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USS Spruance (DD-963)
Encyclopedia
USS Spruance (DD-963) was the lead ship
of the Spruance-class
of destroyer
s 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.
Spruance served in the U.S. Atlantic Fleet
, assigned to Destroyer Squadron 24 and operating out of NS Mayport
, Florida
.
She was decommissioned on 23 March 2005 and was sunk as a target on 8 December 2006.
powered destroyer in the US Navy. Initially armed with an 8-cell NATO Sea Sparrow missile launcher for nominal air defense she received the VLS (Vertical Launch System) in the late 1980s; replacing the old Mk 16 ASROC
launcher.
Spruance's first operational deployment was in October 1979 to the Mediterranean Sea
, with Saratoga
Battle Group. Other ships she sailed with included Biddle, Conyngham
, Milwaukee
, and Mount Baker. During this cruise, Spruance made a transit into the Black Sea
to conduct surveillance on the new Soviet helicopter carrier, Moskva, as it sailed from its building shipyard to the Soviet Red Banner Northern Fleet. Spruance suffered a casualty to one of her LM-2500 Gas Turbine Main Engines and had to replace the engine while deployed. This was done successfully in port.
Spruance, being the first gas turbine powered ship in the operational fleet, had an underway replenishment breakaway flag (flown while pulling away from receiving supplies and fuel from a logistics ship at sea) that was a replication of the large yellow warning seen on the side of aircraft carrier superstructures, with red block letters saying "BEWARE JET BLAST" on a large yellow background. Upon "breaking" (unfurling) the flag on the halyards, they would play the theme from the movie "Superman" as they increased speed and sailed ahead of the logistics vessel.
Spruance entered her first major overhaul in 1980 at the Norfolk Naval Shipyard. During a brief yard period in 1983, she received the CIWS and TAS Mk 23 radar system.
Spruance deployed to the Arabian Sea in 1982 including a port visit to Mombasa, Kenya in May 1982. She briefly took station off Beirut in June 1982 prior to being relieved. In 1982, she transited both the Suez Canal and the Panama Canal in the same summer.
Spruance deployed for a six month period in January 1983 to the Persian Gulf where she spent over four and a half months conducting observations in company with during the Iraq-Iran War. Also conducted operations with Teamwork '84 in northern Atlantic and an Arctic Sharem in the Arctic Ocean in 1984. She deployed to the Mediterranean Sea in November 1984 and conducted her second Black Sea Operations over Thanksgiving 1984. She returned from her deployment in May 1985 and shortly thereafter entered for her second overhaul during which she received VLS, Towed Array, and the SH 60. She deployed for a six month period on 26 May 1993 to the Red Sea where she spent over three and a half months conducting visit, board and search operations in support of United Nations
sanctions against Iraq
. While attached to U.S. 6th Fleet, Spruance conducted a brief stop for fuel in Rota, Spain
, followed by a liberty port visit in Palma
, Spain. Additional stops in the Mediterranean consisted of a brief stop in Augusta Bay, Sicily
, then to Souda Bay, Crete
, for a maintenance period (IMAV) with the Shenandoah
. The Spruance passed through the Suez Canal
on 29 June.
ADM Vern Clark
and ADM Gary Roughead
(27th and 29th Chiefs of Naval Operations
) were the Commanding Officer and Executive Officer, respectively of the Spruance from 1984 to 1985.
Upon arrival in the Red Sea
, under command of CTG 152.1, Commander Maritime Interdiction Forces, Spruance assumed the duties as flagship for the task force commander. While on station, Spruance was the flagship for three different task force commanders. While on station, Spruance conducted exercises with the Egyptian navy
and the Jordanian navy. During Spruances tenure in the Red Sea, Spruance conducted several port visits to Hurghada, Egypt
for crew rest and relaxation. Other official port visits were conducted in Safaga, Egypt
and Aqaba, Jordan
, where Spruance hosted receptions for top military and embassy officials. On 10 September 1993, Spruance intercepted the 18,000th ship since sanctions were put into place in August 1990, as part of the multinational maritime interception effort enforcing United Nations sanctions against Iraq. The ship's crew intercepted the Maltese
-flagged bulk carrier "Early Star" in the North Red Sea during normal intercept operations. The merchant ship was sailing from Massaua, Eritrea
, to Aqaba. As the ship was empty, it was allowed to proceed toward its destination.
