|
USS ''Blue Ridge'' (LCC-19) is the lead ship of the two ''Blue Ridge''–class command ships of the U.S. Navy, and is the command ship of the United States Seventh Fleet. Her primary role is to provide command, control, communications, computers, and intelligence (C4I) support to the commander and staff of the United States Seventh Fleet. She is currently forward-deployed to US Navy Fleet Activities, Yokosuka, Japan, and is the third Navy ship named after the Blue Ridge Mountains, a range of mountains in the Appalachian Mountains of the eastern United States. ''Blue Ridge'' is the oldest deployable warship of the U.S. Navy, following the decommissioning of in Pearl Harbor on 14 August 2014. As of 2011, ''Blue Ridge'' was expected to remain in service until 2039. ==History== USS ''Blue Ridge'' (LCC-19) was put "in commission special" on 14 November 1970, at the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard as an Amphibious Command and Control (LCC) ship, with Captain Kent J. Carroll (Vice Admiral Carroll, Ret.) as the Commanding Officer. The ship was sponsored by Mrs. Gretchen Byrd, wife of the U. S. Senator from Virginia, Harry F. Byrd, Jr.. The principal speaker at the ceremony was the Honorable John W. Warner, Under Secretary of the Navy and later Senator from Virginia. 〔(【引用サイトリンク】title= USS Blue Ridge Ship History for 1970 )〕 ''Blue Ridge'' was the replacement for the , but ''Estes'' was decommissioned earlier than planned in October 1969 due to the budget cuts of the late 1960s.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title= ''Estes'' History )〕 ''Blue Ridge'' was the first ship of her class and represented almost 7 years of planning and construction work. The result was a ship specifically designed from the keel up as a command and control ship. As designed, ''Blue Ridge'' was capable of supporting the staff of both the Commander of an Amphibious Task Force and the staff of the Commanding General of the Landing Force. The advanced computer system, extensive communications package and modern surveillance and detection systems was molded into the most advanced joint amphibious command and control center ever constructed.〔Welcome Aboard USS Blue Ridge (LCC-19) 1971 file 02 of 10〕 At the time of her commissioning, ''Blue Ridge'' had the distinction of carrying the world's most sophisticated electronics suite. It was said to be some thirty percent larger than that of the which had been the most complex. ''Blue Ridge'' was armed with a "main battery" of computers, communications gear, and other electronic facilities to fulfill her mission as a command ship. An extremely refined communications system was also an integral part of the ship's radical new design. Through an automated patch panel and computer controlled switching matrix her crew could utilize any combination of communication equipment desired. The clean topside area is the result of careful design intended to minimize the ship's interference with her own communications system.〔Welcome Aboard USS Blue Ridge (LCC-19) 1971 file 05 of 10〕 US Navy long range communications were heavily reliant on High frequency radio systems in the 1970s and have evolved to predominately satellite communications in the 2000s. This is illustrated by the long wire antennas and the directional HF yagi or log-periodic antenna initially installed on ''Blue Ridge'' and later removed and replaced with a number of satellite communications antennas. Besides small arms, ''Blue Ridge'' was armed with two twin Mark 33 3″/50 caliber guns at commissioning, though they have since been removed. She also carried two Mark 25 launchers and electronics for the Basic Point Defense Missile System (BPDMS) which was added sometime in the 1970s and removed in the 1990s. Two 20mm Phalanx CIWS systems were added in the 1980s for point defense. In recent years she has also carried 25mm Bushmaster cannons. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「USS Blue Ridge (LCC-19)」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
|
 1971 file 02 of 10.jpg){kind=link}
 1971 file 05 of 10.jpg){kind=link}