Now, more about the Blue Ridge class itself.
Two were built.
USS Blue Ridge, LCC-19 Launch: January 1969 Commission: November 1970 Status: Active
USS Mount Whitney, LCC-20. Launch: January 1970 Commission: January 1971 Status: Active
Blue Ridge serves as the command flagship of the US 7th fleet in the Pacific. Mount Whitney serves as command flagship for the US 6th Fleet in Europe.
USS Blue Ridge, LCC-19, US 7th Fleet command flagship
USS Mount Whitney, LCC-20, US 6th Fleet command flagship
They are both dedicated command ships and were originally designed in the 1960s specifically to act as command ships for large Amphibious Assault task forces.
However, with the advent of the large Tarawa, and then Wasp large Amphibious assault vessels which had their own extensive command spaces, these ships were tasked towards being overall fleet flagships. They now serve as floating headquarters ships for all of the various combatant commands that make up those fleets.
To do this, they have all the communications and sensor equipment necessary to provide command, control, communications, computers, and intelligence (C4I) support to the fleet command staff in real time.
They are large vessels, displacing right at 20,000 tons and being 635 feet long with a 108 foot beam. They have a crew of 52 officers and 790 enlisted personnel, but also include a command staff of almost 200 officers and another 120 enlisted personnel.
They have a range of 10,000 miles and can cruise at 23 knots.
They are fairly well armed for defensive purposes with the following:
2 × Mk-15 Phalanx CIWS guns
2 × Mk-38 Mod 2 25 mm Bushmaster cannons
8 × .50 cal. Machine gun mounts
Mark 36 SRBOC chaff launchers
They carry two helicopters, generally Seahawks, but have no hanger.
The Blue Ridge has the distinction of being the longest forward deployed vessel in US history, having been forward deployed to Japan for 35 years.
She was launched in 1969 and is expected to serve in the Pacific until 2039.
Please post pictures, videos, and news about modern command flagship vessels like the Blue Ridge Class. Another vessle like this that I can think of off the top of my head are the old Russian/Soviet, nuclear powered command ships, the Kaputsa, SV-33.
I will let someone else detail that ship here and her fate.