Lot 5270

Description

USS Blue Ridge LCC-19 plaque, in brass (173mm), marked in ink on reverse, 'Sydney/1992', with two screw holes on reverse for fitting. Very fine.

USS Blue Ridge (LCC-19), an Amphibious Command and Control (LCC) ship was put 'in commission special' on 14 November 1970. She is the lead ship of two Blue Ridge class command ships of the USN and is command ship providing command, control, communications, computers and intelligence support to the commander and staff of the US Seventh Fleet. She is the oldest deployable warship of the USN and is expected to stay in service until 2039. USS Blue Ridge entered Sydney Harbour on 1 May 1992 as part of the combined fleet of Australian and American warships at the start of the 50th Anniversary of the Battle of the Coral Sea. This was the conclusion of Exercise Coral Sea 92 which was conducted off Australia's east coast from 22 April until early May involving 16 ships and submarines, 90 aircraft and more than 8,000 sailors and airmen.