"Spruance" steamed in the Mediterranean from April through October 1997 with the carrier battle group supporting . Serving as the flagstaff of Destroyer Squadron 24, "Spruance" made significant contributions throughout the deployment including: visiting thirteen foreign ports; participating in five multinational naval exercises in the Mediterranean Sea and the Black Sea; serving as Presidential Support Ship in Rotterdam, Netherlands; representing the U.S. Navy in Thoule Sur Mer, France, in commemorating the fifty-second anniversary of the Allied landings in southern France; and hosting Ukrainian military and diplomatic distinguished visitors during the 1997 Ukrainian Independence Day celebration. During that period, "Spruance" also took part in the Partnership For Peace Exercise "Sea Breeze 97" in the Black Sea. Sea Breeze 97 trained military forces on how to provide humanitarian relief for victims of a simulated earthquake in Southern Ukraine.