USS Spruance returns to US after 357-day deployment — The War Zone
The U.S. guided-missile destroyer USS Spruance has returned to San Diego, United States, after a 357-day deployment. Another destroyer from the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group, USS Michael Murphy, arrived at Pearl Harbor after a 346-day deployment. As The War Zone reports, the ships returned more than a month after the aircraft carrier they escorted.
Deployment duration
USS Spruance left its base in San Diego on November 21, 2025, together with USS Abraham Lincoln, while USS Michael Murphy joined the strike group 10 days later as it passed near its home port in Hawaii. According to the outlet, Spruance left Pearl Harbor on November 6 and arrived in San Diego on November 13, while Murphy entered Pearl Harbor a day earlier.
The War Zone, citing the San Diego Union-Tribune, writes that Spruance's 357-day deployment reportedly became the longest for a U.S. destroyer since World War II. At the same time, the U.S. Naval History and Heritage Command told Stars and Stripes that it does not officially track or confirm such record figures. The previous record mentioned in the article belonged to USS McFaul, which returned to Norfolk after a 332-day deployment.
Operations in the Middle East
After USS Abraham Lincoln began its transit home, Spruance and Michael Murphy remained in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility to provide blockade measures. According to the outlet, both ships took part in Operation Epic Fury. Spruance, in particular, was recorded launching a Tomahawk missile on the first night of the war, while Michael Murphy launched missiles at ground targets on Iran's southern flank.
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The U.S. 3rd Fleet reported that USS Michael Murphy and its crew received the Presidential Unit Citation and Combat Action Ribbon for dozens of Tomahawk strikes and defense against hostile drones and missiles. The War Zone also notes that, according to open-source information, Michael Murphy and USS Frank E. Petersen Jr. came under intense fire while transiting the Strait of Hormuz after the main hostilities ended in April.
Strain on the fleet
Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Daryl Caudle told sailors that deployments lasting at least 10 months could become the new norm. He also warned of the significant amount of maintenance the destroyers would require after prolonged time at sea.
According to Defense One, the destroyer USS John Finn, which has been in the CENTCOM area of responsibility since the start of the war with Iran, may not return until March 2027. If this schedule holds, its deployment will exceed 400 days and could surpass USS Spruance's figure.
