DD-963 Spruance-class

The Spruance-class destroyer was developed to replace World War II-era Allen M. Sumner- and Gearing-class vessels. Designated as the DX program during acquisition, the production contract for the entire class was awarded to Litton-Ingalls Shipbuilding in 1970. The class was the main destroyer type built for the United States Navy during the 1970s and 1980s, with 31 ships completed between 1972 and 1983.

The design utilized a hull form that served as the foundation for Kidd-class destroyers and Ticonderoga-class cruisers. It was the first large United States Navy ship class to employ gas turbine propulsion, utilizing General Electric LM2500 turbines in a COGAG configuration. The ships featured a flight deck and an enclosed hangar capable of embarking two medium-lift helicopters. Originally designed for anti-submarine warfare and carrier group escort, the vessels carried sensors including bow-mounted active sonar and a towed array passive sonar.

Initial armament included automated guns, an ASROC launcher, and a NATO Sea Sparrow missile launcher for point defense. In the 1980s, the Navy added Harpoon anti-ship missile canisters. To provide land-attack capabilities, several ships were equipped with Armored Box Launchers for Tomahawk cruise missiles, while most others were modified with a Vertical Launch System (VLS). Despite these additions, the class maintained the DD hull classification because it lacked the area anti-aircraft systems found on guided-missile destroyers or cruisers.

The class entered commission in 1975. During Operation Desert Storm, ships of this class launched 112 Tomahawk missiles. Individual vessels served as test platforms for naval technologies: USS Merrill for the Tomahawk program, USS Arthur W. Radford for the Advanced Enclosed Mast/Sensor system, and USS Oldendorf for the AN/SPQ-9B radar.

The Navy decommissioned the class between 1998 and 2005, as the Arleigh Burke class entered service. The final active vessel, USS Cushing, was decommissioned on September 21, 2005. While most units were destroyed as targets or scrapped, the ex-Paul F. Foster remains in service as a Self Defense Test Ship.