USS Mount Whitney (LCC-20)
The USS Mount Whitney (LCC 20) 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 United States.
The ship's afloat communications capability is second to none. Mount Whitney can receive and transmit large amounts of secure data from any point on earth through HF, UHF, VHF, SHF and EHF communications paths. This technology enables the Joint Intelligence Center and Joint Operations Center to provide the most timely intelligence and operational support available in the Navy. USS Mount Whitney, the Navy's premier "Fighting Flagship," is the most capable joint C4I platform afloat in the world.
In 1999, Mount Whitney deployed to the Mediterranean as flagship for Commander, 6th Fleet, relieving the command ship USS La Salle (AGF 3). 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.General Characteristics
Notes of Interest
As the most sophisticated Command, Control, Communications, Computer, and Intelligence (C4I) ship ever commissioned, Mount Whitney incorporates various elements of the most advanced C4I equipment and gives the embarked Joint Task Force Commander the capability to effectively command all units under the command of the Commander, Joint Task Force.