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Blue Ridge Earns 2008 Battle "E" Award

Navy NewsStand

Story Number: NNS090219-14
Release Date: 2/19/2009 12:37:00 PM

By Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class (SW) Peter D. Lawlor, USS Blue Ridge Public Affairs

PACIFIC OCEAN (NNS) -- After a year of hard work, training, and validations the amphibious command and control flagship USS Blue Ridge (LCC 19) received an official naval message Feb. 18 announcing they earned the Battle Effectiveness Award (Battle E) for sustained superior performance during 2008.

Blue Ridge Commanding Officer Capt. Thom W. Burke gladly relayed the message to the crew.

"It is a tremendous accomplishment for Blue Ridge to get all five Command Excellence Awards culminating in the Battle E", said Burke. "I'm extraordinarily proud of a crew whose enthusiasm, sound fundamentals, and technical proficiency, has earned them this fine award."

To earn a Battle E a ship has to exhibit superior performance in five different areas of excellence covering each aspect of daily shipboard operations. These areas are; maritime warfare; engineering and survivability; command, control, communications, and information warfare; logistics management; and surface force safety.

Afloat Training Group (ATG) inspectors visit each ship in the fleet periodically throughout the year and determine how effective the command performs in each of these five mission areas of excellence by observing their training programs, auditing their records, and viewing daily operations.

After each ATG assessment the command is then graded and compared against similar platforms in their numbered fleet to determine who performed the best. The winning ship must take three out of the five areas graded to qualify and have a higher overall score to earn the coveted Battle E.

In a naval message to all of the 2008 Battle E winners, Commander, Naval Surface Forces Vice Adm. D.C. Curtis said, "Congratulations to all award winners. Your success in meeting mission area excellence standards is noted with pleasure. Keep charging!"

Blue Ridge will be officially presented the Battle E Award by their immediate superior in charge Commander, Expeditionary Strike Group (ESG) 7/Commander Task Force (CTF) 76 later this month during their Spring Swing cruise in the Pacific Rim.

Blue Ridge serves under Commander, ESG 7/CTF 76, the Navy's only forward-deployed amphibious force. Blue Ridge is the flagship for Commander, U.S. 7th Fleet. CTF 76 is headquartered at White Beach Naval Facility, Okinawa, Japan, with an operating detachment in Sasebo, Japan.

For more news from USS Blue Ridge, visit www.navy.mil/local/lcc19/.