World

USS Spruance Completes 357‑Day Deployment, Longest for US Destroyer Since WWII

By Aryan Singh

The USS Spruance returned to Naval Base San Diego on November 13 after 357 days at sea, the longest deployment for an American destroyer since World War II. The ship, an Arleigh Burke‑class guided‑missile destroyer, was part of the USS Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group. A second destroyer, the USS Michael Murphy, returned to Joint Base Pearl Harbor‑Hickam a day earlier after 346 days deployed.

Both vessels began what was expected to be a routine western Pacific deployment. In February 2026, the escalation of the US‑Iran conflict redirected them to the Middle East. They supported Operation Epic Fury, carried out missile strikes against Iranian targets, and later enforced the US naval blockade of Iranian ports. Even after the Abraham Lincoln left the region in August, the two destroyers remained to support ongoing blockade operations, extending their assignments well beyond the Navy’s typical seven‑month cycle.

The record deployments highlight a growing challenge for the US Navy. With commitments spanning the Middle East and Indo‑Pacific, the service is forced to keep warships at sea longer than the planned six‑to‑seven‑month cycle. Admiral Daryl Caudle, chief of naval operations, has warned that 10‑ to 11‑month deployments could become more common and called for a larger fleet. The Navy operates just over 280 battle‑force ships, including about 78 destroyers, and the extended deployments strain maintenance schedules. For example, the Spruance’s maintenance, originally slated for July 2026, has been postponed to January 2027.