Editing Command ship (section)

{{Short description|Flagships of the commander of a fleet}}
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[[File:FS Monge A601 Reykjavik2.jpg|right|300px|thumb|{{ship|French ship|Monge|A601|2}}, a [[missile range instrumentation ship]] of the [[French Navy]].]]

'''Command ships''' serve as the [[flagship]]s of the commander of a [[naval fleet|fleet]]. They provide communications, office space, and accommodations for a fleet commander and their staff, and serve to coordinate fleet activities.

An auxiliary command ship features the [[Command and Control (Military)|command and control]] components prevalent on landing ships (command) and also features the capability to land troops and equipment. These forces will be slightly less than those on a pure landing ship due to the nature of the ship as a command vessel and hence will also house the assault commander, the flotilla commander or someone of similar status (generally of [[NATO]] [[2 star rank|OF-7]] or [[3 star rank|OF-8]] [[Ranks and insignia of NATO|rank]]—such as a [[major general]] or [[vice admiral]]).

Currently, the [[United States Navy]] operates two command ships, {{USS|Blue Ridge|LCC-19|6}} and {{USS|Mount Whitney|LCC-20|6}}, both of the purpose-built {{sclass|Blue Ridge|command ship|4}}. Two command ships, {{USS|La Salle|AGF-3|6}} and {{USS|Coronado|AGF-11|6}} were converted from [[Amphibious transport dock|Landing Platform Docks (LPD)]]; these ships were [[Ship commissioning|decommissioned]] in March 2005 and December 2006 and sunk as targets in support of a fleet [[Military exercise|training exercise]] on 11 April 2007 and as part of live-fire exercise ''Valiant Shield 2012'', respectively.<ref name="ComPacFlt_Sept2012">{{cite web | url = http://www.cpf.navy.mil/news.aspx/080088 | title = U.S. Navy conducts SINKEX as part of Valiant Shield 2012 | date = 12 September 2012 | publisher = Commander, United States Pacific Fleet | location = Pearl Harbor, Hawaii | access-date = 16 September 2012 | archive-date = 8 March 2021 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210308142257/https://www.cpf.navy.mil/news.aspx/080088 | url-status = dead }}</ref>

The [[Soviet Union]] operated several space program command ships, {{ship||Akademik Sergey Korolev}}, {{ship||Kosmonavt Vladimir Komarov}}, {{ship||Kosmonavt Yuri Gagarin}}, and the [[Soviet communications ship SSV-33]] ''Ural''. These ships greatly extended the tracking range when the orbits of [[cosmonaut]]s and uncrewed missions were not within range of Soviet land-based [[Earth station|tracking stations]].<ref name="kosmonavtka">''Tracking sites and ships'', [http://suzymchale.com/kosmonavtka/tracking.html Komsmonavtka Website], Retrieved 13 June 2008 {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100114152740/http://suzymchale.com/kosmonavtka/tracking.html |date=14 January 2010 }}</ref> Similar U.S. vessels were classified as Missile Range Instrumentation Ships (T-AGM).