Spruance was relieved as flagship by Hayler
on 9 October after having completed more than 170 boardings, and then started her transit homeward through the Suez Canal on 11 October. Once back in the Mediterranean Sea
, the ship made port calls in Toulon
, France
; Alicante
, Spain; and Rota, Spain. She returned home on 14 November.
In July 1994, as part of Operation Restore Democracy, U.S. Navy ships were tasked with helping to enforce the United Nations embargo of Haiti
. However, so many Haitians were picked up from the sea that United States Coast Guard
ships needed an assist from USN ships in the region to handle the volume. Among these was Spruance which took onboard nine hundred Haitians for the transit to Guantanamo Naval Station
.
Spruance transferred to Portsmouth VA and entered drydock after the deployment.
In mid-1996, Spruance took part in the 24th annual U.S. invitational maritime exercise in the Baltic Sea
, the BALTOPS 96 exercise
. Made up of air, surface and subsurface operations, the exercise involved 47 ships and aircraft from 12 different squadrons sent by 13 NATO-member and Partnership for Peace nations: Belgium
, Denmark
, Estonia
, Finland
, Germany
, Lithuania
, Latvia
, Netherlands
, Poland
, Russia
, Sweden
, United Kingdom
and United States.
Spruance deployed to the Mediterranean from April through October 1997 with the carrier battle group
supporting John F. Kennedy
(CV-67). Serving as the Destroyer Squadron 24 flagship, Spruance made significant contributions throughout the deployment including: visiting thirteen foreign ports; participating in five multi-national naval exercises in the Mediterranean and Black Sea
s; serving as Presidential Support Ship in Rotterdam
, Netherlands; representing the U.S. Navy in Thoule Sur Mer, France, in commemoration of the fifty-second anniversary of the Allied landings in southern France; and hosting Ukrainian military and diplomatic distinguished visitors during the 1997 Ukrainian
Independence Day celebration. During that period, Spruance also took part in the Partnership For Peace Exercise "Sea Breeze 97" in the Black Sea. Sea Breeze 97 trained military forces on how to provide humanitarian relief for victims of a simulated earthquake
in Southern Ukraine.
In the fall of 1999, the Spruance detached from the John F. Kennedy Battle Group to relieve Peterson
(DD-969) as the United States' representative to the Standing Naval Forces Mediterranean (STANAVFORMED). After dealing with the effects of Hurricane Floyd
and Hurricane Gert
off the east coast of Florida
, Spruance crossed the Atlantic and entered the Mediterranean with other ships from the John F. Kennedy Battle Group. STANAVFORMED is part of NATO's `Reaction Force' and as such was ready to respond to any crisis in NATO's area of interest, although its primary area of operations is the Mediterranean. Spruance was expected to remain assigned to STANAVFORMED through March 2000.
On 1 June 2000, Spruance became the first U.S. Navy ship to use the drydock in Jacksonville, Florida
in over ten years. She left Mayport, Florida
harbor early on 1 June, traveled up the St. John's River to the drydock facility, and remained there until early August. During the drydock, the ship was raised out of the water, her hull was cleaned and inspected, and corrective and preventative maintenance was performed. On 24 September 2001, as part of the John F. Kennedy Carrier Battle Group, Spruance commenced use of the Vieques Island inner range in conjunction with their Composite Unit Training Exercises (COMPUTEX). The exercise, which began the week prior, also utilized the northern and southern Puerto Rican
operating areas, and involved complex battle group training events, naval surface fire-support training and air-to-ground bombing. COMPUTEX is an intermediate level battle group exercise designed to forge the battle group into a cohesive, fighting team, and is a critical step in the pre-deployment training cycle and prerequisite for the battle group's Joint Task Force Exercise (JTFEX) scheduled for early the following year. Successful completion of the COMPUTEX also certifies the carrier and its embarked air wing as qualified for open ocean operations.
Spruance, along with the John F. Kennedy Battle Group took part, from 19 January through 26 January 2002, in Phase I of Joint Task Force Exercise (JTFEX) 02-1; and from 7 February–14 February in Phase II of Joint Task Force Exercise (JTFEX) 02-1. The JTFEX is designed to meet the requirement for quality, realistic training to prepare U.S. forces for joint and combined operations and also provides the opportunity to certify the CVBG for deployment. That particular JTFEX was scheduled for two phases to accommodate recent repairs to the carrier, which required it to be pierside during Phase I. The exercise took place in the waters off the East Coast, as well as on training ranges in North Carolina
and Florida.
