A USS Blue Ridge sailor greets his family just moments after stepping off the ship at Yokosuka Naval Base, Japan, Tuesday, Aug. 20, 2024. (Alex Wilson/Stars and Stripes)
YOKOSUKA NAVAL BASE, Japan — Sailors in their dress whites manned the rails of the amphibious command ship USS Blue Ridge as it steamed into Tokyo Bay on Tuesday, concluding its longest deployment in five years.
More than 200 friends, family and coworkers gathered pierside around 5:30 p.m. to greet the Blue Ridge as it pulled into its homeport. Backed by lively music from the U.S. 7th Fleet Band, the crowd cheered and waved signs with messages like “Welcome Back Papa!” and “Together Again!” while sailors waved back from the ship’s deck.
The Blue Ridge — the Navy’s oldest operational warship and the 7th Fleet’s flagship — left for patrol on June 4 and over the next 77 days traveled nearly 10,000 nautical miles, with stops in Malaysia, Palau, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam, said commander Capt. Nicholas DeLeo.
During their port calls, the Blue Ridge’s crew, which includes 7th Fleet command elements, met with foreign dignitaries and military counterparts to discuss regional security and joint operations, DeLeo said pierside on Tuesday.
“It’s really just a chance to build on those allies and partnerships and just really focus on what kind of things can we do together in the future,” he said.
The Blue Ridge can act as a mobile command center during fleet operations, but during peacetime it often serves as an envoy for diplomatic and humanitarian efforts.
During the Manila stop, the head of 7th Fleet, Vice Adm. Fred Kacher, met with U.S. Ambassador to the Philippines MaryKay Carlson, Philippine fleet commander Rear Adm. Renato David and Lt. Gen. Arthur Cordura, vice chief of staff for the Philippines’ armed forces.
Kacher and Blue Ridge officers held similar meetings — sometimes referred to as “Big Top Receptions” — in Palau and Vietnam.
In Cam Ranh, Vietnam, DeLeo and other senior officers visited the site of a U.S. Army helicopter lost during the Vietnam War, which continues to be excavated by the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency.
The ship also joined the exercise Valiant Shield in the Philippine Sea alongside the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan and other 7th Fleet warships, June 7-18.
Sailors standby on Pier 9 to help moor the USS Blue Ridge at Yokosuka Naval Base, Japan, Tuesday, Aug. 20, 2024. (Alex Wilson/Stars and Stripes)
Friends and family hold up signs at Yokosuka Naval Base, Japan, as the USS Blue Ridge eturns home from a 77-day deployment, Tuesday, Aug. 20, 2024. (Alex Wilson/Stars and Stripes)
A USS Blue Ridge sailor kisses his partner moments after stepping off the ship at Yokosuka Naval Base, Japan, Tuesday, Aug. 20, 2024. (Alex Wilson/Stars and Stripes)
The Blue Ridge is well known for its numerous port calls; sailors sometimes call it the “admiral’s yacht” since it often visits exotic locales. But this year’s trip was just the second full deployment for the ship since 2019, when it visited 11 ports in nine countries over 114 days.
The Blue Ridge in 2020 made stops in Japan, South Korea and Thailand, but its deployment was cut short when the Navy curbed operations due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The ship last summer marked its first full deployment since the pandemic, with 40 days at sea and stops in Brunei, Indonesia, the Philippines and Singapore.
Such visits are often a first for the Blue Ridge crew, which includes more than 1,400 sailors. For Petty Officer 1st Class Lugene Johnson III, a culinary specialist, all seven of this year’s stops were a personal first.
“I’ve always heard that when you get a chance to go to the Blue Ridge, you go — you can’t pass that up — and I found out why,” Johnson, of Chicago, said pierside on Tuesday. “We hit a lot of amazing countries, and I found out what the Blue Ridge does; it was a great opportunity to see the partnerships being built.”
Beyond visits with foreign dignitaries, the crew also typically participates in community relations and volunteer events.
Petty Officer 2nd Class Kyndra Sisayaket, of Pascoe, Wash., said her role as a French horn musician with the 7th Fleet Band meant she could play in places she never dreamed of.
“We meet a bunch of people during these performances and just get to share music with everyone in these countries,” she said, adding that a concert in Thailand, where her family is originally from, was one of the most memorable moments.
Now that the Blue Ridge is home, the crew deserves some much-needed rest and relaxation, DeLeo said.
“[The Blue Ridge] is a ship that requires a lot of maintenance,” he said. “Now that we’re home, we can focus on some of those things, but I think reuniting with our families right now is first and foremost on our minds.”
