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USS Mount Whitney (LCC 20)

USS MOUNT WHITNEY is the first ship in the Navy to bear the name of the 14,946-foot peak in the Sierra-Nevada range in California, the highest point in the continental United States. Aboard the MOUNT WHITNEY, the navigation, deck, engineering, laundry and galley services are provided by Military Sealift Command civil service mariners.

USS MOUNT WHITNEY assumed duties as flagship for the 2nd Fleet in 1981. The ship deployed in 1994 to Haiti with Lt. Gen. Hugh Shelton, commander of the 18th Airborne Corps, in command of the Joint Task Force that conducted Operation Uphold Democracy. On November 12, 2002, MOUNT WHITNEY deployed to the Central Command area of responsibility in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. During the deployment the ship embarked elements of the 2nd Marine Division and II Marine Expeditionary Force (II MEF), based at Camp Lejeune, N.C., under the command of Maj. Gen. John F. Sattler. In 2004, MOUNT WHITNEY deployed to the Mediterranean relieving the command ship USS LA SALLE (AGF 3) and officially becoming the flagship for Commander, 6th Fleet, in February 2005.

General Characteristics:Keel Laid: January 8, 1969
Launched: January 8, 1970
Commissioned: January 16, 1971
Builder: Newport News Shipbuilding Co., Newport News, Va.
Propulsion system: two boilers, one geared turbine
Propellers: one
Length: 636,5 feet (194 meters)
Beam: 108 feet (32.9 meters)
Draft: 26,9 feet (8.8 meters)
Displacement: approx. 18,400 tons full load
Speed: 23 knots
Aircraft: flight deck suitable for all helicopters
Armament: two 20mm Phalanx CIWS, 50 cal machine guns, 25mm guns
Homeport: Gaeta, Italy
Crew: 146 civilian crew, approx. 160 Navy crew and approx. 300 Navy staff


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Crew List:

This section contains the names of sailors who served aboard USS MOUNT WHITNEY. It is no official listing but contains the names of sailors who submitted their information.


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USS MOUNT WHITNEY Cruise Books:


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Notes of Interest:



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Accidents aboard USS MOUNT WHITNEY:

DateWhereEvents
July 31, 2015Viktor Lenac Shipyard, Rijeka, CroatiaUSS MOUNT WHITNEY suffers a fire while undergoing an Extended Drydocking Selected Restricted Availability (E-DSRA) at Viktor Lenac Shipyard in Rijeka, Croatia. The fire is extinguished within 45 minutes and no injuries are reported.


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The photos below were contributed by Stefan Karpinski and were taken by him and the helo detachment of the German frigate MECKLENBURG-VORPOMMERN (F 218). They show the MOUNT WHITNEY underway in support of Operation Enduring Freedom and participating in the "Somali Maritime Exercise" with the MECKLENBURG-VORPOMMERN and the German oiler RHÖN (A 1443). All photos were taken in 2003.



The photos below were taken by me and show the WOUNT WHITNEY at Kiel, Germany, after her participation in BALTOPS 2009. The photos were taken June 19 - 21, 2009.

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The photos below were taken by me and show the MOUNT WHITNEY arriving at Kiel, Germany, on June 18, 2010, after serving as flagship for exercise BALTOPS 2010 in the Baltic Sea.



The photos below were taken by me and show the USS MOUNT WHITNEY at Kiel, Germany, after her participation in BALTOPS 2011. The photos show the ship arriving at Kiel on June 17, 2011; at the Naval Base on June 19; and finally departing Kiel on June 20, 2011.

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The photos below were taken by me on June 23, 2013, during a public tour aboard MOUNT WHITNEY while she was visiting Kiel, Germany, after her participation in BALTOPS 2013. USS MOUNT WHITNEY served as flagship of the exercise and visited Kiel from June 21-25, 2013.

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The photos below were taken by me and show the MOUNT WHITNEY arriving at Kiel, Germany, on June 20, 2014, after serving as flagship for exercise BALTOPS 2014 in the Baltic Sea.



The photos below were taken by me and show the MOUNT WHITNEY arriving at Kiel, Germany, and later berthed at the Naval Base on June 17, 2016, after serving as flagship for exercise BALTOPS 2016 in the Baltic Sea. Note the new stack on the starboard side forward of the flight deck. This stack was installed during MOUNT WHITNEY's nine-month Extended Drydocking Selected Restricted Availability (E-DSRA) at Viktor Lenac Shipyard, Rijeka, Croatia, in 2015.



The video below was taken by me and shows the MOUNT WHITNEY arriving at Kiel, Germany, after participating in BALTOPS 2018 on June 15, 2018.





The photos below were taken by me and show the MOUNT WHITNEY departing Naval Base Kiel, Germany, to participate in BALTOPS 2019 on June 9, 2019. The MOUNT WHITNEY is serving as flagship for Vice Adm. Andrew Lewis, commander of the US 2nd Fleet, who leads the exercise on behalf of Naval Forces Europe.



The photos below were taken by me and show the MOUNT WHITNEY at Naval Base Kiel, Germany, on June 20, 2021, after her participation in BALTOPS 50.



The photos below were taken by me and show the MOUNT WHITNEY arriving at Naval Base Kiel, Germany, on June 16, 2022, after her participation in BALTOPS 22.



The photos below were taken by me and show the MOUNT WHITNEY departing Naval Base Kiel, Germany, on June 20, 2022, after her participation in BALTOPS 22.



The photos below were taken by me and show the USS MOUNT WHITNEY at Naval Base Kiel, Germany, on June 17, 2023, after her participation in BALTOPS 2023.



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