Deploying with the John F. Kennedy battle group in June 2004, Spruance returned to Mayport, Florida on 7 December 2004. She decommissioned 23 March 2005. She was sunk as a target for aircraft launched Harpoon missiles on 8 December 2006.
Lead ship
The lead ship or class leader is the first of a series or class of ships all constructed according to the same general design. The term is applicable military ships and larger civilian craft.-Overview:...
of the Spruance-class
Spruance class destroyer
The Spruance-class destroyer was developed by the United States to replace a large number of World War II-built Allen M. Sumner- and Gearing-class destroyers, and was the primary destroyer built for the U.S. Navy during the 1970s....
of destroyer
Destroyer
In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast and maneuverable yet long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against smaller, powerful, short-range attackers. Destroyers, originally called torpedo-boat destroyers in 1892, evolved from...
s in the United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
. She was named for Admiral
Admiral
Admiral is the rank, or part of the name of the ranks, of the highest naval officers. It is usually considered a full admiral and above vice admiral and below admiral of the fleet . It is usually abbreviated to "Adm" or "ADM"...
Raymond A. Spruance
Raymond A. Spruance
Raymond Ames Spruance was a United States Navy admiral in World War II.Spruance commanded US naval forces during two of the most significant naval battles in the Pacific theater, the Battle of Midway and the Battle of the Philippine Sea...
.
Spruance was built by the Ingalls Shipbuilding
Ingalls Shipbuilding
Ingalls Shipbuilding is a shipyard located in Pascagoula, Mississippi, USA, originally established in 1938, and is now part of Huntington Ingalls Industries...
Division of Litton Industries
Litton Industries
Named after inventor Charles Litton, Sr., Litton Industries was a large defense contractor in the United States, bought by the Northrop Grumman Corporation in 2001.-History:...
at Pascagoula, Mississippi
Pascagoula, Mississippi
Pascagoula is a city in Jackson County, Mississippi, United States. It is the principal city of the Pascagoula, Mississippi Metropolitan Statistical Area, as a part of the Gulfport–Biloxi–Pascagoula, Mississippi Combined Statistical Area. The population was 26,200 at the 2000 census...
, and launched
Ship naming and launching
The ceremonies involved in naming and launching naval ships are based in traditions thousands of years old.-Methods of launch:There are three principal methods of conveying a new ship from building site to water, only two of which are called "launching." The oldest, most familiar, and most widely...
by Mrs. Raymond A. Spruance, Commander Raymond J. Harbrecht in command.
Spruance served in the U.S. Atlantic Fleet
U.S. Atlantic Fleet
The United States Fleet Forces Command is an Atlantic Ocean theater-level component command of the United States Navy that provides naval resources that are under the operational control of the United States Northern Command...
, assigned to Destroyer Squadron 24 and operating out of NS Mayport
Naval Station Mayport
Naval Station Mayport is a major United States Navy base in Jacksonville, Florida. It contains a military airfield with one asphalt paved runway measuring 8,001 x 200 ft. ....
, Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
.
She was decommissioned on 23 March 2005 and was sunk as a target on 8 December 2006.
Ship's history
Spruance was the first of a highly successful class of anti-submarine warfare destroyers and the first gas turbineGas turbine
A gas turbine, also called a combustion turbine, is a type of internal combustion engine. It has an upstream rotating compressor coupled to a downstream turbine, and a combustion chamber in-between....
powered destroyer in the US Navy. Initially armed with an 8-cell NATO Sea Sparrow missile launcher for nominal air defense she received the VLS (Vertical Launch System) in the late 1980s; replacing the old Mk 16 ASROC
ASROC
ASROC is an all-weather, all sea-conditions anti-submarine missile system. Developed by the United States Navy in the 1950s, it was deployed in the 1960s, updated in the 1990s, and eventually installed on over 200 USN surface ships, specifically cruisers, destroyers, and frigates...
launcher.
Spruance's first operational deployment was in October 1979 to the Mediterranean Sea
Mediterranean Sea
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean surrounded by the Mediterranean region and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Anatolia and Europe, on the south by North Africa, and on the east by the Levant...
, with Saratoga
USS Saratoga (CV-60)
USS Saratoga , was one of four Forrestal- class supercarriers built for the US Navy in the 1950s. Saratoga was the sixth US Navy ship, and the second aircraft carrier, to be named for the Battle of Saratoga in the American Revolutionary War.Commissioned in 1956, she spent most of her career in...
