform for the Tomahawk Cruise Missile Program receiving armored box launchers and test launching a Tomahawk March 19, 1980. Merrill carried two ABLs and an ASROC launcher into the 1990s until the ASROC launcher was removed.
| Spruance class destroyer | |
|---|---|
| Name: | Spruance class destroyer |
| Builders: | Ingalls Shipbuilding, Pascagoula, Mississippi |
| Operators: |  United States Navy |
| Preceded by: | Charles F. Adams class destroyer |
| Succeeded by: | Arleigh Burke class destroyer |
| Subclasses: | Kidd class destroyer |
| 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 km/h) |
| 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 AN/SPS-65 Missile fire control radar AN/SQS-53 bow mounted Active sonar AN/SQR-19 TACTAS towed array Passive sonar |
| Electronic warfare and 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: | • 2× 5-inch (127mm) 54 calibre Mark 45 dual purpose guns • 2× 20 mm Phalanx CIWS Mark 15 guns • 1× 8 cell ASROC launcher • 1× 8 cell NATO Sea Sparrow Mark 29 missile launcher • 2× quadruple Harpoon missile canisters • 2× Mark 32 triple 12.75 in (324 mm) torpedo tubes (Mk 46 torpedoes) • 2× quadruple ABL Mark 43 Tomahawk missile launchers (some ships of the class) • 1× 21 cell Rolling Airframe Missile launcher in some ships. A 61-cell Mark 41 VLS launcher for Tomahawk/ASROC missiles was fitted to 24 ships in place of the 8-cell ASROC launcher. |
| 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 |
