The Spruance-class destroyer was developed as a replacement for a large number of World War II-built Allen M. Sumner- and Gearing-class destroyers, and was the primary destroyer built for the U.S. Navy during the 1970s. The class was originally designed for anti-submarine warfare with only point defense missiles for the AAW role although subsequent upgrades have provided anti-ship and land attack capabilities.

The class are notable for being the first large U.S. Navy ships to use gas turbine power. Spruance-class vessels are powered by four General Electric LM2500 gas turbines generating approximately 80,000 horsepower (60 MW). This configuration was so successful that the entire hull and physical plant of the Spruance class was used unchanged for the later Kidd-class destroyers and Ticonderoga-class cruisers.

The entire class of thirty ships was contracted with a single shipyard to facilitate mass construction on 23 June 1970 although labor and technical problems delayed construction. One additional ship, USS Hayler (DD-997), was ordered on 29 September 1979. Four additional ships were built for the Iranian Navy with the Mark 26/Standard AAW missile system but were completed as the Kidd-class destroyers for the U.S. Navy.

Of the thirty-one vessels constructed, twenty-four have been decommissioned and the remaining seven ships which have been extensively modernized were expected to remain in active service through the end of the decade. However, their withdrawal has been accelerated as a cost-cutting measure, and they are now to be retired by 2006. As of 2005, only two Spruance-class destroyers remain in service.

Larry Blumberg was the first commanding officer of a Spruance-class destroyer.