Aug '44     Launched

July 22, '45  Commissioned; Capt. John A. Snackenberg in command

Aug '45   [Japan surrenders during WWII]

Sept - Oct '45  Shakedown cruise

   Oct 1 to 15 Gunnery exercises & drills, followed by final Atlantic Fleet inspection - Guantanamo Bay, Cuba

Oct 15, '45  En route to the Pacific for post shakedown overhaul period, Long Beach Naval Shipyard (LBNSY)

Late Nov '45  At sea for for training excercises

  1st Westpac Cruise 

Early Dec '45      Departed San Pedro for Western Pacific (Westpac) 

~ Dec 13, '45  Arrived at Pearl Harbor for little more than a week.

Dec 25, '45      Crossed International Date Line for the first time.

~ Jan 4, '46     Arrived in Shanghai, China
~ Jan 12. '46   Hong Kong

Jan 31, '46   Capt. James B. Carter in command

Early Feb '46 - late May '46   Maneuvers & supported sea-lift of Nationalist Chinese troops

 ~ Mar 20     Amoy, China
 ~ Mar 23     Hong Kong
 ~ May 1 & May 9 Hong Kong
 ~ May 20   Woo Sung, China
 ~ May 22   Tsingtao, China
 ~ May 26    Shanghai

Mid June '46     Tsingtao, China

June '46 - late '46  Huangpu River & Shanghai, China

Late Jan '47     Returned to San Francisco

Late Jan '47 - April '47  Overhaul period at Hunter's Point Naval Shipyard (HPNSY), San Francisco

April '47    Visit to Los Angeles Harbor

July 31, '47   Capt. Edward A. Solomons in command

August '47    Anchored in Long Beach Harbor (photo)

Late Nov '47    Arrived in San Francisco

April 1, '48   Cdr. Donald T. Wilbur in command

April '48    Decommissioned at HPNSY

April '48 - Jan '51    Mothballed at HPNSY

June '50   [Korean War begins]

Dec '50    Reactivation announced

Jan 27, '51    Recommissioned, Capt. Robert N. McFarlane in command

Feb - mid May '51    Shakedown & training off Southern Calif. coast

Mid May '51    Shakedown cruise with Los Angeles city officials

  2nd Westpac Cruise 

Mid May '51    En route to Westpac  

Click here for:  1951 Korean Cruise Detailed Events Log  (Contributed by James E. Baker)

     Late May - early June '51  East coast of Korea, flagship for Rear Admiral Arleigh A. Burke's Cruiser Division Five
     June '51    Kosong, Korea, shore bombardment
     July '51   [Cease-fire talks begin in Korea]
     Late July '51    Haeju Man, on Korea's west coast; shore bombardment
     Early Aug '51    Returned to east coast of Korea
     Sept '51    Kojo, Korea, shore bombardment
     Nov '51     Kojo, shore bombardment
     Mid Dec '51    Returned to Long Beach (about 8,000 rounds were fired in N. Korea)

Jan '52    Overhaul at Mare Island Naval Shipyard (MINSY); 3 in. guns installed (20 & 40 mm removed)

Jan 10, '52   Capt. Benjamin F. Tomkins in command

Aug 30, '52   Capt. Lawrence R. Daspit in command

  3rd Westpac Cruise 

Early Oct '52    Enroute to Westpac

Click here for:  52-53 Korean Cruise Detailed Log  (Contributed by John Sommerfield)

     Late Apr '53    En route to Yokosuka, Japan & Korea (about 17,000 rounds were fired in N. Korea)
     Mid May '53    Returned to Long Beach

July 22, '53   Capt. William W. Outerbridge in command

Late July '53   [Korean fighting ends]

  4th Westpac Cruise 

Mid Oct '53    Departed for cruise to Westpac  

Ports of Call: (not necessarily in order)

Hawaii Yokosuka - Yokohama Late-Dec   Kobe, Japan Task Force 77 Sasebo Hong Kong Okinawa Iwo Jima Yokosuka

Mid June '54    Returned to Long Beach

Late June '54  Overhaul at MINSY; Regulus missile installed

Oct '54    Regulus missile tests off So. Calif.

Jan 7, '55   Capt. Jacob W. Waterhouse in command

Early Feb '55   [Chinese Communists shelling Quemoy & Matsu Islands]

  5th Westpac Cruise 

Early Feb '55    Departed Long Beach for Formosa 

Feb '55    Regulus missile tests off Hawaii (incl. nuclear detonation)

25-29 Mar '55   Cebu City, Luzon, P.I.

9 Apr '55   Kobe, Japan (Honshu)

2-5 May '55   Toyama, Japan (Honshu)

May '55   [Communist shelling of Quemoy & Matsu ends]

Late May '55   Crossed the equator on May 24, 1955 at Latitude 00000, Longitude 107deg. 35" E, en route to Singapore

Late July / early Aug '55   Hong Kong, B.C.C.

