The photo below was taken by William Chiu when USS BLUE RIDGE visited Hong Kong in April 1989. Three aircrew were recovered by a Japan Air Self-Defense Force UH-60 search and rescue helicopter, and the other two were recovered by a USS Blue Ridge MH-60S helicopter. Toggle navigation. On Monday, 1 October 1973, the U.S. Embassy in Moscow was notified that the Soviet trawler AGI Kursograph found an American sailor in Blue Ridge's operation area and the ensign was returned safely to Blue Ridge the next day after diplomatic negotiations. Tom Demerly served in an intelligence gathering unit as a member of the U.S. Army and Michigan National Guard. Five aircrew were rescued after their MH-60S helicopter went down in the Philippine Sea Jan. 25. The tremendous torque from the tug could have pulled Mr. Wright through the chock, ripping him apart. The evolution, assessed by Commander, Engineering Assessments Pacific with assistance from Afloat Training Group Western Pacific, evaluated the programs, standard operating procedures, equipment, and emergency . Blue Ridge received 15 Navy "E" Ribbon awards from 1977 to 2010. YOKOSUKA, Japan (NNS) -- U.S. 7th Fleet flagship USS Blue Ridge (LCC 19) held a change of command ceremony on the ship's main deck Nov. 16. The U.S. Navy said that, The MH-60 assigned to Blue Ridge went down while conducting routine operations at approximately 5:15 p.m. local time on Jan. 25, 2020. 230105-N-GU321-1085 YOKOSUKA, Japan (Jan. 5, 2023) Hull Maintenance Technician 2nd Class Ryan Misuraca, from Las Vegas, brazes a potable water pipe in the hull technician shop aboard U.S. 7th Fleet flagship USS Blue Ridge (LCC 19), Jan. 5, 2023. 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. Her IMO number is 1 and MMSI number is 369970669. The leg of Seaman Steven Wright, 21, from Pine Bluff, Ark., became tangled in a loop of the messenger line which, under extreme tension from the tug, dragged Mr. Wright across the deck and pulled his leg into a "chock," an oval opening about a foot long and eight inches wide through which ropes pass. USS BLUE RIDGE is the third ship in the Navy named after the Blue Ridge Mountains in the eastern United States. The MH-60S was operating from 7th Fleet command ship USS Blue Ridge (LCC-19) when it went down about 5:15 p.m. local time, read a statement from the Navy. The Independence, Missouri Police Department is investigating two different fatal crashes along the same stretch of highway Wednesday. "They say that if I want to, I can run a marathon. Additional port visits were planned, but in late March 1972, as Blue Ridge prepared at White Beach, Okinawa for exercise Golden Dragon, North Vietnam invaded South Vietnam across the Vietnamese Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) on 30 March 1972 in their Easter Offensive. # Join us LIVE at the Halifax International Security Forum this Saturday! [18], After completing degaussing in the deperming facility at Ballast Point, on 7 January 1972, Blue Ridge departed home port San Diego and steamed to Pearl Harbor for deployment on the ship's first WestPac, with port visits at Guam, Sasebo, Japan, White Beach, Okinawa, Subic Bay, Hong Kong and Singapore. Last New Year's Eve he reported to his ship, the USS Blue Ridge, the flagship of the admiral commanding the 7th Fleet. YOKOSUKA, Japan - Capt. Read More , Member Services call 800-233-8764 or 410-268-6110, Former 7th Fleet Logistics Chief Sentenced to 30-Months in Fat Leonard Bribery Case, Crew Blameless for 2021 MH-60S Crash Aboard USS Abraham Lincoln, New Investigation Finds, Navy Recovers Helicopter, 5 Sailors Killed in Crash that Prompted Pause in Flight Operations, Retired CPO Gets Prison in Continuing Federal Probe into Fat Leonard Navy Corruption Scandal, Navy MH-60S Helicopter Crashes in the Philippine Sea off Okinawa, Crew Rescued, VIDEO: USS Mount Whitney Brings 6th Fleet Autonomy, Flexibility of Command at Sea, USNI News Fleet and Marine Tracker: July 8, 2019, USNI News Fleet and Marine Tracker: July 1, 2019, USNI News Fleet and Marine Tracker: June 24, 2019, USNI News Fleet and Marine Tracker: June 17, 2019. As a whole, this operation was fast-paced and entirely successful, said Bryan Blake, SUPSALVs Deep Ocean Program Manager. Sam LaGrone is the editor of USNI News. [22] As CTU 76.0.1, escorted by USSJohn Paul Jones, Blue Ridge conducted special operations in the Tonkin Gulf in Operation Venture Road. But in an age that thinks the phrase "good news" is an oxymoron, it is well to be reminded that the American population is leavened by a lot of people like the slender, unprepossessing young man propped up in bed on his elbows, unself-conscious