USS Spruance (DD-963) - Definition and Overview

Career
Awarded:	23 June 1970
Laid down:	27 November 1972
Launched:	10 November 1973
Commissioned:	20 September 1975
Fate:	Active in service as of 2005.
Homeport:	NS Mayport, Florida
General Characteristics
Displacement:	9,036 tons full load
Length:	529 ft waterline; 563 ft overall (161, 172 m)
Beam:	55 ft (16.8 m)
Draft:	29 ft (8.8 m)
Propulsion:	4 × General Electric LM2500-30 gas turbines; 80,000 shp (60 MW); 2 × shafts.
Speed:	32.5 knots (60 km/h)
Range:	6,000 nm (11,000 km) at 20 knots; 3,300 nm at 30 knots (56 km/h)
Complement:	19 officers, 315 enlisted
Armament:	2 × 5 inch (127 mm) 54 calibre Mark 45 dual purpose guns; 2 × 20 mm Phalanx CIWS Mark 15 guns; 1 × 8 cell NATO Sea Sparrow Mark 29 missile launcher; 2 × quadruple Harpoon missile canisters.
Aircraft:	2 × SH-60B Seahawk LAMPS III helicopters.
Motto:

USS Spruance (DD-963) is the lead ship of the Spruance-class destroyers in the United States Navy. She was named for Admiral Raymond A. Spruance.

Spruance was built by the Ingalls Shipbuilding Division of Litton Industries at Pascagoula, Mississippi, and launched by Mrs. Raymond A. Spruance, Commander Raymond J. Harbrecht in command. As of 2005, Spruance is an active unit of the Atlantic Fleet, assigned to Destroyer Squadron 24 and operating out of NS Mayport, Florida.

External link

• Official web site for USS Spruance (http://www.spruance.navy.mil/)

• nvr.navy.mil: USS Spruance (http://www.nvr.navy.mil/nvrships/details/DD963.htm)
• navsource.org: USS Spruance (http://www.navsource.org/archives/05/963.htm)
• navysite.de: USS Spruance (http://www.navysite.de/dd/dd963.htm)