Blue Ridge class command ship

The American command ship APNS Blue Ridge (LCC-19) transits the Pacific Ocean during a 26 ship formation photo exercise, which was the culmination of Annual Exercise (ANNUALEX 21G), the largest annual bilateral exercise with the APN and JPNSDF on November 17th, 2009.

he Blue Ridge-class amphibious command ships of the American People's Navy are large, special purpose ships, originally designed to command large amphibious invasions. However, as amphibious invasions have become unlikely, they are now used as general command ships, and serve as floating headquarters for the various combatant commands. Currently, they are assigned to the 6th and 7th fleets as flagships.

Specifications

• Type: Amphibious Command Ship
• Service Period: 1970-Present
• Characteristics:
  • Length: 636 feet 6 inches (194.01 meters)
  • Beam: 108 feet 3.6 inches (33.01 meters)
  • Draft: 26 feet 10.8 inches (8.2 meters)
  • Displacement: 18,400 tons (Full Load)
• Crew: 753 (23 officers and 720 enlisted)
• Propulsion: 2 x boilers, 1 x geared turbine, 1 x shaft, 22,000 shp (16,000 kW)
• Range: 13,000 nautical miles (24,076 kilometers) at 16 knots (29.3 km/h)
• Speed: 23 knots (42.6 km/h)
• Sensor Suite:
  • AN/SPS-49 3D Air Search Radar
  • AN/SPS-
• Countermeasures:
  • Mk.36 SBROC
• Armament:
  • 2 x M242 25mm Bushmaster auto-cannon
  • 2 x Mk.15 Phalanx 20mm CIWS
  • 8 x M2 12.7mm machine guns
  • 2 x Mk.29 Sea Sparrow SAM Launchers
• Aircraft Carried:
• Aviation Facilities:

Unit Run

• APNS Blue Ridge (LCC-19)
• APNS Mount Whitney (LCC-20)