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NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive

USS Blue Ridge (AGC-2)

International Radio Call Sign:
November - Tango - Alpha - Echo NTAE

Awards, Citations and Campaign Ribbons

Precedence of awards is from top to bottom, left to right
Top Row - China Service Medal (extended)
Second Row - American Campaign Medal - Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal (2) - World War II Victory Medal
Third Row - Navy Occupation Service Medal (with Asia clasp) - Philippines Presidential Unit Citation - Philippines Liberation Medal (2)

Appalachian Class Amphibious Force Command Ship:

Laid down, 4 December 1942, as a Maritime Commission type (C2-S-B1) hull, under Maritime Commission contract (MC hull 201) at Federal Shipbuilding and Dry Dock, Kearny, N.J.

Launched, 7 March 1943

Transferred to the US Navy, 15 March 1943

Commissioned USS Blue Ridge (AGC-2), 27 September 1943, LCDR. L. R. McDowell in command

During World War II USS Blue Ridge was assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific Theater and participated in the following campaigns:

Campaign and Dates	Campaign and Dates
Asiatic-Pacific Campaigns
Leyte operation Leyte landings, 13 to 30 October 1944	Luzon operation Lingayen Gulf landings, 9 to 14 January 1945

Following World War II USS Blue Ridge was assigned to Occupation and China service in the Far East for the following periods:

Navy Occupation Service Medal	China Service Medal (extended)
23 September 1945 to 24 February 1946	23 September 1945 to 24 February 1946

USS Blue Ridge (AGC-2) was assigned to Joint Task Force 1, Task Unit 1.3.3 Transportation Group (Observation Units) for Operation Crossroads the atomic bomb tests at Bikini Atoll in July 1946

Decommissioned, 14 March 1947

Struck from the Naval Register, 1 January 1960

USS Blue Ridge earned two battle stars for World War II service

Title transferred to the Maritime Administration, 26 August 1960

Final Disposition, sold for scrapping, 18 August 1960, to Zidell Explorations, Inc., Portland, OR. (PD-X-583 dated 22 July 1960) for $91,138.83, withdrawn from the US Naval Reserve Fleet, San Diego Group, 26 August 1960

Specifications:
Displacement 7,431 t.(lt) 13,910 t.(fl)
Length 459' 3"
Beam 63'
Draft 24'
Speed 16.4 kts.

Armament

two single 5"/38 cal dual purpose gun mounts

four twin 40mm AA gun mounts

eighteen single 20mm AA gun mounts

Complement

36 Officers

442 Enlisted

Staff Accommodations

Officers 128

Enlisted 334

Largest Boom Capacity 15 t.
Fuel Capacities

NSFO 23,499 Bbls

Diesel 665 Bbls

Propulsion

one General Electric geared steam turbine

two Combustion Engineering boilers, 465psi 765°

double General Electric Main Reduction Gears

single propeller, 6,000shp

Ship's Service Generators

four turbo-drive 300Kw 120V/240V D.C.

one Diesel-drive 100Kw 450V A.C.

