In pictures, USS Blue Ridge appears in South China Sea

The American command ship USS Blue Ridge (LCC19) and missile destroyer Chung-Hoon (DDG93) appear in the South China Sea on Wednesday May 29, 2013. The US navy is currently cruising in the South China Sea, the Philippine Sea, the Java Sea, and the Straits of Malacca. It also is working with the navies of Japan, Indonesia, Cambodia and other countries in exchanges of military personnel and joint training. The Blue Ridge is the lead ship of the two Blue Ridge-class command ships of the US Navy, and the command ship of the United States Seventh Fleet. [Photo: huanqiu.com]

The Blue Ridge (LCC 19) is the lead ship of the two Blue Ridge-class command ships of the US Navy, and the command ship of the United States Seventh Fleet. It was constructed on February 27, 1967 and commissioned on November 14, 1970. As the largest command ship since World War II, the Blue Ridge is a command and control facility integrating sea, air and land operations during amphibious warfare. [Photo: huanqiu.com]

Japan Coast Guard personnel onboard the USS Blue Ridge on Wednesday, May 29, 2013 listen to a US sailor explaining the ship's performance.The Blue Ridge is the lead ship of the two Blue Ridge-class command ships of the US Navy, and the command ship of the United States Seventh Fleet. [Photo: huanqiu.com]

A US soldier talks with Indonesian navigators on the USS Blue Ridge on Wednesday, May 29, 2013. The Blue Ridge is the lead ship of the two Blue Ridge-class command ships of the US Navy, and the command ship of the United States Seventh Fleet. [Photo: huanqiu.com]

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