Here's the sad news for us Tin-Can sailors:

Original U.S. Navy Spruance-Class Destroyer Sunk

By CHRISTOPHER P. CAVAS

The mother of all Spruances now sleeps with the fishes.

The destroyer Spruance, first of the 31 DD 963 Spruance-class destroyers, sank in the early hours of Dec. 8 after serving the previous day as a target for aircraft-launched Harpoon missiles, according to the U.S. Navy.

P-3C Orion and F/A-18 Hornet aircraft from Carrier Air Wing 8 and Patrol and Reconnaissance Wing 5 launched the missiles, said Lt. Mike Kafka of the Norfolk-based Second Fleet.

The sink exercise — or “sinkex” — took place in rough weather in the Atlantic Ocean about three hundred miles off the Virginia coast, Kafka said.

The Spruance was the longest-serving ship in her class and one of the last 963s to be taken out of service. She was commissioned in September 1975 and left service in March 2005. The destroyer spent all her life assigned to the Atlantic Fleet and was homeported for most of her career in Mayport, Fla.

The Spruance-class ships were mainstays of the U.S. Navy’s surface fleet during the 1980s and 1990s, but all have now left service. The last, Cushing, was decommissioned in September 2005 at San Diego.

First known as the DX program, the ships as built were optimized for anti-submarine warfare and intended in the 1960s to replace dozens of obsolete World War II-era destroyers. In service, the class evolved with the addition of Tomahawk cruise missiles, first in armored box launchers and later with a 30-cell vertical launch system.

Altogether, 62 ships were built as variants of the basic Spruance design.

The destroyer design was modified to carry the Aegis combat system, becoming the Ticonderoga-class. The ships were first designated as DDG guided-missile destroyers and picked up the next DDG number, 47, but were changed to CG guided-missile cruisers before being launched, although the hull numbers were not changed. Ingalls built a total of 27 “Tico” cruisers.

An anti-air version of the Spruance design added two Mark 26 missile launchers. Although not built for the U.S. Navy, the design was developed for pre-revolutionary Iran, which ordered six to be built at Pascagoula. The shah’s government fell while the ships were under construction and the Iranian government led by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini cancelled the order. At bargain prices, the U.S. Navy had four of the ships completed and commissioned them as the Kidd-class guided missile destroyers. In U.S. service they were widely known as the “Ayatollah” class. All four were decommissioned in 1998 and 1999 and now serve with the Taiwanese navy.

All of the destroyers were built at Litton Industries Ingalls Shipyard in Pascagoula, Miss. The shipyard today is owned by Northrop Grumman and builds DDG 51 Arleigh Burke-class destroyers, as well as amphibious assault ships and Coasts Guard cutters.

The Spruance shared a fate common to her sister ships. Of the original 31 ships, 20 have been sunk in sinking exercises with two more scheduled. Four ships have or will be scrapped, three ships are designated for foreign military sales and one, the Conolly, is being held as a potential museum ship. Another, the Paul F. Foster, serves in California as the Self-Defense Test Ship.

The first five Ticonderoga-class ships were decommissioned between 2004 and 2006. One, the Valley Forge, was sunk as a target off Hawaii on Nov. 2.

The remaining 22 CG 47-class cruisers are scheduled to remain in service until the 2020s.

What a shame. I remember the Spruance - I was in Mayport with USS Tattnall DDG 19 from 1976 to 1980.

Its better for a fighting ship to go down that way than to end up on a beach being cut apart and melted down.

quote:

Originally posted by fargodakota:
Its better for a fighting ship to go down that way than to end up on a beach being cut apart and melted down.

I sort of agree, but then again I think I would like the idea of some of the steel from my old ship (Nicholson DD-982) being reused in a later warship such as a DDG.

quote:

Originally posted by fargodakota:
Its better for a fighting ship to go down that way than to end up on a beach being cut apart and melted down.

Agreed. Although it's painful to watch such proud warriors meet their end as targets or artificial reefs, they are performing one last duty for their country and meeting their end in their element. To me, it's vulgar to see a fighting ship being gutted and ripped apart plate by plate, especially after the fiasco with the Coral Sea (CV-43) back in the 90's.

I remember the day I learned the ship which I had cut my teeth on, was placed beneath the waves. It was very much like hearing about the death of a friend. However, it's nice to know that in a way she will always be at sea.

I remember those good days onboard the Spru-can. I was stationed from March 2001-July 2004. We did alot of excercises, operations, and cruises. I hate to see her go in this way. She could have been a great museum.

The ship I served on, USS Calaghan DDG-994,was sold to Taiwan....not sure that is better than being sunk or not?????

quote:

Originally posted by goondawg:
The ship I served on, USS Calaghan DDG-994,was sold to Taiwan....not sure that is better than being sunk or not?????

Yeah, the whole Class was sold to Taiwan. KIDD was my first ship, and I decomm'd her.

Then went over to the SOUTH CAROLINA (she's cooling off in Bummertown last I heard).

ELLIOT was the target of a SINKEX and FLETCHER is slated for FMS.

So I've seen the gamut, from sell to scrap to sink.

