Forget Aircraft Carriers: The Blue Ridge-Class Is 1 of Navy's Most Vital Warships Ever

Summary and What You Need to Know: The Blue Ridge-class amphibious command and control ships, designed as communications hubs for amphibious forces, have been in service since 1970. Only two vessels of this class were ever built: the USS Blue Ridge and USS Mount Whitney.

-Despite their age, these ships continue to serve due to upgrades provided by the Extended Service Life Program (ESLP), which modernizes their systems to support current missions.

-Bottomline: Initially renowned for their advanced electronics, these ships were equipped with the most sophisticated systems of their time, contributing to their longevity and continued relevance in the U.S. Navy's fleet.

Much attention is paid to prominent navy vessels, like the aircraft carrier, battleship, and littoral combat ship. But the Navy fleet is populated with a myriad of support vessels, many of which are lesser known.

One such vessel is the Blue Ridge-class amphibious command and control ship. As the name implies, the Blue Ridge was designed to serve as a communications hub for amphibious forces.

The Blue Ridge has been in service since 1970, making it one of the longest-tenured vessels in the Navy. Today, the two completed Blue Ridges are still serving, the only examples of the class ever built.

Blue Ridge-Class: Continuous Command and Control

The Blue Ridge was designed, in the middle of the Vietnam War, to give Navy and Marine Corps commanders the ability to command and control. The Blue Ridge is the only ship in the Navy inventory to be designed specifically as an amphibious command ship. The design was meant to address a deficiency of preceding designs, namely the lack of speed that prevented early amphibious command ships from keeping up with the rest of the 20-knot amphibious force.

Two Blue Ridge vessels were completed. The first was the USS Blue Ridge, commissioned in late 1970 after being built in the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard. The second was the USS Mount Whitney, commissioned in the first weeks of 1971. The Blue Ridge was named the Seventh Fleet command ship in 1979 while the Mount Whitney became the Second Fleet command ship in 1981, and later, the Sixth Fleet command ship in 2005.

Despite serving since the early 1970s, the US Navy opted to extend the service lives of both Blue-Ridge vessels in 2011. Accordingly, both vessels are being put through an NAVSEA and Military Sealift Command Extended Service Life Program (ESLP). The ESLP is geared towards bringing the Cold War vessels up to modern standards, so that the vessels may support any variety of mission that the fleet may need to participate in. “The program provides for the repair and overhaul of systems/equipment, replacement of obsolete equipment to be included in an extended service life program,” Military.com reported. “Major areas of improvement will be shipboard electrical generation and distribution, HVAC upgrades, operational space optimization, habitability and safety modifications, and corrosion control.”

The upgrades will go a long way towards restoring the reputation of the Blue Ridge; when the two ships were first commissioned, they were regarded as having the world’s most advanced electronics suites – each being thirty percent larger than the electronics suite found on the USS John F. Kennedy. Indeed, the Blue Ridge electronics suite was built around a hub of computer and communications gear that was integral to the ship’s mission. The initial advancement and sophistication of the Blue Ridge’s electronics suite is likely what allowed the vessels to serve for so long; they were ahead of their time.

About the Author: Harrison Kass 

Harrison Kass is a defense and national security writer with over 1,000 total pieces on issues involving global affairs. An attorney, pilot, guitarist, and minor pro hockey player, Harrison joined the US Air Force as a Pilot Trainee but was medically discharged. Harrison holds a BA from Lake Forest College, a JD from the University of Oregon, and an MA from New York University. Harrison listens to Dokken.

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