Lead ship of the most-produced U.S. cruiser class . 52 hulls authorized, 29 completed. Twelve 6-inch guns, an excellent AA battery, designed to escort the fast carrier task forces across the Pacific.

Pacific fleet. Multiple night surface actions around the Solomons in 1943–44. Escorted carrier groups across the Central Pacific drive.

13 battle stars. One of the most documented cruisers of WWII . Seaman 1st Class James Fahey kept a diary aboard that became the landmark memoir Pacific War Diary. If you want to know what life was like on a Pacific Fleet cruiser, read it.

South Pacific operations . Guadalcanal campaign through the New Georgia campaign in 1943. Night surface engagements up the Slot.

Came alongside the burning USS Franklin (CV-13) on March 19, 1945 while the carrier was in danger of sinking after a Japanese air attack. Pulled 832 survivors off Franklin under threat. One of the most dramatic rescue operations in Pacific war history.

Came alongside burning USS Princeton (CVL-23) at Leyte Gulf. Princeton's torpedo storage exploded across Birmingham's decks, killing 229 of her own crew in an instant. She kept fighting with the dead still on deck.

Pacific Fleet escort from the Marianas through Leyte Gulf and the Okinawa campaign. Solid, dependable service throughout the Central Pacific drive.

Named for CA-44 Vincennes, lost at Savo Island in 1942. Pacific service through the last years of the war. Carried on the name with distinction during the drive toward Japan.

Commissioned 1944. Pacific Fleet escort for fast carrier task forces in the final approach to Japan.

Converted to guided missile cruiser CLG-7 in 1959. Served into the mid-1970s . one of five Cleveland-class ships that bridged the gun and missile eras.

Converted to guided missile cruiser CLG-8 in 1959. Cold War Pacific Fleet. Extended the Cleveland hull well into the missile era through conversion.

Pacific Fleet from 1943 onward. Central Pacific campaigns including the Marianas and the Philippines. AA screen for Task Force 38.

Named in honor of CA-30 Houston, lost in the Java Sea in 1942. The citizens of Houston, Texas helped fund this ship as tribute. She carried that name . and that obligation . across the Pacific.

Converted to guided missile cruiser CLG-6. Korean War service. One of several Cleveland hulls reconfigured for the Cold War missile role.

Korean War service . naval gunfire support along the Korean coast throughout the conflict. One of the most active cruisers in the Korean War.

Pacific Fleet 1944–45. Central Pacific operations. Postwar reserve fleet service through the early Cold War.

Commissioned November 1944. Late Pacific service. Part of the occupation forces in Japan following the surrender.

Pacific Fleet cruiser from 1944. Escort for carrier task forces during the final year of the Pacific campaign.

Named for CA-34 Astoria, lost at Savo Island in 1942. Commissioned 1944. The Navy wasn't done with that name . she served through the end of the war in the Pacific.

Converted to guided missile cruiser CLG-5. Vietnam War service . fired missiles in defense of Yankee Station carrier operations. One of only two CLG cruisers to see combat in Vietnam.

Converted to guided missile cruiser CLG-4 and served as fleet flagship. Now a museum ship at the Buffalo and Erie County Naval and Military Park, Buffalo, NY . the only surviving Cleveland-class cruiser.

Converted to guided missile cruiser CLG-3. Cold War Atlantic and Mediterranean operations. One of the first conversions in the Navy's program to modernize WWII cruiser hulls.

Commissioned 1944. Pacific Fleet through the end of WWII. Participated in nuclear tests evaluation before decommissioning.

Commissioned January 1945. Arrived as the war ended. Occupation duty in Japan. Part of the massive late-production run of Cleveland-class cruisers.