about the neatly bandaged stumps of his legs. Read More , These are the approximate positions of the U.S. Navys deployed carrier strike groups and amphibious ready groups throughout the world as of June 17, 2019, based on Navy and public data. According to a report in the U.S. Your #1 source for USS Blue Ridge (LCC-19) shirts, hoodies, jackets, and much more! [11] U.S. Navy long-range communications were heavily reliant on high frequency radio systems in the 1970s and have evolved to predominantly satellite communications in the 2000s. Leaves Ballast Point (S.D.) Detailed information from the reference resource naval-technology.com said that the MH-60S, uses the baseline structure of the Black Hawk with Seahawk T-700-GE-401C engines, hover-in-flight refueling and fuel dumping. The helicopter, a twin-engine Sikorsky Seahawk, crashed into the Pacific Ocean last year while operating from the amphibious command ship USS Blue Ridge (LCC-19). Direct communications with Admiral Whitmire and 9th MAB Rear were sporadic, at best, requiring a continuous relay by the C-130 Airborne Battlefield Command and Control Center. 2023 Wall Calendar - CLICK HERE. A 2009 photo showing Blue Ridge's clean topside configuration, various SATCOM antennas and a view of both embarked helicopters in their parking spots. HullNumber.com does not retain your payment information if you make a purchase. This was their first time. Indeed, along [], An interesting shot of an F/A-18E Super Hornet carrying double GBU-31 JDAMs payload. lenni lenape symbols. It is likely that most veterans who served on Amphibious Warships built prior to the 1970s were exposed to some level of asbestos, leaving them susceptible to mesothelioma. It was a good assignment for a young man attracted to the Navy by a desire for travel: The 7th Fleet operates from the international dateline to the east coast of Africa. [13], Upon entry to the Strait of Magellan, Blue Ridge took on a passage pilot from the Chilean Navy for the transit. This ability to access information from military and civilian sources throughout the world gives BLUE RIDGE a global command and control capability unparalleled in Naval history. Timothy Waits relieved Capt. Reference: (a) Cincpac despatch 102102 of Dec., 1941. Read More , These are the approximate positions of the U.S. Navys deployed carrier strike groups and amphibious ready groups throughout the world as of July 8, 2019, based on Navy and public data. In 1979 USS BLUE RIDGE changed homeport to Yokosuka, Japan and has served as the flagship of Commander, US Seventh Fleet. Cope North 23: Trilateral Integration at Iwo Jima Strengthens capabilities, Submarine Group 7 Hosts Trilateral Theater Anti-Submarine Warfare Tabletop Exercise and Working Group in Yokosuka, Joint Statement on Advancing the U.S.-Mongolia Economic Partnership, Ambassador Chungs Remarks at Relaunch of the Sri Lanka-U.S. 99. Blue Ridge spent two nights in north Vietnamese waters off the coast of Vinh and Hon Matt before departing for Manila in the Philippines. FILE - In this file image from video provided by the U.S. Navy, the guided-missile destroyer USS Porter (DDG 78) launches a tomahawk land attack missile in the Mediterranean Sea, on April 7, 2017 . Working with our network of allies and partners ensures a #FreeandOpenIndoPacifi Adm. Phil Davidson at the Halifax International Security Forum in Nova Scotia. Tragic accident. With failure to find him on 28 September 1973, a search and rescue operation commenced without success. Join the Military Home Join Now About Hullnumber Before You Register Tell A Shipmate FAQs Related Links Contact Us. Additionally, the USS Blue Ridge accident involving a helicopter crash would throw the ship's crew into search and rescue mode. [19] After 7 days in Subic, Blue Ridge returned to the Gulf of Tonkin until 18 July 1972 and was then ordered to the Philippines for typhoon relief along with Tripoli, Juneau, Alamo, and Cayuga. Blue - Action during December 7 Air Raid, Report of. He has covered legislation, acquisition and operations for the Sea Services since 2009 and spent time underway with the U.S. Navy, U.S. Marine Corps and the Canadian Navy. The helicopter, a twin-engine Sikorsky Seahawk, crashed into the Pacific Ocean last year while operating from the amphibious command ship USS Blue Ridge (LCC-19). [8][17], From 1972 until 1979, Blue Ridge deployed to the Western Pacific on 6 WestPacs, as the flagship of the Commander Amphibious Force, Seventh Fleet. After graduation, the commitment he made when he joined the Navy ROTC at UNC took him to Newport, R.I., for six months at the surface warfare officers school. Blue