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USS Pasadena file photo [30711]

Pasadena

CountryUnited States
Ship ClassCleveland-class Light Cruiser
Hull NumberCL-65
BuilderBethlehem Fore River Shipyard
Laid Down6 Feb 1943
Launched28 Dec 1943
Commissioned8 Jun 1944
Decommissioned12 Jan 1950
Displacement11,932 tons standard; 14,358 tons full
Length610 feet
Beam66 feet
Draft25 feet
Machinery4 steam boilers, 4 geared turbines, 4 screws
Power Output100,000 shaft horsepower
Speed33 knots
Range11,000nm at 15 knots
Crew1,255
Armament4x3x150mm/47cal Mark 16 guns, 6x2x130mm/38cal anti-aircraft guns, 4x4x40mm Bofors anti-aircraft guns, 6x2x40mm Bofors anti-aircraft guns, 10x20mm Oerlikon anti-aircraft guns
Armor3.5-5in belt, 1.5-6in turrets, 2in deck, 2.25-5in conning tower, 6in barbettes
Aircraft4
Catapults2

Contributor:

ww2dbaseThe light cruiser Pasadena was laid down at the Bethlehem Fore River Shipyard, Quincy, Massachusetts, United States 6 Feb 1943 and launched 28 Dec 1943. She was commissioned 8 Jun 1944 with Captain Richard B. Tuggle in command.

ww2dbaseUSS Pasadena completed shakedown and training during the summer of 1944 and on 27 Sep got underway for the Pacific in company with battleship USS Wisconsin, also on her way to the Pacific. Pasadena transited the Panama Canal on 2 Oct 1944. Sailing from Pearl Harbor in company with cruiser USS St Louis, they crossed the International Date Line on 3 Nov 1944 and arrived at the fleet anchorage at Ulithi five days later.

ww2dbaseAssigned straightaway to the Fast Carrier Task Force, Pasadena sailed with the carriers in support of the Philippine Operations on Leyte and Luzon, steamed through Typhoon Cobra, and was part of the force that conducted the Raid into the South China Sea in Jan 1945. Pasadena moved against the Japanese home islands and covered the landings on Iwo Jima where she also shelled the island as part of the Naval bombardment.

ww2dbaseAfter replenishment at Ulithi, Pasadena and the carrier force sailed in support of the Okinawa operations, first by screening the carriers on strikes on the Japanese southern islands and then in the waters around Okinawa in the Ryukyu Islands. At sea for 80 days straight, Pasadena made night bombardments of Minami Daito and continuous strikes against positions on Okinawa and Kyushu through the end of May 1945. After a brief stop at Ulithi and then Leyte Gulf in Jun 1945, the force sortied from Leyte Gulf for their last strikes of the war, again around Japan and Okinawa.

ww2dbaseWith the ending of hostilities on 15 Aug 1945, Pasadena and the carrier task force remained 200 miles southeast of Tokyo as the terms of occupation were negotiated. On 1 Sep 1945, Pasadena anchored in Tokyo Bay where she was present during the surrender ceremonies aboard USS Missouri the following day. Pasadena remained in the area in and around Tokyo Bay supporting the occupation forces until mid-Jan 1946.

ww2dbaseOn 19 Jan 1946 Pasadena got underway for San Pedro, California and a long overdue overhaul. She returned to regular duties on both sides of the Pacific until Sep 1949 when Pasadena entered Puget Sound Naval Shipyard for deactivation overhaul. Decommissioned 12 Jan 1950, she became part of the Pacific Reserve Fleet at Bremerton, Washington. The ship was sold for scrap 5 Jul 1972.

ww2dbaseFor service during World War II, USS Pasadena was awarded five battle stars.

ww2dbaseSources:
United States Navy
United States National Archives
NavSource Naval History
Wikipedia

Last Major Revision: Nov 2020

Light Cruiser Pasadena (CL-65) Interactive Map

Photographs

Launching of the Cleveland-class cruiser Pasadena at the Bethlehem Fore River Shipyard, Quincy, Massachusetts, United States 23 Dec 1943.Wife of Mayor Carl Gustav Wopschall (of Pasadena, California, United States) christening cruiser Pasadena, Bethlehem Fore River Shipyard, Quincy, Massachusetts, United States, 28 Dec 1943
See all 10 photographs of Light Cruiser Pasadena (CL-65)

Pasadena Operational Timeline

6 Feb 1943 Cleveland-class cruiser Pasadena was laid down at the Bethlehem Fore River Shipyard, Quincy, Massachusetts, United States.
28 Dec 1943 Cleveland-class cruiser Pasadena was launched at the Bethlehem Fore River Shipyard, Quincy, Massachusetts, United States, sponsored by the wife of Carl Gustav Wopschall, the mayor of Pasadena, California, United States.
8 Jun 1944 Cleveland-class cruiser USS Pasadena was commissioned at the Bethlehem Fore River Shipyard, Quincy, Massachusetts, United States with Captain Richard B. Tuggle in command.
27 Sep 1944 Battleship USS Wisconsin, with cruiser USS Pasadena, departed Delaware Bay, United States bound for the Panama Canal and the Pacific.
2 Oct 1944 USS Pasadena transited the Panama Canal for the first and only time.
30 Oct 1944 Cruisers USS St. Louis and Pasadena departed Pearl Harbor, Hawaii bound for Eniwetok in the Marshall Islands.
8 Nov 1944 Cruisers USS St. Louis and Pasadena arrived at Ulithi Lagoon in the Caroline Islands. St. Louis reported to the Seventh Fleet and Pasadena joined the Fast Carrier Task Force.
18 Dec 1944 Many ships from the United States Third Fleet, Task Force 38 sailed into Typhoon Cobra in the Philippine Sea. Three destroyers and 790 men were lost.
2 Jun 1945 Captain James H. Doyle relieved Captain Richard B. Tuggle as commanding officer of cruiser USS Pasadena at Leyte Gulf, Philippines.
12 Jan 1950 Cruiser USS Pasadena was decommissioned at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, Bremerton, Washington, United States and placed in the Reserve Fleet there.
5 Jul 1972 Cruiser Pasadena was sold to Zidell Explorations of Portland, Oregon, United States for scrap.




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More on Pasadena
Event(s) Participated:
» Philippines Campaign, Phase 1, the Leyte Campaign
» Philippines Campaign, Phase 2
» Typhoon Cobra
» Raid into the South China Sea
» Battle of Iwo Jima
» Japan's Surrender

Light Cruiser Pasadena (CL-65) Photo Gallery
Launching of the Cleveland-class cruiser Pasadena at the Bethlehem Fore River Shipyard, Quincy, Massachusetts, United States 23 Dec 1943.Wife of Mayor Carl Gustav Wopschall (of Pasadena, California, United States) christening cruiser Pasadena, Bethlehem Fore River Shipyard, Quincy, Massachusetts, United States, 28 Dec 1943
See all 10 photographs of Light Cruiser Pasadena (CL-65)


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"The raising of that flag on Suribachi means a Marine Corps for the next 500 years."

James Forrestal, Secretary of the Navy, 23 Feb 1945


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