Blue Ridge (LCC 19)
These two large command ships are the only ships to be designed from the outset specifically for the amphibious command ship role. Both ships are now employed as fleet flagships.
The hull and propulsion machinery are similar to that of the Iwojima (LPH 2)-class helicopter carriers. Along each side of the hull, however, are long sponsons for landing craft and the ship’s boats. The ships have large open deck areas resembling the Iwojima & flight deck to provide for optimum antenna placement. A tall lattice antenna is stepped ahead of the bridge, a thick pedestal is placed farther aft. The superstructure “island” is amidships (both transversely and longitudinally) .
Antiaircraft protection includes 76mm twin gun mounts ahead of the island on each deck edge and Sea Sparrow octuple point-defense missile launchers abaft the island port and starboard. Both ships received two Mk 15 Phalanx Gatling-type Close-in Weapons Systems (CIWS) in the mid-1980s, one mounted forward on a small deckhouse fitted on the main deck, the other on a sponson at the stern (increasing length approximately 16 feet).
A helicopter landing area aft has no hangar, {A small vehicle hangar is serviced by an elevator.) Davits provide stowage for five LCP/LCVP-type personnel craft plus a ship’s launch.
DEVELOPMENT •
Blue Ridge was built at the Philadelphia Navy Yard, Mount Whitney at Newport News Shipbuilding; completion came in 1970-71. Blue Ridge serves in Yokosuka, Japan, as flagship of the Seventh Fleet; Mount Whitney heads up the Second Fleet in Norfolk.
COMBAT EXPERIENCE •
Blue Ridge was sent to the Persian Gulf under Operation Desert Shield. She served as the flagship for the commander of the US Naval
Forces Central Command (NAVCENT) as well as the amphibious warfare command ship. She remained in the gulf until April 24, 1991, in the longest continuous deployment of any US ship in Operations Desert Shield/Desert Storm,
SPECIFICATIONS •
DISPLACEMENT 19,290 tons full load
DIMENSIONS
length 636 ft 5 in (194.0 rn)
overall
beam 82 ft (25.0 m), extreme
width 108 ft (32.9 m)
draft 27 ft (8.2 m)
MACHINERY 2 Foster Wheeler boilers, 1
General Electric steam turbine,
22,000 shp on 1 shaft=21.5 kts, range
13,500nmatl6kts CREW 777-799 + 170-191 flagship staff
WEAPONS
2 8-cell Mk 25 Sea Sparrow BPDMS
launchers 4 3-inch {76-mm)/50-cal Mk 33 AA in
twin mounts 2 20-mm Mk 15 Phalanx CIWS HELICOPTERS landing area
SENSORS
SPS-48C 3D air-search radar SPS-40C 2D air-search radar
SPS-65 threat-detection radar Marconi LN-66 navigation radar 2 Mk 115 missile fire control systems SLQr32(V)3 active/passive EW system
Coroncrdo(AGFll)
The Coronado is an Austin-class amphibious transport dock (LPD) modified for use as a fleet flagship. The conversion involved fitting the ship with command and communications facilities, a helicopter hangar, and additional air-conditioning.
Vice Admiral Jerry Tuttle, lamenting the Coronado’s absence from Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm, spoke in 1991 of the ship’s Command, Control, Communications, and Intelligence (C3I) facilities: “In my estimation, it is the finest system in the world. It has Inmarsat, SHF [Super High Frequency], UHF, and the first operational EHF [Extremely High Frequency].”
The Coronado’s hangar is 57 ft 9 in long and 20 ft 8 in wide. Phalanx Gatling-type Close-in Weapons System (CIWS) mounts stand on a “bridge wing” to starboard and just forward of the hangar to port.
DEVELOPMENT •
Coronado replaced the destroyer tender Puget Sound (AD 38) as Sixth Fleet flagship and was home-ported in Gaeta, Italy, in October 1985. In July 1986 the Belknap became Sixth Fleet flagship and the Coronado shifted to the Pacific to become flagship for Commander, Third Fleet (based at Pearl Harbor).
SPECIFICATIONS •
DISPLACEMENT 17,000 tons full load
DIMENSIONS
length 570 ft 2 in (173.8 m)
overall
beam 84 ft (25.6 m)
draft 23ft (7.0m)
MACHINERY 2 Babcock & Wilcox boilers, 2 De Laval steam turbines, 24,000 shp on 2 shafts-20 kts, range
7,700 nm at 20 kts
CREW 516
WEAPONS
4 3-in (76-mm)/50-cal Mk 33 AA in
twin mounts 2 20-mm Mk 15 Mod 2 Phalanx
Gatling-type CIWS
HELICOPTERS 1 SH-3 Sea King
SENSORS
SPS-40 air-search radar SPS-10 surface-search radar Marconi LN-66 navigation radar local gunfire control only SLQ-32(V)2 radar intercept and jammer WLR-1HESM
4 Mk 36 SRBOC 6-barrel chaff/flare launchers
La Salle (AGF 3)
The La Salle was converted from one of three Raleigh (LPD l)-class amphibious transport docks specifically to serve as flagship for the Commander, US Middle
East Force (MEF).
Conversion came in 1972 and featured command and communications facilities, a helicopter hangar, and additional air-conditioning. The amidships hangar is 47 ft 5 in long and 19 ft 4 in wide.
Two Mk 15 Mod 2 Phalanx Close-in
Weapons Systems (CIWS) have been installed amidships, port and starboard.
The La Salle is painted white with black numerals to reflect some of the Persian Gulf sun, giving rise to the nickname the Great White Ghost.
DEVELOPMENT •
La Salle was originally built by the Brooklyn Navy Yard as the third in the Raleigh class of LPDs, completing in February 1964. Her conversion to AGF came in 1972. In November 1994, she became flagship of the U.S. Sixth Fleet at Gaeta, Italy.
COMBAT EXPERIENCE •
The La Salle operated in the Persian Gulf/Indian Ocean area from 1972 to 1980, when she underwent an extensive overhaul at the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard from December 1980 to September 1982, returning to her flagship duties in June 1983.
Her post as flagship of the MEF inevitably meant involvement in several episodes during the Iran-Iraq war (198088). The La Sallewzs one of the first ships to respond when the USS Stark (FFG 31} was severely damaged by an Iraqi-fired Exocet antiship missile in May 1987. The La Salle $ crew provided damage control, emergency repairs, and berthing facilities for Stark crew members.
US interdiction of Iranian minelaying ships in September 1987 and an attack on an oil platform a month later were coordinated by the Commander, MEF, aboard the La Salle.
After the start of Operation Desert Shield, La Salle was soon joined by the command ship Blue Ridge (LCC 19), which has more extensive communications facilities.
SPECIFICATIONS •
DISPLACEMENT 14,650 tons full load
DIMENSIONS
length 521 ft 9 in (159.1 m)
overall beam 84 ft (25.6 m)
draft 21ft (6.4m)
MACHINERY 2 Babcock & Wilcox boilers, 2 De Laval steam turbines,
24,000 shp on 2 shafts=21.6 kts, range 9,600 nm at 16 kts, 16,500 nm at 10 kts, electric power 4,600 kW CREW 487 + 44 flag
WEAPONS
4 3-iii (76-mm)/50-cal Mk 33 AA in twin mounts
2 20-mm Mk 15 Mod 2 Phalanx Gatling-type CIWS HELICOPTER 1 SH-3 Sea King SENSORS
SPS^K) air-search radar
SPS-10 surface-search radar
local gunfire control only
SLQ-32(V) 2 EW system
