USS Blue Ridge (LCC-19)
.jpg) USS Blue Ridge (LCC-19) |
|
| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Type | Command ship |
| Keel laying | February 27, 1967 |
| Launch | 4th January 1969 |
| 1. Period of service |
.svg){kind=small}
|
| period of service |
since November 14, 1970 |
| home port | Yokosuka |
| Technical specifications | |
| displacement |
19,290 ts |
| length |
189 m |
| width |
33 m |
| Draft |
8.2 m |
| crew |
40 officers, 680 |
| drive |
2 boilers, a geared turbine |
| speed |
23 knots |
| Range |
13,000 nautical miles |
| Armament |
2 × 20 mm phalanx CIWS |
The USS Blue Ridge (LCC-19) is an amphibious warfare command ship of the United States Navy and the lead ship of the Blue Ridge-class . She is the third ship named after the Blue Ridge Mountains and has served in the US Navy since 1970, and has been stationed in Yokosuka , Japan since 1979 and serves as the flagship of the commander of the 7th US Fleet .
technology
The hull of the Blue Ridge class is based on the amphibious assault ships of the Iwo Jima class , with which they also share the propulsion system with an output of 22,000 hp. However, the hull was slightly lengthened to 189 meters, and wide side decks were added to accommodate sideboats and landing boats. The ships have a large helipad on the aft deck, and there are numerous antennas and radar systems on the upper deck. Amidships is the bridge structure with the Mack and the main radar systems, behind it a single free-standing electronic mast. The ship was originally armed with two 3-inch twin guns, and in 1974 two Sea Sparrow launchers were installed. Two Phalanx CIWS have been on board for close-range defense since the 1980s , the guns and the guided missile launchers were removed in 1992.
history
Development and construction
In the mid-1960s, the US Navy recognized the need for fast command ships to keep up with fast amphibious assault units. The command ships used so far, mostly converted from merchant ships or transporters, were mostly too slow. In 1963, therefore, the planning for the new Blue Ridge class began, the type ship was ordered on December 31, 1964. The keel was laid on February 27, 1967 in the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard , the launch took place after almost two years of construction on January 4, 1969. The Blue Ridge was put into service on November 14, 1970 with the Navy. The total construction cost was $ 75 million.
commitment
The Blue Ridge was stationed in San Diego , from where it operated in the Pacific. In 1975 she was involved in the evacuation of Saigon . In 1979 the ship was moved to Yokosuka, where it served as the flagship of the commander of the 7th US Fleet. It regularly participated in large multinational exercises with allies. 1989 visited the Blue Ridge Shanghai . From August 1990 to May 1991 she was the flagship of Commander United States Naval Forces Central Command during Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm . In the summer of 1996 she visited the port in Vladivostok . During Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom , she was also used as the command ship of the 7th Fleet. In February 2000, Blue Ridge supported the International Armed Forces East Timor (INTEFET) in Dili .
In March 2011, the ship was sent off the coast of Japan to be ready for emergency aid after the Tōhoku earthquake .
Web links
- Website of the Blue Ridge (Engl.)
- Pictures of the Blue Ridge at navsource.org (engl.)
Individual evidence
- ^ Stefan Terzibaschitsch : Sea power USA . Bechtermünz Verlag, Augsburg 1997, ISBN 3-86047-576-2 . P. 550
- ^ Terzibaschitsch: Sea power USA . P. 551