Description
Amphibious Command ships provide command and control for fleet commanders. Commissioned in 1970, these are the only ships to be designed initially for an amphibious command ship role. Earlier amphibious command ships lacked sufficient speed to keep up with a 20-knot amphibious force. Subsequently, both ships became fleet flagships. USS Blue Ridge became the Seventh Fleet command ship in 1979, and USS Mount Whitney became the Second Fleet command ship in 1981. USS Blue Ridge (LCC-19) was conceived in 1963 and was in the planning and design stage for four years. She was built by the Philadelphia naval Shipyard in 1967 and commissioned November 14, 1970. Unlike her World War II predecessor of the same name, which had to be converted from a merchantman to an Amphibious Force flagship, the new 620-foot United States Ship Blue Ridge (LCC 19) represents a unique effort and achievement in the Navy's Command and Control ship design. Here for the first time is a platform built from the keel up to accomplish the mission of Command and Control coordination. In this 18,500 ton ship are found the facilities to direct and manage every phase of command and control operations. Blue Ridge represents the accumulated knowledge of four decades of the Navy's experience in meeting difficult challenges of Control and Coordination.
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