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General Characteristics

Crew List

Memorabilia

About the Ship's Coat of Arms

About the Ship's Name

Image Gallery

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USS Spruance (DDG 111)

USS SPRUANCE is one of the ARLEIGH BURKE Flight IIA guided missile destroyers and the second ship in the Navy named after Admiral Raymond Ames Spruance.

General Characteristics:	Awarded: September 13, 2002
	Keel laid: May 14, 2009
	Launched: June 6, 2010
	Commissioned: October 1, 2011
	Builder: Bath Iron Works, Bath, Maine
	Propulsion system: four General Electric LM 2500 gas turbine engines
	Propellers: two
	Length: 508,5 feet (155 meters)
	Beam: 67 feet (20.4 meters)
	Draft: 30,5 feet (9.3 meters)
	Displacement: approx. 9,200 tons full load
	Speed: 32 knots
	Aircraft: two SH-60 (LAMPS 3) helicopters
	Armament: one Mk-45 5"/62 caliber lightweight gun, two Mk-41 VLS for Standard missiles and Tomahawk ASM/LAM, one 20mm Phalanx CIWS, two Mk-32 triple torpedo tubes for Mk-50 and Mk-46 torpedoes, two Mk 38 Mod 2 25mm machine gun systems
	Homeport: San Diego, Calif.
	Crew: approx. 320

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Crew List:

This section contains the names of sailors who served aboard USS SPRUANCE. It is no official listing but contains the names of sailors who submitted their information.

Click here to view the list.

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Click here to see which USS SPRUANCE memorabilia are currently for sale on ebay.

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About the Ship's Coat of Arms:

The Shield:

The shield shape represents the steadfast resolve of the United States Navy to defend the homeland, friends and allies, and acknowledges the ship’s powerful Aegis Weapons System which is named for the impervious shield often carried by Zeus, the supreme deity in Greek mythology, and his daughter Athena. The shield and the "torse" (the braided device above the shield) feature the Navy’s colors of Blue and Gold. Navy Blue represents the oceans and seas, and Gold represents integrity and valor. Behind the shield are crossed the Navy Officer Sword and the 1860-model Enlisted Chief Petty Officer Cutlass. These swords honor the core of Navy leadership that supports the shield, the ship, and her crew.

The trident is a naval symbol of authority, power, and maritime domination. The "double trident" device was the primary design element in the coat of arms of USS SPRUANCE (DD 963), and honors the first ship to bear ADM Spruance’s name. The six points of the trident refer to the multi-mission capabilities of SPRUANCE.

The lion symbolizes strength and resolve. The lion (a lion rampant sable, tongued and armed gules) is adapted from the primary features of both the medal of the Grand Officer of the Order of Leopold II and the Belgian Oorlogskruis (Cross of War) medal, with palm. World War II saw the periodic use of the European custom of one nation decorating heroes of another nation, and both were awarded to Admiral Spruance by the Belgian Ambassador for the Prince Regent of Belgium on 18 March, 1948.

The eight-rayed Philippine sun rayonnant is a feature of the official seal and flag of the Republic of the Philippines, and honors ADM Spruance's service to the Philippines as the United States’ Ambassador from 1952 to 1955, during the Truman and Eisenhower administrations.

The red disk cut off at the mid-point (another feature taken from the original USS SPRUANCE (DD 963) Coat of Arms) represents the point at which Japan’s military dominance in the Pacific was arrested, starting with the Battle of Midway. The red lightning bolts represent the thoughtful planning, strategic brilliance, and decisive action that characterized ADM Spruance’s decisions at sea. The lightning bolts also honor the critical role of OP-20-G, the Navy’s radio intelligence organization of cryptologic analysts who broke the Japanese communications code “JN-25B”. Essential intelligence derived from Japanese communications intercepts contributed directly to the Navy’s victory at the Battle of Midway. There are five lightning bolts to refer to ADM Spruance’s subsequent command of Fifth Fleet, the largest fleet the world has ever assembled for the majority of operations in the Pacific, including the invasion of Okinawa, the first landing on Japanese home territory.