Ridge acted as amphibious task force and landing force flagship for the major amphibious training exercise of the year, ROPEVAL WESTCO (3-71), from 816 September. Two aircrew returned by U.S. Navy helicopter to USS Blue Ridge (LCC 19). Japan Air Self-Defense Force, Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force, Japanese Coast Guard, USS America (LHA 6), USS Blue Ridge (LCC 19) and the U.S. Air Force all participated in the search and rescue. [9], Blue Ridge was the lead ship of her class and represented almost seven years of planning and construction work. The MH-60S uses the Seahawk rescue hoist for search and rescue missions and the naval cockpit doors. An extremely refined communications system was also an integral part of the ship's radical new design. Why did he act as he did? Department of Defense photo # DN-SN-84-09734 by PH1 James Franzen, USN. . Read More , These are the approximate positions of the U.S. Navys deployed carrier strike groups and amphibious ready groups throughout the world as of June 24, 2019, based on Navy and public data. Operation Frequent Wind - A South Vietnamese helicopter pilot and his family, safely aboard the USS Hancock, are escorted by a Marine Security Guard to the refugee area during an evacuation, Saigon, Viet Nam, April 29, 1975. . General Miller and the 9th Marine Amphibious Brigade (9th MAB) staff were ordered to remain on Blue Ridge for combat or evacuation operations. While undergoing repairs, the war ended and eliminated the need for further service. AD. Link Disclaimer YOKOSUKA, Japan -- U.S. 7th Fleet flagship, USS Blue Ridge (LCC-19) commemorates her 50th anniversary on Nov. 14. HMS Curacoa was a C-class light cruiser built. In July 1972, they moved to USSPaul Revere and when Blue Ridge returned to the United States, detachment analysts relocated to the Naval Communications Station, San Miguel, near San Antonio, Zambales, Philippines. ", On 24 February 1973, Blue Ridge left San Diego for Pearl Harbor (23 March) and her second WestPac, with liberty port visits of Sasebo (714 June), Yokosuka (25 July-5 Aug), White Beach (1531 March, 11 April, 16 Aug, 4-19 Sept), Hong Kong (712 May), Subic (26 March-5 April, 22-26 Sept, 7-8 Oct), Manila, Singapore (24-29 Aug) and Chilung (15 June). A good young man from a good family and a good community did something admirable. On 3 April 1972, Commander in Chief of the Pacific Fleet (CinCPac) Admiral John S. McCain Jr. cancelled Exercise Golden Dragon. What happened next happened very fast. The USS BLUE RIDGE (LCC-19), is the first of two Blue Ridge class command ships. [25][57] Blue Ridge received Humanitarian Service Medals for two different operations in 1980 and 1984 for rescuing Vietnamese boat people. The officer inspecting the parade greeted the sailors, to which the sailors responded with a Russian-style threefold loud Ura. [19][25][53][54], Blue Ridge may have earned the Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal for six months of service off South Vietnam from February to July 1972 as listed by NavSource.org. A search and rescue operation was launched after the MH-60S helicopter crashed around 4:30 p.m. about 60 nautical miles off San Diego, the Navy's U.S. Pacific Fleet said in an initial statement. [32], After the end of the Battle of Xun Lc on 21 April, President Thieu resigned and fled into exile and North Vietnamese forces surrounded Saigon. No FEAR Act Mechanical failure of the second boat had left the 37 adrift well short of the shipping lane. The principal speaker at the ceremony was John W. Warner, Under Secretary of the Navy and later Senator from Virginia. 11 Feb Steams from Philly Naval Shipyard to San Diego, Shellback Initiation - 26 FEB 1971 - Atlantic Ocean, Sails with Mt Whitney off Norfork (Super 8 film), Port call Rio de Janeiro Brazil 4-6 March. Arriving on the crash site March 17, the team began recovery operations. In this 18,500 ton ship are found the facilities to direct and manage every phase of command and control operations. Commissioned in the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard on Nov. 14, 1970 . The MH-60S Knighthawk helicopter is a variant of the Blackhawk family of military helicopters. Stern view of Blue Ridge in Dry Dock, 1992. LCC-19 USS Blue Ridge, Blue Ridge class Command ship, US Navy history and characteristics. N.F. Officials later said that one crewmember had been rescued and "search efforts continue for five additional crewmembers." USS Blue Ridge (LLC-19), now the oldest ship in the U.S. Navy's operational fleet, has just has just emerged from an extended dry-dock maintenance and upgrade period at its home port in.