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Amphibious command ship USS Mount Whitney (LCC-20)

Amphibious command ship USS Mount Whitney (LCC-20) 0Amphibious command ship USS Mount Whitney (LCC-20) 1Amphibious command ship USS Mount Whitney (LCC-20) 2Amphibious command ship USS Mount Whitney (LCC-20) 3Amphibious command ship USS Mount Whitney (LCC-20) 4

Classification

Ship class:
Blue Ridge-class command ship
Type:
Command ship

Basic information

Namesake:
Mount Whitney is the tallest mountain in California
Operator:
United States NavyUnited States Navy
Country of build:
Builder:
Newport News Shipbuilding (NNS)Newport News Shipbuilding (NNS)
Ordered:
Laid down:
Launched:
Commissioned (service):
Status:
Active
MMSI number:
111853581

Ship measurements

Displacement:
18,400 t
Length:
189 m
Beam (waterline):
33 m
Draft:
9 m

Machine

Propulsion:
  • 2 * boilers
  • 1 * geared turbine
  • 1 * shaft
  • 22,000 hp (16,000 kW)
Speed:
23 knots
Range:
13,000 nmi (24,000 km; 15,000 mi) at 16 knots (30 km/h)

Personnel

Complement:
325
Total capacity:
930

Combat assets

Electronics:

Mark 36 SRBOC chaff rockets

Armament:
  • 2 * Phalanx CIWS
  • 2 * 25 mm Bushmaster cannons
  • 4 * 0.5 in (12.7 mm) machine guns
Aircraft:

1 * helicopter, currently a MH-60S Knight Hawk

USS Mount Whitney (LCC/JCC 20) is a Blue Ridge-class command ship of the United States Navy under the Military Sealift Command; it is the flagship of the United States Sixth Fleet. She is also the command and control ship for the Commander Joint Command Lisbon and the Commander Striking Force NATO. She had previously served for years as the COMSTRIKFLTLANT(NATO Designation) / US Second Fleet's command ship.

The ship is named for Mount Whitney, a peak in the Sierra Nevada mountain range of California. Mount Whitney is the highest summit in the contiguous United States with an elevation of 14,505 feet (4,421 m).

Alleged to be the most sophisticated Command, Control, Communications, Computer, and Intelligence (C4I) ship ever commissioned, Mount Whitney incorporates various elements of the most advanced C4I equipment and gives the embarked Joint Task Force Commander the capability to effectively command all units under his or her command.

Mount Whitney can transmit and receive large amounts of secure data to and from any point on earth through HF, UHF, VHF, and SHF (satellite communications) communications channels. This electronic technology enables the Joint Intelligence Center and Joint Operations Center to provide the most timely intelligence and operational support available in the Navy.

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