Battle Group. Other ships she sailed with included Biddle, Conyngham
USS Conyngham (DDG-17)
USS Conyngham , the third ship named for Captain Gustavus Conyngham USN , was a Charles F. Adams-class guided missile armed destroyer in the United States Navy....
, Milwaukee
USS Milwaukee (AOR-2)
|...
, and Mount Baker. During this cruise, Spruance made a transit into the Black Sea
Black Sea
The Black Sea is bounded by Europe, Anatolia and the Caucasus and is ultimately connected to the Atlantic Ocean via the Mediterranean and the Aegean seas and various straits. The Bosphorus strait connects it to the Sea of Marmara, and the strait of the Dardanelles connects that sea to the Aegean...
to conduct surveillance on the new Soviet helicopter carrier, Moskva, as it sailed from its building shipyard to the Soviet Red Banner Northern Fleet. Spruance suffered a casualty to one of her LM-2500 Gas Turbine Main Engines and had to replace the engine while deployed. This was done successfully in port.
Spruance, being the first gas turbine powered ship in the operational fleet, had an underway replenishment breakaway flag (flown while pulling away from receiving supplies and fuel from a logistics ship at sea) that was a replication of the large yellow warning seen on the side of aircraft carrier superstructures, with red block letters saying "BEWARE JET BLAST" on a large yellow background. Upon "breaking" (unfurling) the flag on the halyards, they would play the theme from the movie "Superman" as they increased speed and sailed ahead of the logistics vessel.
Spruance entered her first major overhaul in 1980 at the Norfolk Naval Shipyard. During a brief yard period in 1983, she received the CIWS and TAS Mk 23 radar system.
Spruance deployed to the Arabian Sea in 1982 including a port visit to Mombasa, Kenya in May 1982. She briefly took station off Beirut in June 1982 prior to being relieved. In 1982, she transited both the Suez Canal and the Panama Canal in the same summer.
Spruance deployed for a six month period in January 1983 to the Persian Gulf where she spent over four and a half months conducting observations in company with during the Iraq-Iran War. Also conducted operations with Teamwork '84 in northern Atlantic and an Arctic Sharem in the Arctic Ocean in 1984. She deployed to the Mediterranean Sea in November 1984 and conducted her second Black Sea Operations over Thanksgiving 1984. She returned from her deployment in May 1985 and shortly thereafter entered for her second overhaul during which she received VLS, Towed Array, and the SH 60. She deployed for a six month period on 26 May 1993 to the Red Sea where she spent over three and a half months conducting visit, board and search operations in support of United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
sanctions against Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
. While attached to U.S. 6th Fleet, Spruance conducted a brief stop for fuel in Rota, Spain
Rota, Spain
-External references:*, official website * On-line since 1999! News, premiere information, pictures, weather, etc. Into Spanish, English... ****- External links :...
, followed by a liberty port visit in Palma
Palma de Mallorca
Palma is the major city and port on the island of Majorca and capital city of the autonomous community of the Balearic Islands in Spain. The names Ciutat de Mallorca and Ciutat were used before the War of the Spanish Succession and are still used by people in Majorca. However, the official name...
, Spain. Additional stops in the Mediterranean consisted of a brief stop in Augusta Bay, Sicily
Sicily
Sicily is a region of Italy, and is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Along with the surrounding minor islands, it constitutes an autonomous region of Italy, the Regione Autonoma Siciliana Sicily has a rich and unique culture, especially with regard to the arts, music, literature,...
, then to Souda Bay, Crete
Crete
Crete is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, and one of the thirteen administrative regions of Greece. It forms a significant part of the economy and cultural heritage of Greece while retaining its own local cultural traits...
, for a maintenance period (IMAV) with the Shenandoah
USS Shenandoah (AD-44)
USS Shenandoah was the fourth and final ship of the Yellowstone-class destroyer tenders. AD-44 was the fifth ship to bear the name, USS Shenandoah as named for the Shenandoah Valley...
. The Spruance passed through the Suez Canal
Suez Canal
The Suez Canal , also known by the nickname "The Highway to India", is an artificial sea-level waterway in Egypt, connecting the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea. Opened in November 1869 after 10 years of construction work, it allows water transportation between Europe and Asia without navigation...
on 29 June.
