The only surviving “Sprucan” has recently picked up a new paint job.
The ex-USS Paul F. Foster (DD-964), commissioned 21 February 1976 and struck in 2004 after a very busy 28 years with the fleet, is now simply referred to as the Naval Surface Warfare Center Port Hueneme Division’s Self Defense Test Ship, or the catchy NSWC PHD SDTS.
She has been at Naval Base Ventura County (Port Hueneme) receiving a fresh coat of haze gray as the conclusion of a $30 million Selected Restricted Availability package, awarded to Port Hueneme-based AdvantEdge Technology Inc, that has been taking place slowly since April 2024.
The repainting is slated to be completed later this month.
A worker with Ventura, California-based general contractor C.D. Lyon Inc. stands on a pontoon boat tied to the Self Defense Test Ship as he puts a primer coat on the hull to prepare it for painting Nov. 7 at Naval Surface Warfare Center, Port Hueneme Division. (U.S. Navy photo by Dana Rene White)
A worker with Ventura, California-based general contractor C.D. Lyon Inc. stands on a pontoon boat tied to the Self Defense Test Ship as he puts a primer coat on the hull to prepare it for painting Nov. 7 at Naval Surface Warfare Center, Port Hueneme Division. (U.S. Navy photo by Dana Rene White)
She returned to her homeport at Naval Base Ventura County last summer after 14 months at BAE San Diego, looking, well, kind of depressing.
Naval Surface Warfare Center, Port Hueneme Division’s Self Defense Test Ship (SDTS), ex-USS Paul F. Foster (DD 964), returns to Port Hueneme, California, from San Diego on June 12. The SDTS spent 14 months in the BAE Systems Ship Repair shipyard for maintenance and upgrades. (U.S. Navy photo by Dana Rene White)
The new paint should help.
Meanwhile, her veteran’s organization is preparing for her 50th anniversary in the coming weeks.
