USS Pasadena (CL-65)

History
USS Pasadena (CL-65), underway off Boston, Massachusetts, 21 July 1944. Photographed from a Squadron ZP-11 blimp. Position is 42°45′N 70°50′W / 42.750°N 70.833°W / 42.750; -70.833. Ship's course 110 degrees. Time 1400 hrs. Pasadena is painted in Camouflage Measure 32, Design 24d.
United States
Name:	Pasadena
Namesake:	City of Pasadena, California
Builder:	Bethlehem Steel Corporations Fore River Shipyard, Quincy, Mass.
Laid down:	6 February 1943
Launched:	28 December 1943
Sponsored by:	Mrs. C.G. Wopschall
Commissioned:	8 June 1944
Decommissioned:	12 January 1950
Struck:	1 December 1970
Identification:	Hull symbol:CL-65 Code letters:NBKT
Honors and awards:	5 × battle stars
Fate:	Sold for scrap on 5 July 1972
General characteristics
Class and type:	Cleveland-class Light cruiser
Displacement:	11,744 long tons (11,932 t) (standard) 14,131 long tons (14,358 t) (max)
Length:	610 ft 1 in (185.95 m) oa 608 ft (185 m)pp
Beam:	66 ft 4 in (20.22 m)
Draft:	25 ft 6 in (7.77 m) (mean) 25 ft (7.6 m) (max)
Installed power:	4 × 634 psi Steam boilers 100,000 shp (75,000 kW)
Propulsion:	4 × geared turbines 4 × screws
Speed:	32.5 kn (37.4 mph; 60.2 km/h)
Range:	11,000 nmi (20,000 km) @ 15 kn (17 mph; 28 km/h)
Complement:	1,255 officers and enlisted
Armament:	4 × triple 6 in (150 mm)/47 caliber Mark 16 guns 6 × dual 5 in (130 mm)/38 caliber anti-aircraft guns 4 × quad 40 mm (1.6 in) Bofors anti-aircraft guns 6 × dual 40 mm (1.6 in) Bofors anti-aircraft guns 21 × single 20 mm (0.79 in) Oerlikon anti-aircraft cannons
Armor:	Belt: 3 ¹⁄₂–5 in (89–127 mm) Deck: 2 in (51 mm) Barbettes: 6 in (150 mm) Turrets: 1 ¹⁄₂–6 in (38–152 mm) Conning Tower: 2 ¹⁄₄–5 in (57–127 mm)
Aircraft carried:	4 × floatplanes
Aviation facilities:	2 × stern catapults

USS Pasadena (CL–65), a Cleveland-class light cruiser of the United States Navy, the second vessel to carry the name.

Pasadena was laid down by the Bethlehem Steel Co., Quincy, Mass. on 6 February 1943 and launched on 28 December 1943. She was sponsored by Mrs. C.G. Wopschall, and commissioned on 8 June 1944, Captain Richard B. Tuggle in command.

Commissioned just before the thrust into the Mariana Islands, Pasadena completed shakedown and training during the summer of 1944, and on 25 September got underway for the Pacific theater. On 3 November she crossed the International Date Line and, continuing on, joined TF 38, the fast carrier force, at Ulithi at mid-month. She was part of TF38 as it sailed into Typhoon Cobra on 18 Dec 1944. Through the remainder of the year she participated in that force’s operations against Luzon and Formosa in support of the Philippine campaign. In mid-January 1945, as the assault on Luzon pressed forward, the force sailed into the South China Sea and hit Japanese installations and shipping along the Indo-China coast and on Formosa. In February, the ships, now TF 58, moved against the Japanese home islands, then swung southeast to cover the landings on Iwo Jima, during which Pasadena added her guns to the bombardment group and performed patrol duties.

Replenished at Ulithi, the force, with Pasadena in the inner screen, sortied again in mid-March to soften the way for the operation "Iceberg" assault force with strikes on the southern Japanese home islands and the northern Ryukyus in addition to those against the main assault target: Okinawa. At sea for 80 days, Pasadena, as flagship for CruDiv 17, participated in the night bombardments of Minami Daito (28 March and 10 May) and in the continuous strikes against other Japanese positions on Okinawa and Kyūshū (1 April – 30 May).

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