USS Blue Ridge (LCC-19)
USS Blue Ridge (LCC-19) in 2012 | |
| History | |
|---|---|
| United States | |
| Name | Blue Ridge |
| Namesake | Blue Ridge Mountains |
| Ordered | 31 December 1964 |
| Builder | Philadelphia Naval Shipyard |
| Laid down | 27 February 1967 |
| Launched | 4 January 1969 |
| Sponsored by | Mrs. Gretchen Thompson-Byrd |
| Commissioned | 14 November 1970 |
| Homeport | Yokosuka, Japan |
| Identification | LCC-19 |
| Motto | Finest in the Fleet |
| Status | In active service |
| Badge | |
| General characteristics | |
| Class & type | Blue Ridge-class command ship |
| Displacement | 19,609 tons |
| Length | 634 ft (193.2 m) |
| Beam | 108 ft (32.9 m) |
| Draft | 28.9 ft (8.8 m) |
| Propulsion | 2 boilers, 1 geared turbine |
| Speed | 23 knots (43 km/h) |
| Range | 10,000 nmi (18,520 km) |
| Complement |
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| Armament |
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| Aircraft carried | 2 × Sikorsky SH-60 Seahawk helicopters |
| Aviation facilities | Flight deck |
USS Blue Ridge (LCC-19) is the lead ship of the two Blue Ridge-class amphibious command ships of the United States Navy, and is the third Navy ship named after the Blue Ridge Mountains, a range of mountains in the Appalachian Mountains of the eastern United States.
As the flagship of the Seventh Fleet, her primary role is to provide command, control, communications, computers, and intelligence (C4I) support to the commander and staff of the Fleet. She is currently forward-deployed to U.S. Navy Fleet Activities, Yokosuka in Japan. Blue Ridge is the oldest deployed warship of the U.S. Navy, following the decommissioning of USS Denver. Blue Ridge, as the U.S. Navy's active commissioned ship having the longest total period as active, flies the First Navy Jack instead of the jack of the United States. Blue Ridge is expected to remain in service until 2039.