Dragon 7084 U.S.S. Spruance DD-963

The USS Spruance (DD-963) was an American missile destroyer, the keel of which was laid in June 1972, was launched in November 1973, and commissioned with the US Navy in September 1975. The total length of the ship was 172 meters and a width of 16.8 meters. Full displacement reached 8,050 tons, and maximum speed - up to 32-33 knots. The destroyer was armed with: two 127 mm Mark 45 cannons, two 20 mm Vulcan Phalanx sets, a single 8-rail ASROC missile launcher or a single 8-rail Sea Sparrow rocket launcher. The ship could also operate two SH-60 Seahawk (LAMPS III) helicopters.

The USS Spruance is the first of thirty ships of the class of the same name. Spruance-class ships were designed and built as specialized ZOP (anti-submarine) units dedicated to the protection of aircraft carriers and being part of larger US Navy teams. They replaced the class destroyers Gearing and Allen M. Summer. Units of this class were built modularly, which facilitated their modernization during the service. USS Spruance (DD-963), after entering service, was directed to the Mediterranean Sea in 1979, where it was part of the cover of the USS Saratoga aircraft carrier. In 1983, he was sent to the Persian Gulf region in connection with the Iran-Iraq war that was taking place at that time. In 1993, he served in the Red Sea region, and a year later operated in the waters surrounding Haiti. USS Spruance (DD-963) was decommissioned in 2005 and sank as a target ship the following year.