Well, I was saddened when my ship was sunk,(969-Peterson). But it's different when the "Mom" dies. My only memory of the Spruance was when we were broke down in Mayport for two weeks. I had just left the bowling alley, when mistakenly, and a little inebriated, I tried to come onboard thinking it was my ship. (Hey, it was dark and they looked alike). I almost made it all the way to berthing too. Needless to say, word got out quickly, as it does, and when I went to quarters the next day, my Divo gave me a Spruance cap. I still got it.

quote:

Originally posted by Johnny_B:

quote:

Originally posted by goondawg:
The ship I served on, USS Calaghan DDG-994,was sold to Taiwan....not sure that is better than being sunk or not?????

Yeah, the whole Class was sold to Taiwan. KIDD was my first ship, and I decomm'd her.

Then went over to the SOUTH CAROLINA (she's cooling off in Bummertown last I heard).

ELLIOT was the target of a SINKEX and FLETCHER is slated for FMS.

So I've seen the gamut, from sell to scrap to sink.

My father was the Deactivating and Decomissioning CO of SoCar. the fuel was removed at Norfolk Naval Shipyard and then the ship was taking around to be finihed up in Bremerton for the reactors to be taken to ID.

Did you know that there is a new ship being planned that will be named Spruance? It is DDG-111 and will be built by General Dynamics Bath Iron Works with planned delivery in 2010. Here is a link:
http://www.defensenews.com/story.php?F=2750913&C=navwar

I was on that ship from "1993-1994" (Med Cruiese, Suez Canal Transit,and many a port call in Hurgada Egypt). She now resides in Davey Jones' Locker. I will never
forget the "Quiet Warrior" /Spru-can.

X-RM3 "LabRat"

Good ridance to the First and the worst

quote:

Originally posted by 10820236:
Good ridance to the First and the worst

A lot of sailors who served on the Spruance may take issue with your statement. Everyone can have a bad tour on a ship, but just remember that most likely it was a great tour for a lot of others on her.

I live in South Jersey just across the river from the Philadelphia Naval Ship Yard. Now since closed and yet another tragic loss for Naval history. After the USS Spruance was decommissioned in Mayport in March 2005, she was towed to Philadelphia and moored in the Delaware River side of the navy yard. She rested peacefully until December 2006, when she was towed out to sea to her tragic death. I served on this great ship, the USS Spruance DD-963 as a Hull Tech. from Jan. 1984 to May 1987. As I look back in time, these were truly some of the best times of my life that were spent as I served aboard the USS Spruance. My shipmates were some of the best! I miss them all and wish them the very best. It's a real shame to see that the Spruance was sunk as a target. She had such a vast history. It would have been better to see her become a museum for all to see. Since being "The First and The Finest". But instead, the only reward she would received after serving her Country and all the fine men that proudly served aboard her, was only to be sunk. It’s just a sad loss for all that have served aboard her and for anyone else that had close ties to this great ship. For most, it’s like losing a close friend or a member of your family because they become such a part of your life. I look back these days to only wish that I could go back in time, to be back out at sea, on the Spruance again.

HT-2 Joel Bain, R-Division.

I served on the USS Conolly DD-979 from jan 1983 - apr 85. I copied this from a Conolly website
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Posted: Jan 5 2008, 10:29 AM
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I will be sending an email sometime next week letting you all know that we will be giving up on our efforts to save the CONOLLY.

I'm doing this for three reasons.

1. Health
2. Our inability to raise the needed funds
3. And the Navy

We can not do this without the support of the Local Politicians, and they have shown us over and over again their lack of interest. I have tried to get them behind us, but all I'm getting is lip service (lies) from them.

Last year around this time we were contacted by Representative Washington letting us know he wanted to help us out. To this date nothing has happened after he said that he had put in a request for the needed funds. Needless to say Rep. Washington is avoiding my calls and emails.

The list of reasons goes on but it all comes down to money, or lack of it.

I’m sorry that I wasn’t able to make this happen.

I would like to thank all of you for your help and support.


They were trying to have the Conolly as a museum ship in Waukegan IL. From what I understand the Conolly will become a target ship.

Wow, The DD's are going! I served on an FFG and the DD's were the top of the line well 1986-2007,
I guess it is time for something new but hate to here this as well as when they got rid of U.S.S. Wainwright. It seems they don't make them too take a hit eithre anyway.
I wonder if those in charge ever got left in the water to know sometimes newer and thinner is not always desirable as older and a little bit thicker.

quote:

Originally posted by Chief_Torpedoman: A lot of sailors who served on the Spruance may take issue with your statement. Everyone can have a bad tour on a ship, but just remember that most likely it was a great tour for a lot of others on her.

I can understand where you are coming from Chief. I also know this is an old thread, but I remeber seein the Spruance in Mayport while I was in.

However if anyone knows if the Aubrey Fitch FFG-34 will meet a similar fate let me know. I spent quite a few hours getting her ready for mothballs.

A U B R E Y F I T C H F F G 3 4

Always Underway But Returns Every Year For Inspections To Catch Hell Forever F*cking Gone 3 of my 4 years


I sure wasn't the first to come up with that, but would gladly watch her go down.

It is always a shame that more ships cannot be saved. There is just not the intrest in the general public to see these ships. I live in the New York City area and I know people who have been to many Yankee, Met, Knick, Giant and Jets games but have never walked the deck of the USS Intrepid.