Above: Spruance. Scroll to the bottom of this page to link to images of the other 30 Spruance-class destroyers.

The Spruance-class destroyers were developed to defend aircraft carrier task forces against the latest generation of submarines in any weather. More than twice as large as a World War II destroyer and as large as a World War II cruiser, they shared a common hull with Ticonderoga-class cruisers.
   All 31 Spruance-class destroyers were built at Litton Ingalls Shipbuilding, Pascagoula, Mississippi. Laid down beginning in 1972 and commissioned between late 1975 and 1980, with one ship commissioned in 1983, they were the first US Navy ship class powered with gas turbines—four marine versions of jet aircraft engines driving two shafts with reversible-pitch propellers. (Curiously, their screws rotated in the opposite direction from other twin-screw ships, adversely affecting their ability to “walk” the stern at low speeds.)
   Their complement was not much larger than preceding destroyer classes: 3–400 officers and enlisted personnel. Comfort and habitability were considerations in the ship's design; some ships were retrofitted to provide separate quarters for female personnel.

SPECIFICATIONS
Length: Overall: 563 feet
Beam: 55 feet
Displacement: Full load: 9100 long tons.
Power plant: 4 x LM 2500 General Electric gas turbines; two shafts, 80,000 shaft horsepower.
Speed: 33 knots
Range: 6000 NM @ 20 knots.

MODIFICATIONS
Many Spruances were fitted with vertical launch systems (VLS), also used in Aegis cruisers and Arleigh Burke-class destroyers. By 2000, however, all their capabilities were duplicated or had counterparts in the 27 Flight I and II Arleigh Burkes by then in commission. With the first Flight IIA Burkes soon to complete, despite costing $1 billion each, the Burkes are so versatile and cost-effective that the Spruances were completely phased out before the end of their design lifetimes. The last one, Cushing, decommissioned in 2005.

To find an image of a ship: (1) hover to identify the image; then click to view it in more detail or (2) link from the ship list below. 963 Spruance, 964 Paul F. Foster, 965 Kinkaid, 966 Hewitt, 967 Elliot, 968 Arthur W. Radford, 969 Peterson, 970 Caron, 971 David R. Ray, 972 Oldendorf, 973 John Young, 974 Comte De Grasse, 975 O’Brien, 976 Merrill, 977 Briscoe, 978 Stump, 979 Conolly, 980 Moosbrugger, 981 John Hancock, 982 Nicholson, 983 John Rodgers, 984 Leftwich, 985 Cushing, 986 Harry W. Hill, 987 O’Bannon, 988 Thorn, 989 Deyo, 990 Ingersoll, 991 Fife, 992 Fletcher, 997 Hayler.