USS Pasadena (CL-65)

USS Pasadena (CL-65): City of Roses at War

Commissioned on 8 June 1944, USS Pasadena was a Cleveland-class light cruiser that joined the Pacific campaign at the height of America's naval dominance, and still managed to earn five battle stars in less than eighteen months before the Japanese surrender. Named for the California city known for its Rose Bowl, Pasadena arrived in the Pacific just as the strategic picture was shifting from the defensive to the conclusive.

Pasadena entered service as part of the fast carrier task force that was conducting sustained strikes against Japanese-held territories from the Philippines to the home islands. By 1944, American carrier forces had achieved a level of operational effectiveness that made them the most powerful naval striking force in history, and Cleveland-class light cruisers like Pasadena provided the screening and fire support that kept the carriers operational.

She participated in operations in the Philippines, contributing to the naval campaign that accompanied MacArthur's return to Luzon and the grinding battle to liberate the archipelago from Japanese occupation. Through late 1944 and into 1945, kamikaze attacks became an increasing threat, and Pasadena's anti-aircraft batteries were in regular action against suicide aircraft seeking to reach the carriers she protected.

In 1945, Pasadena was part of the task forces conducting strikes against the Japanese home islands, operations against Kyushu, Honshu, and the naval bases that Japan needed to defend its home territory. These operations brought American naval power to the doorstep of Japan and contributed to the conditions that led to Japan's August 1945 surrender.

Five battle stars in fourteen months of Pacific operations. Pasadena demonstrated that even ships that arrived late in the war found themselves in sustained combat. She was decommissioned on 12 January 1950. Tactically Acquired's USS Pasadena (CL-65) collection honors her crew and the final year of Pacific naval operations that ended the war.