USS Spruance Returns After Reported Record 357-Day Deployment

The USS Spruance returned to Naval Base San Diego on Nov. 13 after a 357-day deployment with the Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group, spanning the Navy’s 3rd, 7th and 5th Fleet areas. During Operation Epic Fury, the destroyer launched dozens of Tomahawk missiles at Iranian military targets, helped enforce a maritime blockade near the Strait of Hormuz, and destroyed 12 drones and four anti-ship cruise missiles. The Navy also credited Spruance with disabling the cargo ship Touska, securing compliance from 15 vessels and coordinating real-time tactical data across U.S. forces; the ship and crew received the Presidential Unit Citation and Combat Action Ribbon. The deployment was reported as the longest U.S. destroyer deployment since World War II, though Naval History and Heritage Command does not officially confirm such records.