USS Hayler (DD-997)
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| History | |
|---|---|
 United States
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| Namesake: | Robert W. Hayler |
| Ordered: | 29 September 1979 |
| Builder: | Ingalls Shipbuilding |
| Laid down: | 20 October 1980 |
| Launched: | 2 March 1982 |
| Sponsored by: | Nicole Hayler, granddaughter of namesake |
| Acquired: | 10 February 1983 |
| Commissioned: | 5 March 1983 |
| Decommissioned: | 25 August 2003 |
| Struck: | 6 April 2004 |
| Motto: | Courageous in Conflict |
| Fate: | Sunk as a target, 13 November 2004 |
| Badge: |  |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type: | Spruance class destroyer |
| Displacement: | 8,040 (long) tons full load |
| Length: | 529 ft (161 m) waterline; 563 ft (172 m) overall |
| Beam: | 55 ft (16.8 m) |
| Draft: | 29 ft (8.8 m) |
| Propulsion: | 4 × General Electric LM2500 gas turbines, 2 shafts, 80,000 shp (60 MW) |
| Speed: | 32.5 knots (60 km/h) |
| Range: |
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| Complement: | 19 officers, 315 enlisted |
| Sensors and processing systems: |
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| Electronic warfare & decoys: |
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| Armament: |
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| Aircraft carried: | 2 x Sikorsky SH-60 Seahawk LAMPS III helicopters. |
USS Hayler (DD-997), the last Spruance-class destroyer, was the first ship of the United States Navy to be named for Vice Admiral Robert W. Hayler (1891–1980).
For fiscal year 1978, Congress authorized the production of two additional Spruance-class destroyers, though they funded only one. These were intended to be built as helicopter destroyers (DDH), provided they would not cost more than a standard Spruance-class. Litton-Ingalls completed sketch design work for DDH-997, which moved the helicopter deck aft, stretching the length of the hangar and displacing the Sea Sparrow launcher to the top of the hangar. The design would have accommodated two SH-3 Sea Kings or four smaller SH-60 Seahawk or SH-2 Seasprite helicopters. While the prospective DDH-997 probably wouldn't have cost much more to build than a standard Spruance-class, the detail design and engineering work required before the ship could be built would have been substantial (similar work for the Kidd-class cost $110.8 million). This raised the cost of the DDH substantially above a standard Spruance-class destroyer. While this additional cost might have been justified if the DDH was going to enter series production, it was difficult to justify for a single ship. Accordingly, the Navy built Hayler to the same design as the rest of the class.
Hayler was laid down on 20 October 1980 by Ingalls Shipbuilding, in Pascagoula, Miss.; launched on 2 March 1982; and commissioned on 5 March 1983.
Hayler was decommissioned 25 August 2003 at Norfolk Naval Shipyard, Portsmouth, Va. She was stricken from the Naval Vessel Register on 6 April 2004 and sunk as a target on 13 November 2004, during the 2004 Sink Exercise.
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