Blue Ridge (LCC 19) - Naval Cruise Book

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CAPTAIN W. D. HART Commanding Officer — 20 Sept 1974 to Present

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A 22,000 horse power steam turbine drives her at speeds of over 20 knots and other engineering equip- ment provides the crew with electricity, steam, high low pressure air and 50,000 gallons of fresh water every day. Following her completion, BLUE RIDGE departed for the long transit to her new homeport, San Diego, California. She took the long route through the Straits of Magellan at the tip of South America. The many thousand mile journey was punc- tuated with brief stops at Norfolk, Rio de Janeiro, Lima, Acapulco, and at long last ended at her home, San Diego, California. Following training on the west coast, BLUE RIDGE made her first deployment to the Western Pacific in January 1972. There she assumed her new role as Flagship for the Commander Amphibious Force — US 7th Fleet and for the Commanding General — 9th Marine Amphibious Brigade. She par- ticipated in several operations during a North Viet- namese spring offensive, seeing considerable time at sea. In fact, she remained on station for periods of 37 and 63 days during that time. Her first cruise ended in August 1972. BLUE RIDGE was underway again in February 1973. The Vietnam war was over by then. She resumed her flagship tasks again and participated in three large scale exercises — Golden Dragon off South Korea, Pagasa I and II in the Philippines. She returned to San Diego in late October 1973. Her third deployment began in October 1974. After brief stops in Hawaii and Yokosuka, BLUE RIDGE again operated out of her home away from home and the homeport of her embarked staffs, White Beach, Okinawa. The cruise ' s work began with a large amphibious exercise, Bayanihan (a native word meaning, work- ing together ) off the island of Mindoro, Republic of the Philippines. Later in the cruise, BLUE RIDGE was a part of Operation Sea Fox, a joint exercise with the British Navy and ships from several other allied navies. Several overseas ports were calling places for BLUE RIDGE and her men, including Yokosuka, Keelung (Taiwan), Manilla, Hong Kong and Subic Bay (Philippines). With the cruise almost over, BLUE RIDGE was suddenly ordered back to Vietnamese waters. There she participated in refugee evacuation operations off Phan Rang, South Vietnam, and as the final curtain came down, she commanded the vast task force assigned to rescue Americans, foreign nationals and many South Vietnamese refugees from the Com- munist takeover there. During this period, beginning on Easter Sunday, she spent 51 of 53 days at sea, many off the coast of Vietnam. Tired but proud, BLUE RIDGE returned to her home in May 1975. From there, she is scheduled for a brief exercise off the coast of California, and then a well earned rest and an overhaul at the Long Beach Naval Shipyard. , yLj|jL E L

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Captain Hart entered the Navy via the NROTC Program at Columbia University where he obtained BA and MA Degrees. His first active duty assignment was with the Amphibious Force of the Atlantic Fleet where he served as Communications and Operations Officer on USS OGLETHORPE (AKA-100). His next assignment was NATO duty on the Staff of Commander-in-Chief, Southern Europe, in Naples. He then returned to sea and the Atlantic Fleet as Gunnery Officer aboard the destroyer USS R. H. Mc- CARD (DD-822). He left the Atlantic Fleet to further his education at the Navy Postgraduate School, Monterey, Califor- nia. From 1957 to 1960, he served as Aide to the Director of Naval Communications in Washington, D.C. With this communications background, he went to sea again, this time as Communications Officer for the cruiser USS TOPEKA (CLG-8) Remaining in the Pacific, Captain Hart was awarded the Joint Services Commendation Medal as Chief of the Plans Branch for the newly-formed Defense Communications Agency in Hawaii. That assignment was followed by orders to the San Diego based destroyer USS LYMAN K. SWENSON (DD-729) as Executive Officer. This was followed by a two year tour with the Department of the Navy as Com- munications Officer in the Pentagon. There, he was instrumental in designing the Navy ' s first Automated Message Center. He holds a Master ' s Degree in International Af- fairs from the Naval War College, Newport, R.I. Cap- tain Hart was awarded the Legion of Merit while Com- mander of the Naval Communications Station at Cam Ranh Bay, Vietnam and the Bronze Star for duty as Commanding Officer of the destroyer USS McKEAN (DD-784) off Vietnam. Prior to assuming command of BLUE RIDGE 20 September 1974, Captain Hart ' s most recent duty has been as Assistant Commander for Plans at the Naval Telecommunications System Architecture Group which develops new information processing systems. Captain Hart is the son of Mrs. Mary D. Hart of Bartow, Florida and resides in Coronado, California with his wife, the former Miss Francis Busha of West- minster, South Carolina. A-