The United States military says its forces stopped and seized an Iranian-flagged cargo ship in the Arabian Sea after it tried to sail toward Iran despite an American naval blockade.

According to a US Central Command (CENTCOM) statement, the guided-missile destroyer USS Spruance intercepted the vessel, M/V Touska, on April 19 while it was travelling through the north Arabian Sea at 17 knots on its way to Bandar Abbas, Iran.

US officials said the ship was warned several times that it was violating the blockade.

How USS Spruance seized Iranian ship?

CENTCOM said American forces repeatedly contacted the crew over a six-hour period and told them to stop or turn back.

When the crew did not follow those orders, USS Spruance instructed the ship to clear its engine room. The US warship then fired several rounds from its 5-inch MK 45 gun into the engine room of the Touska, disabling the vessel and stopping it in the water.

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Later, US Marines from the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit boarded the ship and took control. The vessel remains in US custody. The US military said its forces acted in a “deliberate, professional, and proportional manner” to make sure the blockade was enforced. Officials added that since the blockade began, 25 commercial ships had already been told to turn around or return to Iranian ports.

What is USS Spruance?

As listed on the official US Navy website, USS Spruance (DDG-111) is an Arleigh Burke-class Flight IIA guided-missile destroyer in the US Navy. It is the second American warship named after Admiral Raymond A. Spruance, who led US naval forces in the Battles of Midway and the Philippine Sea during World War II.

USS Spruance was built at Bath Iron Works in Bath, Maine, at an estimated cost of $1 billion. It was officially commissioned into service on October 1, 2011. It is also the first US Navy destroyer fitted with the Gigabit Ethernet Data Multiplex System, also known as GEDMS, built by Boeing.

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This system created an internet-based network inside the ship for data and video services. The bridge was also modernised, using touchscreen controls and colour displays instead of many traditional gauges.

In January 2024, the US Navy reinstalled the ODIN laser system on the ship. The laser is meant to target drone cameras and sensors using a high-intensity beam, making enemy drones unable to see or track targets.

Survived Houthi attacks in Red Sea

On September 27, 2024, USS Spruance was sailing through the Red Sea with USS Stockdale and USS Indianapolis when Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen launched around two dozen missiles and drones. US officials said every threat was intercepted or missed.

Again, on November 11, 2024, after US strikes on Houthis’ bases in Yemen, the Houthis launched eight drones, five ballistic missiles, and three cruise missiles at USS Spruance and USS Stockdale.

All incoming weapons were shot down, and no damage or casualties were reported

USS Spruance : Size, speed and crew

According to Surfpac.navy, the destroyer is 510 feet long, with a beam of 66 feet and a draft of 33 feet. It displaces around 9,200 tons and is powered by four General Electric LM2500-30 gas turbines driving two shafts, producing 100,000 shaft horsepower.

USS Spruance can travel at speeds of more than 30 knots, which is around 56 km/h or 35 mph. Its operating range is about 4,400 nautical miles at 20 knots. Around 260 officers and enlisted personnel serve on board.

USS Spruance : Heavy weapons and defence systems

USS Spruance, according to public information on Wikipedia, carries a wide range of weapons for air, sea, and submarine warfare. Its guns include a 5-inch Mk 45 naval gun, a 20 mm Phalanx close-in weapon system, two 25 mm Mk 38 machine gun systems, and four .50 calibre guns.

The ship is also equipped with the ODIN laser system, designed to blind and disable enemy drone sensors without destroying the aircraft. Its missile systems include 96 vertical launch cells capable of firing Standard missiles, anti-ballistic missiles, ESSM missiles, Tomahawk cruise missiles, and anti-submarine rockets.

For underwater threats, it carries Mark 32 triple torpedo tubes using Mark 46, Mark 50, and Mark 54 torpedoes. It can also operate two MH-60R Seahawk helicopters.