Late Aug '55    Returned to Long Beach

Late Nov '55    Nation-wide telecast of Thanksgiving service aboard LA

10 Jan '56   CNO, Admiral Arleigh A. Burke visits USS Los Angeles

Mar 2, '56   Capt. Frederic C. Lucas, Jr. in command

  6th Westpac Cruise 

Late May '56    Departed Long Beach for Westpac 
 

Ports of Call, listed in visit order:

Pearl Harbor, Hawaii Yokosuka, (Honshu) Japan Buckner Bay, Okinawa Sasebo, (Kyushu) Japan Kure, (Honshu) Japan Yokohama, (Honshu) Japan Hong Kong, British Crown Colony Otaru, (Hokkaido) Japan

Late Oct '56    Visit to Saigon, Republic of Viet Nam, for a week; So. Vietnam's 1st anniversary as an independent country

Early Nov '56    Manila, Philippine Islands

Mid Dec '56    Returned to Long Beach

Apr '57     LA had just finished positioning in dry-dock at MINSY when an earthquake occurred during noon mess.  Word was passed for all hands to move to the port side. LA was then re-floated because it was listing to starboard.

 

 

Early Sep '57    Departed Long Beach for Westpac    11 Sep '57    Crossed Equator en route to Australia Mid Sep '57    Visited Sydney, Australia for a week Late Mar '58    Returned to Long Beach   Note.   Click on picture at right to view larger size. Use "Back" to return to this page.

'57-'58 Cruise Itinerary

Mid June '58    Portland, OR, for Rose Festival - 4 days

Early July '58    San Francisco, Fleet Week

Aug 20, '58   Capt. David L. Martineau in command

Late Aug '58   [Chinese Communists shelling Quemoy & Matsu Islands]

  8th Westpac Cruise 

Late Aug '58    Departed Long Beach for Formosa 
 

26 Aug 1958  Newspaper article. Click to view larger size. Use "Back" to return to this page.

Early Sept '58 - early Oct '58    Formosa Straits patrol - detailed cruise itinerary below:
 

31    August 11    September 12    September 15    September 22-30 September 10-17 October 19-20 October 29-30 October 5     November 12-18 November 19    November 28-30 November

Pearl Harbor Keelung, Formosa Boko-ko, Pescadores Kaoshiung, Formosa Subic Bay, Philippines Yokosuka, Japan Buckner Bay, Okinawa Keelung Buckner Bay Yokosuka Yokohama, Japan Pearl Harbor

Early Oct '58   [Cease fire declared between Communists & Formosa]

Early Dec '58    Returned to Long Beach

  9th Westpac Cruise 

Late Mar '59    Departed Long Beach for Westpac 
 

4-8   April 12    April 18-21 April 24-26 April 28    April-8 May 15-17 May 18-21 May 31    May 3-9   June 13-15 June 19-29 June 10-11 July

Pearl Harbor Midway Guam Buckner Bay Yokosuka Shimoda, Japan Kobe, Japan Buckner Bay Hong Kong Nagoya, Japan Yokosuka Pearl Harbor

Jul 9, '59   Capt. Walter V. Combs in command

Mid July '59    Returned to Long Beach

Late '59 - early '60    Overhaul at Long Beach Naval Shipyard (LBNSY); new foremast & radar installed

July 16, '60    Capt. Robert E. Dornin in command

Aug '60    Mini-cruise to Hawaii

July 15, '61    Capt. Hugh N. Robinson in command

  10th Westpac Cruise 

Early Aug '61    Departed Long Beach for Westpac 

Early Sept '61    Sasebo, Japan - then to Beppu & Kobe

Early Nov '61    Kagoshima for six days

Early Dec '61    Yokosuka, followed by operations

Chistmas '61    Hong Kong

Jan & Feb '61    Philippines /operations

Late Feb - early Mar '61    Okinawa

Late Feb '62    Returned to Long Beach

Aug 4, '62    Capt. Asbury Coward in command

  11th Westpac Cruise 

Nov '62    Final deployment to Westpac 
 

13 Nov 1962 20-24 Nov 3-13 Dec 22-26 Dec 5-11 Jan 1963 13-29  Jan 11-14 Feb 25 Feb-10 Mar 20-23 Mar 25-28 Mar  29-31 Mar  1-5 April  5-9 April  19-21 April  23-27 April  3-11 May  16-20 May  28 May - 7 June 21 June '63

Departure from Long Beach Pearl Harbor Yokosuka Yokohama Hong Kong Subic Bay and Tabones Island Kobe Sasebo Okinawa Kagoshima Chin Hae, Korea Fukuoka Nagasaki Keelung, Taiwan Hong Kong Subic Bay, Philippine Islands Shimoda, Japan (Black Ship Festival) Yokosuka Return to Long Beach

Mid July '63    Farewell ceremony at Long Beach

July 19, '63    Cdr. Philip H. Klepak in command

15 Nov '63    Decommissioning Ceremony; ship was mothballed in San Diego

1974    Stricken (sold for scrap in 1975 & towed to San Pedro in June 1975)