US Navy’s oldest operational ship, USS Blue Ridge, arrives on its first port visit to Hong Kong in three years
- Captain Eric Anduze says the crew of about 1,000 men and women will be able to explore the city
- US Navy’s Seventh Fleet band will also hold several public concerts, including at the Maritime Museum, Ocean Park and Disneyland
The oldest operational ship in the US Navy, the USS Blue Ridge, arrived in Hong Kong on Saturday on its first visit to the city in three years.
Captain Eric Anduze, commander of the 48-year-old warship, said the crew of about 1,000 men and women would be able to explore the city while some sailors would visit a home for the elderly and one for disabled adults.
“We have sailed these waters for a long time. We have been to Hong Kong several times, we’re excited to be back after a three-year hiatus,” Anduze said on board the US Seventh Fleet’s command and control ship, which was moored at the China Merchants Wharf in Kennedy Town.
The Seventh Fleet band will also hold several public concerts, including at the Maritime Museum, Ocean Park and Disneyland. “We look forward to engaging with your community and experiencing the culture in the next couple of days,” Anduze said.
The 194-metre (636-foot) Blue Ridge, which is based in Yokosuka, Japan, started this mission in early February as part of its work to provide mobile command and control capability throughout the Indo-Pacific. It visited cities in Japan, South Korea, Thailand, the Philippines and Malaysia before its port of call in Hong Kong.
The ship also sailed through the contested South China Sea during its trip, but Anduze stressed that it had done so in accordance with international law, amid Beijing’s objection to a US military presence in the disputed waters.
“As part of navigation we not only encountered the Chinese navy, but also several other navies throughout our time,” he said. “I can tell you every interaction I’ve had with every single navy has been safe and professional. We follow the rules, and follow international laws.”
As the oldest operational vessel of the US navy, the 19,000-tonne flagship had undergone major maintenance in the past three years, Anduze said.
The ship’s communications and network system was completely refurbished.
Beijing tried to block Philippine military facilities on disputed island ‘over fears US could use them’
“Its capabilities are leaps and bounds over what we had before. It provides commanders of the Seventh Fleet with the ability to conduct exercises, real war operations and communicate with the fleet without hesitation from anywhere in the world, pierside or at sea,” he said.
The ship will stay for several days in Hong Kong but future operations have not been disclosed for security reasons. The Blue Ridge last visited Hong Kong in April 2016.
Many of the sailors were in Hong Kong for the first time.
Ensign Bishop, 23, who was on his first mission, said he was most excited about Hong Kong among all of the cities he had visited.
“I’m excited about the authentic food here … It’s really pretty,” said Bishop, who has been in the navy for 11 months.
