Inside the flagship of the US Seventh Fleet USS Blue Ridge
The flagship of the US Seventh Fleet, the largest forward-deployed fleet in the world, has sailed into Trinity Inlet as its crew get some much needed rest and relaxation in the Tropical North.
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The flagship of the US Seventh Fleet, the largest forward-deployed fleet in the world, has sailed into Trinity Inlet as its crew get some much needed rest and relaxation in the Tropical North.
The USS Blue Ridge arrived on its first visit to Cairns since 2013 on Wednesday as part of a routine port stop for supplies and to provide crew some time on land.
Commanding Officer Nicholas Deleo said it had been ten years since the vessel has made port in Australia.
“We embarked on a patrol with the Seventh Fleet and we are here on a stop to enjoy the sights, replenish, refuel and reconstitute our ship before we continue on patrol,” he said.
The imposing vessel has a displacement of 19,000 tonnes and measures 194 metres long and 33 metres wide.
CO Deleo said he had just over 1000 crew on board, made up of ships company and Seventh Fleet staff tasked with co-ordinating a fleet of 50-70 ships and over 100 aircraft.
The US Seventh Fleet staff aboard USS Blue Ridge have a primary mission of providing operational control and planning.
“This is one of two ships in the class with the US Navy,” he said.
“It is a C5I platform which stands for command, control, communications, computers, cyber and intelligence so we provide support in all those areas to the commander of the Seventh Fleet, who is basically in charge of all the naval forces in the Western Pacific.”
CO Deleo said the USS Blue Ridge is the oldest operational ship in the US navy.
“We have been involved in many operations in this part of the world for the past 55 years including the Vietnam War,” he said.
“We were recently able to reunite with a refugee that this ship picked up at sea back in the early 80s so this ship has been through operations and we are still going strong.”
He said military ties between Australia and the US remain important and strong.
“The Australian and US military teams have worked together in pretty much every conflict and time of crisis for the past over 100 years dating back to World War I,” he said.
“We have many commonalities and we are going to continue to work with each other as much as we can.”
CO Deleo said Cairns was a strong part of that co-operation.
“This is a port that we have been to throughout our history,” he said.
“It’s an extremely important port for us to operate in the Coral Sea and beyond and be able to continue to maintain our relationship.”
Cairns will serve as a short stop for Blue Ridge as the ship brings fuel and supplies on board.
“The Seventh Fleet, the U.S. Navy’s largest forward-deployed fleet, began its storeyed history in Queensland 82 years ago when the US Western and Southwestern Pacific naval forces were reorganised as the Seventh Fleet,” US Consul General in Sydney Christine Elder said.
“The arrival of USS Blue Ridge represents the Seventh Fleet’s homecoming in Cairns, as well as the continued collaboration in the Indo-Pacific region.”
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Originally published as Inside the flagship of the US Seventh Fleet USS Blue Ridge
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