The Spruance ( DD ) Class
Builder: Ingalls Shipbuilding Power plant: Four General Electric LM 2500 gas turbines, two shafts, 80,000 shaft hp Length: 563 feet Beam: 55 feet Displacement: 8,168 metric tons full load Speed: 30+ knots Aircraft: Two SH-60 Seahawk LAMPS III helo's Armament: 8 Harpoon (from 2 quad launchers); Tomahawk ASM/LAM, VLS; ASROC (VLA) missiles; six Mk-46 torpedoes (2 triple mounts); two 5"/54 caliber Mk-45 (lightweight gun); two 20mm Phalanx CIWS
The Spruance-class destroyers, the first large U.S. Navy warships to employ gas turbine engines as their main propulsion system, are undergoing extensive modernizing. The upgrade program includes addition of vertical launchers for advanced missiles on 24 ships of this class, in addition to an advanced ASW system and upgrading of its helicopter capability. Spruance-class destroyers are expected to remain a major part of the Navy’s surface combatant force into the 21st century.
At this time, we mostly have links to official U.S. Navy web sites for ships that are in commission. If you have a web site for a Spruance class ship that has been decommissioned, and you would like a link from Destroyers Online, please contact Mark Roberts. (With a picture or two, and some ships data to go with it, we can start a web site here at Destroyers Online.)