ADM Vern Clark
Vern Clark
Admiral Vernon E. Clark USN was the Chief of Naval Operations in the United States Navy. He retired 22 July 2005, making his tenure of five years the second-longest serving CNO behind Arleigh Burke. He currently sits on the board of directors of Raytheon and SRI International...
and ADM Gary Roughead
Gary Roughead
Gary Roughead is a retired United States Navy four-star admiral who last served as the 29th Chief of Naval Operations from September 29, 2007 to September 22, 2011. He previously served as Commander, U.S. Fleet Forces Command, from May 17, 2007, to September 29, 2007. Prior to that he served as...
(27th and 29th Chiefs of Naval Operations
Chief of Naval Operations
The Chief of Naval Operations is a statutory office held by a four-star admiral in the United States Navy, and is the most senior uniformed officer assigned to serve in the Department of the Navy. The office is a military adviser and deputy to the Secretary of the Navy...
) were the Commanding Officer and Executive Officer, respectively of the Spruance from 1984 to 1985.
Upon arrival in the Red Sea
Red Sea
The Red Sea is a seawater inlet of the Indian Ocean, lying between Africa and Asia. The connection to the ocean is in the south through the Bab el Mandeb strait and the Gulf of Aden. In the north, there is the Sinai Peninsula, the Gulf of Aqaba, and the Gulf of Suez...
, under command of CTG 152.1, Commander Maritime Interdiction Forces, Spruance assumed the duties as flagship for the task force commander. While on station, Spruance was the flagship for three different task force commanders. While on station, Spruance conducted exercises with the Egyptian navy
Military of Egypt
The Egyptian Armed Forces are the largest in Africa, and the Arab World, and is the tenth largest in the world, consisting of the Egyptian Army, Egyptian Navy, Egyptian Air Force and Egyptian Air Defense Command....
and the Jordanian navy. During Spruances tenure in the Red Sea, Spruance conducted several port visits to Hurghada, Egypt
Hurghada
Hurghada is a city in the Red Sea Governorate of Egypt. It is a main tourist center and second largest city in Egypt located on the Red Sea coast.- Overview :...
for crew rest and relaxation. Other official port visits were conducted in Safaga, Egypt
Port Safaga
Port Safaga, also known as Bur Safaga and Safaga , is a town in Egypt, on the coast of the Red Sea, located south of Hurghada. This small port is also a tourist area that consists of several bungalows and rest houses, including the Safaga Hotel, with a capacity of 48 rooms .Having numerous...
and Aqaba, Jordan
Aqaba
Aqaba is a coastal city in the far south of Jordan, the capital of Aqaba Governorate at the head of the Gulf of Aqaba. Aqaba is strategically important to Jordan as it is the country's only seaport. Aqaba is best known today as a diving and beach resort, but industrial activity remains important...
, where Spruance hosted receptions for top military and embassy officials. On 10 September 1993, Spruance intercepted the 18,000th ship since sanctions were put into place in August 1990, as part of the multinational maritime interception effort enforcing United Nations sanctions against Iraq. The ship's crew intercepted the Maltese
Malta
Malta , officially known as the Republic of Malta , is a Southern European country consisting of an archipelago situated in the centre of the Mediterranean, south of Sicily, east of Tunisia and north of Libya, with Gibraltar to the west and Alexandria to the east.Malta covers just over in...
-flagged bulk carrier "Early Star" in the North Red Sea during normal intercept operations. The merchant ship was sailing from Massaua, Eritrea
Eritrea
Eritrea , officially the State of Eritrea, is a country in the Horn of Africa. Eritrea derives it's name from the Greek word Erethria, meaning 'red land'. The capital is Asmara. It is bordered by Sudan in the west, Ethiopia in the south, and Djibouti in the southeast...
, to Aqaba. As the ship was empty, it was allowed to proceed toward its destination.
Spruance was relieved as flagship by Hayler
USS Hayler (DD-997)
USS Hayler , the last Spruance-class destroyer, was the first ship of the United States Navy to be named for Vice Admiral Robert W. Hayler .-History:...
on 9 October after having completed more than 170 boardings, and then started her transit homeward through the Suez Canal on 11 October. Once back in the Mediterranean Sea
Mediterranean Sea
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean surrounded by the Mediterranean region and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Anatolia and Europe, on the south by North Africa, and on the east by the Levant...
, the ship made port calls in Toulon
Toulon
Toulon is a town in southern France and a large military harbor on the Mediterranean coast, with a major French naval base. Located in the Provence-Alpes-Côte-d'Azur region, Toulon is the capital of the Var department in the former province of Provence....
