USS Spruance Breaks Deployment Record as Shipyard Upgrades and $61B Military Impact Shape San Diego

San Diego's USS Spruance has broken the record for the longest deployment by a Navy destroyer, according to reports from the San Diego Union-Tribune and 101.5 KGB. Following extended operations at sea, major warship modernization work is also underway on the local waterfront. Autonocion.com reported that a 9,300-ton destroyer back from a 55,000-mile deployment and the blockade off Iran is currently in a San Diego shipyard for two years of work. During that shipyard period, the vessel is having its 22-year-old radar pulled off the deckhouse and 96 two-foot radar cubes bolted on in its place, Autonocion.com reported.

Separate reports detail the second phase of modernization on the Arleigh Burke-class destroyer USS Pinckney. NavalToday reported that the U.S. Navy Arleigh Burke-class destroyer has started the second phase of its upgrades. According to Interesting Engineering, the 10,300-ton USS Pinckney warship is receiving an advanced SPY-6 radar upgrade. Defence Industry Europe reported that the USS Pinckney work represents the U.S. Navy's first SPY-6(V)4 radar installation, while Мілітарний reported that the second phase of the USS Pinckney modernization includes both a modern radar and a counter-drone EW system. In other fleet movement news, The Daily Chronicle reported that the USS Abraham Lincoln is making a new home in Bremerton.

The defense sector's presence continues to influence the regional economy and real estate market. Globest reported that San Diego's $61B in military economic activity is driving housing demand across the area. The link between naval personnel and local neighborhoods spans generations, as noted in a Times of San Diego report examining why San Diego's Shelltown was once prime real estate for Navy officers. Elsewhere in the local military community, the San Diego Union-Tribune reported that a year after opening, the Navy SEAL Museum is ready to expand its footprint and vision.

Activity along the coast and harbor also includes commercial maritime promotion and recent ocean rescues. The Maritime Executive reported that the Port of San Diego is highlighting its advantages for cruises. Out on the water, NBC 7 San Diego reported that a 24-year-old Coast Guard swimmer said he fought waves and darkness to rescue 16 people from the ocean. In a separate marine rescue, FOX 5 San Diego and KUSI News reported that a SeaWorld San Diego rescuer helped free a humpback whale off the SoCal coast.