Photos Spruance class destroyers.

[Chazman]

This is an offshoot of popeye's excellent stories thread, I wanted to move this conversation elsewhere as to not hijack his thread.

My son was stationed on board the USS Paul F. Foster DD-964 from April 2000 til April 2003 ..check this out.

Download HiRes



BTW, this is the last surviving member of the Spruance class. The ex-Paul F. Foster is the US Navy's Self Defense Test Ship and can be operated by remote control. Here's a newer pic of it

 

[Chazman]

Nice! USS Paul F Foster had MK-41 VLS cells installed and operated as an DDG. It does not have the Aegis system making it somewhat limited.

True. It seems that the the navy wanted these ships to never have a chance to be put back into service that they hurriedly sank them all. What a shame. They were great ships, with a lot of capabilility and at least a couple decades of service left - especially the VLS equipped ones.

They could have been integrated with Aegis ship if the will to do so existed. They could be data linked to an Aegis and the Aegis ships could have used the Sruances as "missile trucks", for example.

 

[bdpopeye]

I was looking up Spruance class ships and saw this;

At sea with USS Arthur W. Radford (DD 968) Nov. 27, 2002 -- The Arthur W. Radford steams through the Mediterranean Sea as the Spruance-class destroyer nears the end of a regularly scheduled deployment with the Washington Battle Group in support of Operations Enduring Freedom and Southern Watch. U.S. Navy photo by Photographer's Mate 3rd Class Summer M. Anderson. (RELEASED)

DD 968 had the Advanced Enclosed Mast Sensor (AEM/S) System installed.

The U.S. Navy's first-ever advanced hybrid composite structure, known as the Advanced Enclosed Mast/Sensor (AEM/S) System, has been installed aboard the SPRUANCE Class multimission destroyer USS ARTHUR W. RADFORD , at Norfolk Naval Shipyard, Portsmouth, Virginia. Since FY 1998, the ship is the platform for extensive testing of the new mast by the Navy.

The new, advanced composite mast, which the Navy describes as "revolutionary and spectacular," was built and designed by an Integrated Product Team (IPT) -- known as "The AE MIS System Masters" -- made up of technical experts drawn from diverse Navy and industry activities nationwide.

The AEM/S System is a 93' high, hexagonal structure, 35' in diameter, enclosing existing radar and providing important signature and other operational benefits. By enclosing major antennas and other sensitive equipment, the AEM/S System protects them from the weather. This reduces maintenance, as well as providing significantly reduced radar signature.

more info here;
https://www.navysite.de/dd/dd968.htm

 

[bdpopeye]

True. It seems that the the navy wanted these ships to never have a chance to be put back into service that they hurriedly sank them all. What a shame. They were great ships, with a lot of capabilility and at least a couple decades of service left - especially the VLS equipped ones.

They could have been integrated with Aegis ship if the will to do so existed. They could be data linked to an Aegis and the Aegis ships could have used the Sruances as "missile trucks", for example.

100% True.. they have all been disposed with many years of life left in them.of except DD-964. Read the list of the 31 Spru-Cans..;

 

[Chazman]

Apparently, in attempt to get funding for the Burke's, the navy was afraid that the US Congress would say, well what about those perfectly good 31 Spruance destroyers. By quickly sinking them all, they could go back to Congress and say, "What Spruances"? As the US Navy finds itself in a ship shortage now, I can only imagine how useful those ships would have be today, even without Aegis.

They would have been perfect as Amphibious Group escorts, ASW patrols or any one of a hundred missions where a $2 billion Aegis is overkill.

 

[Chazman]

More on the Kidd class. They were based on the Spruance class and built for the Imperial Iranian Navy. The were much more enhanced in the anti air role and had heavy duty air conditioning systems. When the Iranian revolution started the contract was cancelled and they were completed for US Navy. In 2003, all 4 were all sold to Taiwan and are still serve.

In 1988–90, the Kidds' received the "New Threat Upgrade", which allowed cooperative engagement with AegisTiconderoga-class cruisers, enabling the cruisers to control the Kidds' surface-to-air missiles in flight while the destroyers remained electronically silent. However, the arrival of the Aegis-equipped Arleigh Burke-class destroyers led to the accelerated retirement of the Kidd class.[2][3]

In Tawainese service:

 

[Bombardier]

As the US Navy finds itself in a ship shortage now, I can only imagine how useful those ships would have be today, even without Aegis.

Aside from a shortage of ships we have a shortage of sailors here in the UK, my sources tell me that we are struggling to staff the few new ships we have.

 

[Chazman]

Aside from a shortage of ships we have a shortage of sailors here in the UK, my sources tell me that we are struggling to staff the few new ships we have.

I read somewhere and maybe someone can confirm, that USMC F-35Bs will initially be flying off the HMS Queen Elizabeth.

 

[Bombardier]

Thats my understanding mate