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
; Alicante
Alicante
Alicante or Alacant is a city in Spain, the capital of the province of Alicante and of the comarca of Alacantí, in the south of the Valencian Community. It is also a historic Mediterranean port. The population of the city of Alicante proper was 334,418, estimated , ranking as the second-largest...
, Spain; and Rota, Spain. She returned home on 14 November.
In July 1994, as part of Operation Restore Democracy, U.S. Navy ships were tasked with helping to enforce the United Nations embargo of Haiti
Haiti
Haiti , officially the Republic of Haiti , is a Caribbean country. It occupies the western, smaller portion of the island of Hispaniola, in the Greater Antillean archipelago, which it shares with the Dominican Republic. Ayiti was the indigenous Taíno or Amerindian name for the island...
. However, so many Haitians were picked up from the sea that United States Coast Guard
United States Coast Guard
The United States Coast Guard is a branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven U.S. uniformed services. The Coast Guard is a maritime, military, multi-mission service unique among the military branches for having a maritime law enforcement mission and a federal regulatory agency...
ships needed an assist from USN ships in the region to handle the volume. Among these was Spruance which took onboard nine hundred Haitians for the transit to Guantanamo Naval Station
Guantanamo Bay Naval Base
Guantanamo Bay Naval Base is located on of land and water at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba which the United States leased for use as a coaling station following the Cuban-American Treaty of 1903. The base is located on the shore of Guantánamo Bay at the southeastern end of Cuba. It is the oldest overseas...
.
Spruance transferred to Portsmouth VA and entered drydock after the deployment.
In mid-1996, Spruance took part in the 24th annual U.S. invitational maritime exercise in the Baltic Sea
Baltic Sea
The Baltic Sea is a brackish mediterranean sea located in Northern Europe, from 53°N to 66°N latitude and from 20°E to 26°E longitude. It is bounded by the Scandinavian Peninsula, the mainland of Europe, and the Danish islands. It drains into the Kattegat by way of the Øresund, the Great Belt and...
, the BALTOPS 96 exercise
BALTOPS
BALTOPS is an annual military exercise, held and sponsored by the Commander, U.S. Naval Forces, Europe since 1971, in the Baltic Sea and the regions surrounding it....
. Made up of air, surface and subsurface operations, the exercise involved 47 ships and aircraft from 12 different squadrons sent by 13 NATO-member and Partnership for Peace nations: Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
, Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
, Estonia
Estonia
Estonia , officially the Republic of Estonia , is a state in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea, to the south by Latvia , and to the east by Lake Peipsi and the Russian Federation . Across the Baltic Sea lies...
, Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, Lithuania
Lithuania
Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark...
, Latvia
Latvia
Latvia , officially the Republic of Latvia , is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by Estonia , to the south by Lithuania , to the east by the Russian Federation , to the southeast by Belarus and shares maritime borders to the west with Sweden...
, Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
, Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
, Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
, Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
, United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and United States.
Spruance deployed to the Mediterranean from April through October 1997 with the carrier battle group
Carrier battle group
A carrier battle group consists of an aircraft carrier and its escorts, together composing the group. The first naval task forces built around carriers appeared just prior to and during World War II. The Imperial Japanese Navy was the first to assemble a large number of carriers into a single...
supporting John F. Kennedy
USS John F. Kennedy (CV-67)
USS John F. Kennedy is a John F. Kennedy class aircraft carrier, the last conventionally powered carrier built for the United States Navy. The ship is named after the 35th President of the United States, John F...
(CV-67). Serving as the Destroyer Squadron 24 flagship, Spruance made significant contributions throughout the deployment including: visiting thirteen foreign ports; participating in five multi-national naval exercises in the Mediterranean and Black Sea
Black Sea
The Black Sea is bounded by Europe, Anatolia and the Caucasus and is ultimately connected to the Atlantic Ocean via the Mediterranean and the Aegean seas and various straits. The Bosphorus strait connects it to the Sea of Marmara, and the strait of the Dardanelles connects that sea to the Aegean...
s; serving as Presidential Support Ship in Rotterdam
Rotterdam
Rotterdam is the second-largest city in the Netherlands and one of the largest ports in the world. Starting as a dam on the Rotte river, Rotterdam has grown into a major international commercial centre...