The Crest:

The compass rose represents Admiral Spruance’s lifelong study and understanding of sea power, its strategy and geopolitical importance worldwide, and serves to remind current and future crews that despite the array of modern weapons systems onboard USS SPRUANCE (DDG 111), devotion to the study of the fundamentals of seamanship and navigation will continue to shape the successes of this ship and her crews. As a compass guides its ship along her course, the decisive Battle of Midway changed the course of the War in the Pacific in favor of the United States. The 16 points of the Compass Rose represent Task Force 16, the designation of the task force under ADM Spruance’s command at the Battle of Midway. The five red circles allude to the rising sun of the Japanese flag, and represent the five Japanese ships: four aircraft carriers and one cruiser, sunk at the decisive Battle of Midway. The four stars above the compass rose honor the rank of Admiral achieved by Admiral Spruance. The wreath of laurel represents honor and achievement. The unbroken circle surrounding the compass rose represents the individual Sailor, the foundation of our great Navy.

In the center of the compass rose a sailing vessel is depicted on waves, sailing to the viewer's left, reproduced exactly from the image found in the center of the Navy Cross Medal. The vessel is a caravel of the type used between 1480 and 1500 and represents both naval service and the tradition of the sea. ADM Spruance was awarded the Navy Cross, the Navy’s second-highest medal, “for extraordinary heroism as Commander Fifth Fleet in action against enemy Japanese forces during the invasion and capture of Iwo Jima, Volcano Islands, and Okinawa, Ryukyu Islands, from January to May 1945.

The Motto:

"Launch the Attack" is the succinct but powerful order ADM Spruance issued to his staff when the first of four Japanese aircraft carriers were located on the morning of the Battle of Midway on June 4th, 1942. ADM Spruance was a tactical genius whose advanced planning, forethought, and general guidance to his staff, combined with complete trust in the abilities of his subordinates, required only this simple order to be given to allow the events of the day to commence.

The "scroll" on which the motto appears features the Navy Blue and Gold as well as the Marine Corps color of Scarlet, which appears on the reverse of the scroll to honor the combined Navy and Marine Corps team that, under Admiral Spruance’s visionary leadership, changed the tide of war in the Pacific during World War II.

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Click here to read more about the Ship's Namesake - Admiral Raymond Ames Spruance

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USS SPRUANCE Image Gallery:

The photos below were taken by me and show the SPRUANCE at BAE Systems San Diego Ship Repair facility, San Diego, Calif., for a Post Shakedown Availability (PSA). The photos were taken on May 8 and 10, 2012.

The photos below were taken by me on October 6, 2012, and show the SPRUANCE in San Francisco, Calif., taking part in the Parade of Ships as part of Fleet Week San Francisco. The photos were taken south of the Bay Bridge shortly before SPRUANCE reached Pier 80 where she was berthed throughout the event.

The photos below were taken by me on October 8, 2012, during a public tour aboard USS SPRUANCE as part of Fleet Week San Francisco.


			Click here for more Photos.

The photos below were taken by me and show the SPRUANCE leaving San Francisco, Calif., on October 9, 2012.

The photos below were taken by me and show the SPRUANCE returning home to Naval Base San Diego, Calif., respectively at the Naval Base about 2 hours after arrival. The photos were taken on October 11, 2012.

The photo below was taken by Michael Jenning and shows the SPRUANCE at Naval Base San Diego, Calif., on December 27, 2014.

The photos below were taken by Michael Jenning and show the SPRUANCE arriving at Naval Base San Diego, Calif., respectively at Naval Base a few hours after arrival. The photos were taken on October 2, 2015.

The photos below were taken by Michael Jenning and show the SPRUANCE departing San Diego for a western Pacific deployment as part of a surface action group on April 19, 2016. The first photo shows her at the Naval Base one day before.

The photos below were taken by Shiu On Yee and show the SPRUANCE in Victoria Harbour, Hong Kong, on October 8, 2016. The SPRUANCE is presently on a WestPac deployment as part of a surface action group.