More than 80 years after World War II, a US Navy destroyer has matched a wartime-era deployment milestone, spending nearly an entire year away from home.The USS Spruance has returned after 357 days at sea, marking what is being reported as the longest deployment by an American destroyer since the Second World War. Its return, alongside another destroyer that spent 346 days deployed, offers a glimpse into the extraordinary demands the Iran war has placed on the US Navy.According to The War Zone (TWZ), the two Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers assigned to the USS Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group returned to their homeports after spending 357 and 346 days at sea, respectively.The USS Spruance arrived at Naval Base San Diego on November 13, while the USS Michael Murphy returned to Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam in Hawaii a day earlier.Both destroyers had initially set out for what was expected to be a routine deployment in the western Pacific. However, the escalation of the US-Iran conflict in February 2026 changed their mission.They were redirected to the Middle East, where they supported Operation Epic Fury, carried out missile strikes against Iranian targets and later enforced the US naval blockade of Iranian ports.Even after the USS Abraham Lincoln left the Middle East in August, the two destroyers remained in the region to support continuing blockade operations. Their extended assignments pushed their deployments well beyond the Navy’s conventional seven-month cycle, with Spruance eventually spending 357 days away from home.US Navy’s growing deployment crisisThe record-breaking deployments have exposed a growing problem for the US Navy. With military commitments stretching from the Middle East to the Indo-Pacific, the service is struggling to maintain its global presence without keeping warships at sea for longer periods.The Navy traditionally plans destroyer deployments for around six to seven months. However, the Iran conflict has pushed ships well beyond that cycle. Chief of naval operations Admiral Daryl Caudle has warned that deployments lasting 10 to 11 months could become more common.The US Navy operates just over 280 battle-force ships, including around 78 destroyers. These warships are expected to support operations across several regions, leaving limited room to rotate vessels without affecting other missions.Admiral Caudle has called for a bigger Navy, warning that the current fleet size is not sufficient to meet the country’s growing operational demands.Keeping destroyers at sea for nearly a year also creates problems once they return. Warships require extensive repairs and maintenance after prolonged operations, reducing the number of vessels available for future missions.The extended deployments have added to an already growing maintenance backlog. USS Spruance, for instance, was originally scheduled for maintenance in July 2026, but its next maintenance period has been pushed to January 2027.