Fast facts about the USS Blue Ridge

Published March 26, 2012 4:20pm

The USS Blue Ridge is considered as the "finest ship" of the United States Navy, being the most technologically advanced among its fleet. The ship is the permanent flagship of the navy's Seventh Fleet.

Some fast facts about the USS Blue Ridge:

There are approximately 650 Blue Ridge sailors, 350 US 7th Fleet staff , and up to 450 more personnel during exercises aboard USS Blue Ridge.

Command ship USS Blue Ridge has two commands aboard: the embarked 7th Fleet staff members and Blue Ridge crew. The 7th Fleet staff commands and controls ships and the other units assigned to 7th Fleet region.

The USS Blue Ridge was commissioned in 1970. First stationed in San Diego from 1970 to 1979, Blue Ridge was deployed to Yokosuka, Japan in 1979.

USS Blue Ridge is referenced as LCC-19 (meaning Amphibious Command and Control ship number 19).

The entire 7th Fleet can be coordinated in real-time using the advanced array communications systems aboard Blue Ridge.

The 7th Fleet’s area of responsibility encompasses more than 48 million square miles - from the Kuril Islands in the north to the Antarctic in the south, and from the International Date Line to the 68th meridian east, which runs down from the India-Pakistan border.

The area includes 35 maritime countries and the world’s five largest foreign armed forces. Five of the seven U.S. Mutual Defense Treaties are with countries in the area: Republic of the Philippines, Australia and New Zealand, Republic of Korea, Japan, and Thailand. Half of the world’s population lives within the 7th Fleet area of responsibility.

At any given time, there are more than 60 ships, 200 aircraft and 40,000 Navy and Marine Corps personnel assigned to the 7th Fleet.

- GMA News

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