The USS Spruance (DDG-111) and USS Michael Murphy (DDG-112) returned home this week after 357 and 34
· Washington, United States
The USS Spruance (DDG-111) and USS Michael Murphy (DDG-112) returned home this week after 357 and 346 day deployments, the latest sign of how the Navy has been stretched past its standard six to seven month deployments toward a year. Spruance’s deployment may be the longest by a destroyer since World War II. Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Daryl Caudle told sailors to expect deployments of at least 10 months going forward, and Navy leaders told families of the USS George H.W. Bush (CVN-77) carrier strike group to plan for a yearlong deployment if the blockade continues or the war restarts. C