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The Blue Ridge class is the first and only class of amphibious command and control ships to be specifically designed as such from the keel up.
The Blue Ridge class resulted from almost seven years of planning and construction work. Under the designation SCB-248 , the hull of the Iwo Jima-class amphibious assault ship was used as the basis of the design due to the flight deck's ability to distance antennas to minimize interference between the ships' multiple communications systems and to the deck's ability to act as a ground plane; the LPH island was replaced with a small centralized superstructure.
As designed, the Blue Ridge class was capable of supporting the staff of both the Commander of an Amphibious Task Force and the staff of the Commanding General of the Landing Force. The ships were the most advanced joint amphibious command-and-control centers constructed at the time, due to their advanced computer systems, extensive communications package and modern surveillance and detection systems.
At the time of their commissionings, the ships of the Blue Ridge class had the distinction of carrying the world's most sophisticated electronics suites. It was said to be some thirty percent larger than that of the aircraft carrier USS John F. Kennedy, which had been the most complex. They were fitted with a "main battery" of computers, communications gear, and other electronic facilities to fulfill their mission as command ships. An advanced communications system was also an integral part of the ships' radical new design. Through an automated patch panel and computer controlled switching matrix her crew could use any combination of communication equipment desired.