By Kris Osborn, Warrior During the span of a decade from the early 70s to the early 80s, the US Navy built as many as 31 Spruance-class destroyers, a group of warships which served as the primary destroyer for the service in the 1970s and 1980. The ships were named after famous WWII Admiral Raymond Spruance, who led battles in the Pacific theater at Midway and the Philippine Sea, a fitting tribute given that the Spruance class were built to replace WWII-era Allen Sumner and Gearing-class destroyers. The Spruance class [https://laststandonzombieisland.com/2013/11/10/the-abandoned-destroyer-class-curse-of-the-spruances/]fleet, which was often criticized during the Cold War for not appearing “lethal” or “imposing” enough, seems in retrospect to have served as a key technological bridge from WWII-era battleships to modern, heavily armed yet high-tech DDG 51 Arleigh Burke-class destroyers. It does not seem surprising that DDG 51s were built with Vertical Launch Systems for fire Tomahawks, Harpoons and deck-mounted guns, when one considers that many thought the Spruance-class warships were not sufficiently armed and deadly for major maritime warfare during the Cold War. Members of Congress, observers and some critics argued that the warships were ill suited to challenge [https://www.usni.org/magazines/proceedings/1997/february/dont-forget-spruances], deter or destroy Soviet warships during the height of the Cold War. Massive Weapons Upgrade Therefore, although the Spruance class was initially envisioned as an escort ship to lead carrier groups, conduct anti-submarine warfare and deliver some anti-ship capabilities, many weapons developers believed the ships needed heavier and more lethal weapons. Roughly 24 of the Spruance-class destroyers were upgraded with Tomahawk missiles. The addition of Tomahawks was part of a large-scale comprehensive effort to more fully “arm” the warships for open or “blue” water naval war. “Thirty-one SPRUANCE-class destroyers were developed for the primary mission of anti-submarine warfare, including operations as an integral part of attack carrier forces. Spruance-class destroyers have excellent strike and anti-submarine mission capabilities, but they are limited to self-defense against a narrow range of air threats. They completed a long-term modernization [https://www.cpf.navy.mil/Newsroom/News/Article/3983282/uss-michael-murphy-uss-spruance-uss-frank-e-petersen-jr-conduct-port-visits-in/] program during which they received SH-60B helicopters, Tomahawk missiles, and Phalanx. Adding the Tomahawk has greatly expanded their role in strike warfare. The Spruance class ships were more than twice as large as a World War II destroyer and as large as a World War II cruiser,” Globalsecurity.org writes. Phalanx & Tomahawk This massive Spruance-class upgrade including the Phalanx and the Tomahawk could be seen as a key bridging and modernization activity opening a pathway to the US Navy’s DDG 51s. Interestingly, the hull form of the Spruance-class boats became the foundation for the 1980s-era US Navy Ticonderoga-class cruisers, and its weapons upgrades likely greatly influenced Navy thinking regarding the DDG 51s. Looking at this trajectory considering t [https://www.marinelink.com/news/us-navy-constellationclass-brings-492038]he Spruance-class weapons upgrades, it makes sense that DDG 51s were built at their inception to carry and fire large numbers of Tomahawk missiles fired from Vertical-Launch Tubes. Tomahawks were added to the Spruance-class with the use of deck-mounted Armored Box Launchers, a development or innovation which likely inspired the integration of Vertical Launch Systems built into DDG 51s. Secondly, the use of the Phalanx weapon for closer-in ship defense doubtless influenced the emergence of the Navy’s well-known Close-In-Weapons-System (CIWS) now arming most Navy warships. CIWS integrates radar, fire control technology and a Phalanx area gun to “blanket” an area with hundreds of projectiles per second. The Spruance-class warships were retired earlier than planned, yet their existence appears to have demonstrably shaped US Navy warship development for many years into the future by helping the service recognize the importance of fully “arming” warships for the widest possible range of maritime combat possibilities. Kris Osborn [https://warriormaven.com/author/krisosborn] is President of Warrior Maven – Center for Military Modernization. Osborn previously served at the Pentagon as a highly qualified expert in the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army—Acquisition, Logistics & Technology. Osborn has also worked as an anchor and on-air military specialist at national TV networks. He has appeared as a guest military expert on Fox News, MSNBC, The Military Channel, and The History Channel. He also has a Masters Degree in Comparative Literature from Columbia University