Click On Image For Full Size Image	Size	Image Description	Contributed By
10010230	70k	*Namesake* Blue Ridge - Blue Ridge mountains are a physiographic province of the larger Appalachian Mountains range. The mountain range is located in the eastern United States, and extends 550 miles southwest from southern Pennsylvania through Maryland, West Virginia, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Georgia. Clouds breaking up after a rainy morning in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Photo taken from the Deep Gap overlook on the Blue Ridge Parkway in western North Carolina, 2 July 2007, by Ken Thomas. (Wikipedia)	Tommy Trampp
	62k	*USS Blue Ridge* (AGC-2)** underway, date and location unknown. US Navy photo.	Robert Hurst.
	62k	*USS Blue Ridge* (AGC-2)** underway, October 1943, location unknown.
	78k	*USS Blue Ridge* (AGC-2)** underway, 6 October 1943, location unknown. To gain the necessary internal space, her hull was built up one deck between her two goalpost masts. Note the two whaleboats in davits; in service such ships carried only standard landing craft. Note also the freighter booms retained even though the hatches they served (fore and aft of the forward kingposts and forward of the after kingposts) had been plated over. US Navy Bureau of Ships photo and text from "U.S. Amphibious Ships and Craft: An Illustrated Design History" by Norman Friedman.	Robert Hurst
10010232	82k	Aerial port view of *USS Blue Ridge* (AGC-2)** underway, 16 December 1943. The lattice mast amidships supports a powerful SK air search radar antenna. Other electronics are mounted on the goalpost masts fore and aft. Note the single 5"/38 guns on the bow and stern. Two twin 40mm Bofors AA guns are mounted above the aft 5" gun and two single 20mm AA guns can be seen abreast of each goalpost mast. Naval Historical Collection, Australia War Memorial	John Spivey.
Summons	548k	This group of photographs records the visit of Neptunus Rex and Davey Jones paid to *USS Blue Ridge* (AGC-2)**, 17 November 1943, while the ship was underway in the Pacific. Appropriate ceremonies were conducted to initiated all Polliwogs making them Shellbacks. Something they will remember all of their life.	Michael Patrick for his father John J. Patrick, RT/3c USS Blue Ridge 1943-1945
CAPT, McDowell and BMC Rogers	400k
BMC Rogers	356k
Ready Aim Fire	356k
Before King Neptune	555k
The nipple not the finger	314k
A shot of meds from the Doc.	303k
Oooh! That awful stuff	372k
A shot of xxx dam stuff	426k
Some of Worlds best barbers!	332k
Through the tunnel of whacks	490k
Whack him again!	351k
I finally made it!	451k
Certificate - Domain of Neptunus Rex	625k
	110k	*USS Russell* (DD-414) and USS Blue Ridge(AGC-2) during a refueling evolution in San Pedro Bay, Philippines. Russell approaches Blue Ridge on her starboard side and ties up on Blue Ridges port side to take on fuel. Direct quotes for USS Blue Ridge** log: "Monday 23 October 1944 0000 – 0400 Anchored in berth E2, San Pedro Bay, Leyte Island, Philippines, in 10 fathoms of water, with 30 fathoms of chain out to port anchor. 1200 – 1600 1238 U.S.S. Russell moored alongside to port for fuel. 1252 Commenced fueling U.S.S. Russell. 1600 – 1800 Anchored as before. 1600 Completed fueling U.S.S. Russell, having received 46000 gallons of fuel oil. 1750 U.S.S. Russell cast off and got underway.”	Michael Patrick for his father John J. Patrick, RT3/c, USS Blue Ridge 1943 to 1945 and Edwin H. Klump Jr., LTjg, USS Russell
	155k
	215k
	246k
	143k	*USS Blue Ridge* (AGC-2)** at anchor, date and location unknown.	Michael Patrick for his father John J. Patrick, RT3/c USS Blue Ridge 1943 to 1945.
	76k
	359k	*USS Blue Ridge* (AGC-2)** at anchor, circa 1943-45, location unknown. Looking forward from the superstructure. Note the two boats cradled on the main deck.	Michael Patrick for his father John J. Patrick RT/3c, USS Blue Ridge 1943-1945.
	422k	*USS Blue Ridge* (AGC-2)** at anchor, circa 1943-45, location unknown. Looking forward with a view of the two empty v-shaped boat cradles on the main deck. Note the winches on deck and the 20mm AA gun mounts port and starboard and the bow mounted 5"/38 cal dual purpose gun mount.	Michael Patrick for his father John J. Patrick RT/3c, USS Blue Ridge 1943-1945.
	330k	*USS Blue Ridge* (AGC-2)** mainmast and signal bridge.	Michael Patrick for his father John J. Patrick RT/3c, USS Blue Ridge 1943-1945.
	92k	*USS Blue Ridge* (AGC-2)** boats in the water. LCVP #4 along with several of the ship's other boats alongside an unidentified PT boat, date and location unknown.	Michael Patrick for his father John J. Patrick RT/3c, USS Blue Ridge 1943-1945.
	274k
10010231	582k	*USS Blue Ridge* (AGC-2)** in a convoy enroute to Leyte, Philippine Islands, 1 January 1945, for the M-1 operation. US National Archives Identifier 80662621 - US Army Signal Corps photo # 265243	David Upton
	168k	*USS Blue Ridge* (AGC-2)** at anchor on the Whangpoo River at Shanghai, China, circa January-February 1946.	Daniel A. Guntin MMOM3/c USS Wasatch USS LCI(L)-970
	64k	*USS Blue Ridge* (AGC-2) moored astern of USS Mount Olympus (AGC-8)** at anchor in the Whangpoo River, Shanghai, China, 14 January 1946.	Greg Hook for his uncle Wilson J. Hill RM3/c USS Olympus

USS Blue Ridge (AGC-2)
Dictionary of American Navy Fighting Ships (DANFS)

Commanding Officers
01	LCDR. Mc Dowell, Lewis Richard :RADM (USNA NG)	27 September 1943 - 12 December 1944
02	CAPT. Brumbaugh, Heber Byron USN (USNA 1921-A)	12 December 1944 - 2 March 1945
03	CAPT. Criddle, Clement Robert USN (USNA 1925)	2 March 1945 - 1 October 1946
04	LT. Bryan, John Irvin USN (USNA 1944)	1 October 1946 - 14 March 1947


Courtesy Wolfgang Hechler and Ron Reeves

Crew Contact And Reunion Information
U.S. Navy Memorial Foundation - Navy Log

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This page is created and maintained by Gary P. Priolo

Last Updated 13 May 2022