Blue Ridge (LCC 19) - Naval Cruise Book

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SHIP ' S HISTORY BLUE RIDGE Is the first ship ever designed and built as a Command Ship; all others have been converted from other type ships. She Is the third ship to be named for the Blue Ridge Mountains in the United States, The first BLUE Rl DGE was a Great Lakes passenger steamer that was purchased for use as a Navy Transport during World War I and the second BLUE RIDGE was an amphibious force flagship that saw considerable action during World War II. Unlike her World War 1 1 predecessor which was quickly converted from a merchantman to a flagship, the new 620-foot United States Ship BLUE RIDGE represents a unique effort and achievement in the Amphibious Navy ' s command ship design. In this 19,200 ton ship are found the facilities to direct and manage every phase of an am- phibious operation; indeed, the BLUE RIDGE represents the accumulated knowledge of four decades of the Navy ' s experience in the difficult problem of effective Amphibious Force Control and Coordination. Initially conceived In 1963, BLUE RIDGE was in the planning and design stage for four years before construc- tion was begun at the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard in 1967. Three and a half years later, on 14 November 1970, she was commissioned. In becoming operational, BLUE RIDGE assumed the distinction of carrying the world ' s m ost sophisticated electronics complex to sea a package some thirty per cent larger than that of the attack carrier JOHN F. KENNEDY. Prior to BLUE RIDGE ' s commissioning the KENNEDY had held that distinction. BLUE Rl DGE utilizes her main battery of computers, communications gear, and other electronic facilities to fulfill her mission as a command ship for Amphibious Task Force and Landing Force Commanders during Am- phibious Operations. This task includes the landing of troops, air and gunfire support, task force protection, and logistics support. A description of BLUE Rl DGE would not be complete without mention of her twenty knot plus speed capa- bility. Not only in speed, but also in the category of ship habitabillty is BLUE RIDGE a great improvement in ship design. Recreation rooms, air conditioning, ship ' s stores, spacious galleys and messing areas all help make life at sea a great deal more pleasant for crew and embarked staffs. BLUE RIDGE has accomodations for 268 officers and 1 200 enlisted men. Departing Philadelphia Naval Shipyard in rrfid-February of 1971 , BLUE RIDGE set sail for her homeport of San Diego, California. Taking the increasingly rare route around the southern tip of South America, BLUE RIDGE made port visits in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Lima, Peru; Rodman, Panama; and Acapuico, Mexico. She arrived in San Diego 9 April 1 971 . Aside from numerous testing and evaluation cycles, refresher training and post shakedown availability at the Long Beach Naval Shipyard, BLUE RIDGE ' s first year in her homeport was highlighted by her role as command and control center for the massive ROPEVAL 3-71 West Coast amphibious exercise in which dozens of ships and thousands of Marines took part. She deployed to the Western Pacific in January 1972 and served as flagship for Commander Amphibious Force, U.S. SEVENTH Fleet and Commanding General, N INTH Marine Amphibious Brigade. Participating in several operations during a North Vietnamese offensive, BLUE RIDGE spent considerable time off the coast of Vietnam. Her Western Pacific port visits included the Philippine Islands, Japan, Singapore, Hong Kong, Guam and Okinawa. BLUE RIDGE returned to the United States in mid-August 1972. Keel Laid 27 February 1967 Launched 4 January 1969 Displacement 19,000 tons Commissioned 14 November 1970 Length Overall 620 feet Beam 108 feet Draft 27 feet Ship Allowance 700 (44 Officers, 656 Enlisted) Flag Accommodations 768 (224 Officers, 544 Enlisted)

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l aE- ' ' K-tSm ' ■;,.. m):: -; - imfi i ' , ' r- ' . ' ' ■ ' ■■; . V, ' $. ' u ..;: :V ■;■: ' - :-■ ' ?• J .- ' .- ' - ' , ' ' - ■ -.0 ' 1 ' z ■ ' ■ .■ ■ ' V r }} ■,i ;- ■ Wi ' -i - ' iiii ■ y ' i V ' • ' -i-- ' . ' if ;-; - ' ' ; ;■,■- yfiP ' . S :-:;- ' ' - ' i ' -MM POT POURRI Candy Bars Consummed 103,599 Nuts and Crackers Sold 12,790 Canned Snacks Sold 12,000 (Pudding, Pork Beans, Potted Meat, Vienna Sausage) Beef Jerky, Polish Sausage, Pepperoni Sticks Sold 4,500 Sardines, Kipper Snacks, Shrimp etc. Sold 1,450 Canned Juice Sold 13,100 Canned Soda Sold 24,750 Vending Machine Drinks Sold 171,000 General Mess — Crew consumed $303,602 Milk Consumed — 22,500 gallons Eggs Consumed — 25,000 dozen eggs Bread Consumed (Commercial) — 30,000 loaves Bread Consumed (Baked on Board) — 20,000 loaves Beef Consumed — 80,700 pounds Seven vertrep unreps held with 500,000 pounds of goods coming on board Payroll — BLUE RIDGE disbursing office paid out $3,000,000 HELO DETAIL 2500 helos either touched down or took off from BLUE RIDGE HC-5 264 flights UH-I-E 540 flights Vertrep 332 flights Other Ops 1364 flights TOTAL DEPLOYMENT — 224 days Days in Port — 69 days Days at sea — 155 days Total miles covered during cruise — 43,526 miles wsi mmsmmm WA ' , AVji ' i ' .ltftlMMiTUulWiK ' W