, Netherlands; representing the U.S. Navy in Thoule Sur Mer, France, in commemoration of the fifty-second anniversary of the Allied landings in southern France; and hosting Ukrainian military and diplomatic distinguished visitors during the 1997 Ukrainian
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
Independence Day celebration. During that period, Spruance also took part in the Partnership For Peace Exercise "Sea Breeze 97" in the Black Sea. Sea Breeze 97 trained military forces on how to provide humanitarian relief for victims of a simulated earthquake
Earthquake
An earthquake is the result of a sudden release of energy in the Earth's crust that creates seismic waves. The seismicity, seismism or seismic activity of an area refers to the frequency, type and size of earthquakes experienced over a period of time...
in Southern Ukraine.
In the fall of 1999, the Spruance detached from the John F. Kennedy Battle Group to relieve Peterson
USS Peterson (DD-969)
USS Peterson , named for Lieutenant Commander Carl Jerrold Peterson , was a laid down by the Ingalls Shipbuilding Division of Litton Industries at Pascagoula, Mississippi. She commissioned on July 9, 1977 and decommissioned on October 4, 2002.- Ship's history :1979 - Persian Gulf deployment...
(DD-969) as the United States' representative to the Standing Naval Forces Mediterranean (STANAVFORMED). After dealing with the effects of Hurricane Floyd
Hurricane Floyd
Hurricane Floyd was the sixth named storm, fourth hurricane, and third major hurricane in the 1999 Atlantic hurricane season. Floyd triggered the third largest evacuation in US history when 2.6 million coastal residents of five states were ordered from their homes as it approached...
and Hurricane Gert
Hurricane Gert
The name Gert has been used for four tropical cyclones in the Atlantic Ocean.* 1981's Hurricane Gert - caused heavy rainfall to several Caribbean islands but no significant damage.*...
off the east coast of Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
, Spruance crossed the Atlantic and entered the Mediterranean with other ships from the John F. Kennedy Battle Group. STANAVFORMED is part of NATO's `Reaction Force' and as such was ready to respond to any crisis in NATO's area of interest, although its primary area of operations is the Mediterranean. Spruance was expected to remain assigned to STANAVFORMED through March 2000.
On 1 June 2000, Spruance became the first U.S. Navy ship to use the drydock in Jacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Florida in terms of both population and land area, and the largest city by area in the contiguous United States. It is the county seat of Duval County, with which the city government consolidated in 1968...
in over ten years. She left Mayport, Florida
Naval Station Mayport
Naval Station Mayport is a major United States Navy base in Jacksonville, Florida. It contains a military airfield with one asphalt paved runway measuring 8,001 x 200 ft. ....
harbor early on 1 June, traveled up the St. John's River to the drydock facility, and remained there until early August. During the drydock, the ship was raised out of the water, her hull was cleaned and inspected, and corrective and preventative maintenance was performed. On 24 September 2001, as part of the John F. Kennedy Carrier Battle Group, Spruance commenced use of the Vieques Island inner range in conjunction with their Composite Unit Training Exercises (COMPUTEX). The exercise, which began the week prior, also utilized the northern and southern Puerto Rican
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
operating areas, and involved complex battle group training events, naval surface fire-support training and air-to-ground bombing. COMPUTEX is an intermediate level battle group exercise designed to forge the battle group into a cohesive, fighting team, and is a critical step in the pre-deployment training cycle and prerequisite for the battle group's Joint Task Force Exercise (JTFEX) scheduled for early the following year. Successful completion of the COMPUTEX also certifies the carrier and its embarked air wing as qualified for open ocean operations.
Spruance, along with the John F. Kennedy Battle Group took part, from 19 January through 26 January 2002, in Phase I of Joint Task Force Exercise (JTFEX) 02-1; and from 7 February–14 February in Phase II of Joint Task Force Exercise (JTFEX) 02-1. The JTFEX is designed to meet the requirement for quality, realistic training to prepare U.S. forces for joint and combined operations and also provides the opportunity to certify the CVBG for deployment. That particular JTFEX was scheduled for two phases to accommodate recent repairs to the carrier, which required it to be pierside during Phase I. The exercise took place in the waters off the East Coast, as well as on training ranges in North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
and Florida.
Deploying with the John F. Kennedy battle group in June 2004, Spruance returned to Mayport, Florida on 7 December 2004. She decommissioned 23 March 2005. She was sunk as a target for aircraft launched Harpoon missiles on 8 December 2006.