USS SPRUANCE

COMMISSIONING
RECORDING
SEPTEMBER 1975
4MB

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USS SPRUANCE was the lead ship of the SPRUANCE class of destroyers and the first ship in the Navy named after Admiral Raymond Ames Spruance.

Decommissioned on March 23, 2005. On December 8, 2006, the destroyer was sunk as a target off the Virginia Capes (36�24'35.00"N - 70�46'02.00"W) in about 14,000 feet of water.
USS SPRUANCE was the longest-serving ship in her class.

Awards, Citations and Campaign Ribbons
(as of OPNAVNOTE 1650 dated 18 SEP 2002)

Precedence of awards is from top to bottom, left to right
Top Row: Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal, Joint Meritorious Unit Award (2 awards), Meritorious Unit Commendation
Second Row: Navy “E” Ribbon (6 awards), Navy Unit Commendation, Southwest Asia Service Medal

Awarded: June 23, 1970
Keel laid: November 27, 1972
Launched: November 10, 1973
Commissioned: September 20, 1975
Decommissioned: March 23, 2005
Sunk as a target: December 8, 2006
Builder: Ingalls Shipbuilding, West Bank, Pascagoula, Miss.
Propulsion system: four General Electric LM 2500 gas turbine engines, 80,000 S/HP
Propellers: two variable pitch
Blades on each Propeller: five
Length: 564.3 feet (172 meters)
Beam: 55.1 feet (16.8 meters)
Draft: 28.9 feet (8.8 meters)
Displacement: approx. 9,200 tons full load
Speed: 30+ knots
Range: 6000 NM@ 20 Knots
Crew: approx. 340
Aircraft: two SH-60B Seahawk (LAMPS 3)
Armament: two Mk 45 5-inch/54 caliber lightweight guns, one MK 41 VLS for Tomahawk and ASROC and Standard missiles, Mk 46 torpedoes (two triple tube mounts), two Harpoon missile launchers, one Sea Sparrow launcher, one Rolling Airframe Missile (RAM) System, two 20mm Phalanx CIWS

* Taken from http://navysite.de/ships/dd963.htm

USS SPRUANCE Grounding on January 25, 1989 near Andros Island, Bahamas

Taken from: The largest European US Navy website

USS SPRUANCE runs aground on a coral reef while fighting heavy winds. The wind also causes the top of the foremast to break. No injuries are reported but the ship requires $1.4 million in repairs.

The SPRUANCE is pulled free on January 28 by the USNS MOHAWK (T-ATF 170) and USS GRASP (ARS 51). USS GRASP towed the SPRUANCE around Florida to the Ingals Shipyard in Pascagoula, Mississippi.

The underwater inspection of damages to ensure structurally sound to re-float.

Click here for a video clip (56.5 MB) of
Underwater Inspection & Towing

Click here for a video clip (341 MB) of
Drydock &
Full Power Run

I received these
photos & videos from

Bruce D. "Butch" Ranstad,

a retired Chief Master-at-Arms.

He and I had our retirement ceremonies together on SPRUANCE.









Click here for a video clip (65.8 MB) of "Super Spru"

Click here for a video
clip (11.6 MB) of
1988 Blue Nose Initiation

Click here for a video clip (7.92 MB) of 1988 Helo Unrep

Click here for a video clip (18.7 MB) of
1988 Persian Gulf SSDF Training

Click here for a video clip (29.7 MB) of 1988 Suez Canal Transit