USS Spruance (DDG-111)
United States Navy guided missile destroyer
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USS Spruance (DDG-111) is an Arleigh Burke-class (Flight IIA) Aegis guided missile destroyer in the United States Navy. Spruance is the second ship to be named after Admiral Raymond A. Spruance (1886–1969), who commanded American naval forces at the Battles of Midway and the Philippine Sea.
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USS Spruance in September 2011 | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United States | |
| Name | Spruance |
| Namesake | Raymond A. Spruance |
| Awarded | 13 September 2002[1] |
| Builder | Bath Iron Works[1] |
| Laid down | 14 May 2009[2] |
| Launched | 6 June 2010 |
| Christened | 5 June 2010 |
| Commissioned | 1 October 2011 |
| Home port | San Diego |
| Identification |
|
| Honors and awards | See Awards |
| Status | in active service |
| Badge |  |
| General characteristics | |
| Class & type | Arleigh Burke-class destroyer[2] |
| Displacement | 9,200 tons[1] |
| Length | 510 ft (160 m)[1] |
| Beam | 66 ft (20 m)[1] |
| Draft | 33 ft (10 m)[1] |
| Propulsion | 4 × General Electric LM2500-30 gas turbines, 2 shafts, 100,000 shp (75 MW) |
| Speed | over 30 knots (56 km/h; 35 mph) |
| Range | 4,400 nautical miles (8,100 km; 5,100 mi) at 20 knots (37 km/h; 23 mph) |
| Complement | 260 officers and enlisted[1] |
| Electronic warfare & decoys | AN/SLQ-32(V)2 Electronic Warfare System |
| Armament |
|
| Aircraft carried | 2 × MH-60R Seahawk helicopters |
Ship history
Construction
Spruance was built in Bath, Maine at Bath Iron Works, at a cost of $1 billion.[3][4] Her keel was laid down on 14 May 2009.[2] Spruance was the first of the U.S. Navy's destroyers to be fitted with the Gigabit Ethernet Data Multiplex System (GEDMS), manufactured by the Boeing Company. GEDMS provides an Internet Protocol (IP) based backbone for video and data services on the ship.[5] The bridge features touch screen controls and color readouts instead of gauges.[6]
At her christening on 5 June 2010, the principal address was delivered by Honorable John Baldacci of Maine, and the vessel was christened by Ellen Spruance Holscher as the ship's sponsor. Commander Tate Westbrook was the ship's first commanding officer.
Operational history
The completed ship left Bath on 1 September 2011 for her commissioning in Key West, Florida on 1 October 2011.[7][8]
She sailed from San Diego on her maiden deployment on 16 October 2013, heading for Asia under the command of Commander George Kessler who was succeeded by Commander Daniel Cobian.[6]
In January 2024, the US Navy reinstalled ODIN Laser on Spruance. ODIN, a solid-state laser system, is designed primarily to counter and neutralize the sensors on UAS, effectively blinding them without destroying the aircraft. Technical aspects of the ODIN system include its ability to emit a high-intensity laser beam, targeting the optical sensors of enemy drones.[9]
On the morning of 27 September 2024, while transiting the Red Sea with the Arleigh Burke-class destroyer USS Stockdale and Freedom-class littoral combat ship USS Indianapolis, she was attacked by roughly two dozen missiles and drones launched by Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen. All missiles and drones were intercepted by the flotilla or missed their target outright.[10]
On 11 November 2024, following US attacks on Houthi bases in Yemen, the Houthis again attacked the Spruance and Stockdale, launching eight drones, five ballistic missiles, and three cruise missiles at the American destroyers. All of the projectiles were shot down by the destroyers with no damage or casualties to the vessels.[11]
On 22 March 2025, Spruance helped the Coast Guard and agents with U.S. Customs and Border Protection apprehend 13 people in a vessel off the Mexican coast.[12]
Spruance launched Tomahawk missiles at Iranian targets during the 2026 Iran war on 28th February 2026.[13]
On 19 April 2026, Spruance attacked the Iran-flagged cargo ship Touska after it attempted to breach the US naval blockade of Iran en route to Bandar Abbas.[14] Spruance fired several rounds from its 5-inch/54-caliber Mark 45 gun into the Touska's engine room, disabling the vessel. It was then seized by the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit in the Gulf of Oman.[15][16] Iran described the seizure as a US-Iran truce violation.[17] Iran retaliated against the seizure by launching attack drones at U.S. ships, although no damage was reported.[18] According to Reuters, the seized ship was probably carrying equipment that the US considered "dual-use," meaning that it had equipment that could be used by the Iranian army.[19]
- Attack and boarding of M/V Touska
- USS Spruance disables M/V Touska
- United States Marines leave amphibious assault ship USS Tripoli (LHA-7) and board M/V Touska, 19 April 2026
Awards
- Combat Action Ribbon - (Sep–Nov 2024)[20]
- Coast Guard Meritorious Team Commendation Ribbon with Operational Distinguishing Device (2017)[21]
- Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group's (ABECSG) Deployment Tomahawk Strike Warfare Award for Thor's Hammer 2022[22]
