The USS Spruance, the US Navy warship that fired on and intercepted an Iranian cargo vessel on Sunday, is an Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer.
US Central Command said the Spruance fired “several rounds” from its 5-inch gun into the engine room of the Iranian-flagged cargo ship, the M/V Touska, to disable it. US Marines then boarded the Touska and took control.
The Spruance’s 5-inch gun is designed for use against ships, aircraft and land targets, according to a Navy fact sheet.
First deployed in 1971, the Mark 45 gun has a range of 15 miles with conventional ammunition.
It’s a fully automatic weapon and can fire 16 to 20 rounds per minute from a 20-round drum, which then can be reloaded by crew below deck for further use, the Navy says.
The ship carries a range of other weaponry, including torpedoes, Tomahawk missiles for land attacks, Standard interceptors for ballistic missile defense and Sea Sparrow missiles for short-range missile and aircraft defense.
The Spruance, with a displacement of around 9,000 tons, is more than 500 feet long and carries a crew of 329. It joined the fleet in 2011, now operates as part of the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group, and is homeported in San Diego.
The Spruance is named for the Adm. Raymond Spruance, commander of US carriers at the World War II Battle of Midway, during which the US Navy sank four Japanese aircraft carriers, turning the tide of the war in the Pacific.
