USS Rochester ( CA - 124 ) The third USS " Rochester " ( CA - 124 ) , an , was laid down 29 May 1944 by Bethlehem Steel Co . , Quincy , Mass . ; launched 28 August 1945 ; sponsored by Mrs . M . Herbert Eisenhart , wife of the president of Bausch & Lomb Optical Co . , Rochester , N . Y . ; and commissioned 20 December 1946 at the Boston Navy Yard , Capt . Harry Aloysius Guthrie in command . " Rochester " departed Provincetown , Mass . , 22 February 1947 for shakedown out of Guantánamo Bay , Cuba . By the end of April , she was at Philadelphia , ready to commence nine extended naval reserve training cruises which took her north to Casco Bay and south to the Caribbean . 1940s . Upon completion of her ninth reserve training cruise in the second week of January 1948 , " Rochester " prepared for Mediterranean service . Departing Philadelphia 20 February , she arrived at Gibraltar 1 March , and became flagship for Adm . Forrest Sherman , Commander , 6th Fleet . In addition to calling at several ports , the cruiser waited out the events of the Palestinian crisis , at Suda Bay on the northern coast of Crete . She completed her tour 14 June ; Admiral Sherman shifted his flag to light cruiser " Fargo " ( CL - 106 ) , and " Rochester " departed for Philadelphia the 15th , arriving 27 June . " Rochester " then resumed reserve training duty , making cruises to Bermuda , to New Brunswick , and to Jamaica . After shore bombardment exercises at Bloodsworth Island in early October 1948 , " Rochester " reported to the South Boston Naval Shipyard for her first overhaul which included removal of her catapults and conversion of her aviation section from seaplanes to helicopters . Her new aviation detachment consisted of four Sikorsky HO3S - 1 utility helicopters . The helos replaced the seaplanes formerly carried aboard . She then operated in the Caribbean and along the North Atlantic coast until she stood out from Narragansett Bay on 5 January 1950 and steamed for the west coast , and a new homeport , Long Beach , California . Transfer to Pacific . In April 1950 , " Rochester " departed Long Beach for the South Pacific . After calling at Pearl Harbor , she embarked Adm . Arthur W . Radford , Commander - in Chief , Pacific Fleet , for a tour of the U . S . Trust Territories . Upon completion of this tour , Vice Admiral A . D . Struble , Commander , 7th Fleet , was received on board at Guam . Rochester then set course for the Philippine Islands . Korean War Service . She was at Sangley Point , Philippine Islands , when president Truman ordered the 7th Fleet into action , and was operating with Carrier Task Force 77 on the morning of 3 July 1950 when the first U . N . air raids against North Korean forces were launched . On 18 and 19 July 1950 , " Rochester " supported landings on Pohang Dong by the Army ' s 1st Cavalry Division . She continued to serve with Task Force 77 until 25 August 1950 . Vice Admiral Struble ' s flagship , " Rochester ' s " guns provided support for the troops that landed at Inchon on 13 September in the operation that prompted General MacArthur ’ s proud signal that " the Navy and Marines have never shone more brightly than this morning . " Just before daylight at 0550 on 17 September , a North Korean Yak - 9 and an II - 2 made an attack run on the cruiser " Rochester " , anchored off Wolmi - do . Initially the aircraft were thought to be friendly until they dropped four bombs over the American ship . All but one missed and the one that did hit smashed the " Rochester " s crane and failed to detonate . There were no American casualties in the skirmish and they painted a Purple Heart on the crane as a reminder of how close the ship came to being heavily damaged . After the bombing of the " Rochester " , she and the nearby cruiser HMS " Jamaica " opened fire with naval guns . The North Korean II - 2 then strafed the British cruiser , resulting in one sailor killed and two wounded . At about the same time , shots from the " Jamaica " hit the II - 2 and it crashed into the water . It became the first and only shootdown of an attacking plane with naval gunfire . The Yak - 9 fled after losing its partner . During the months of October , November , and December , " Rochester " operated continuously along the Korean coast for 81 days , providing gunfire support to troops ashore and serving as a mobile helicopter base . Helos were kept aloft constantly to aid the minesweepers in opening the ports of Changjon , Koje , Wonsan , Hungnam , and Songjin . In addition to destroying six mines by her own gunfire , the cruiser controlled naval air operations in the Wonsan area during the 10 days preceding the arrival of landing forces . Her helicopters also aided in the rescue of survivors from the minesweepers " Pirate " ( AM - 275 ) and " Pledge " ( AM - 277 ) , sunk in Wonsan Harbor . During 198 days of operations against the Communist forces in Korea , she steamed over 25 , 000 miles and expended 3 , 265 eight - inch and 2 , 339 five - inch projectiles . " Rochester " then called at Sasebo , Japan , and on 10 January 1951 headed for home , arriving at Long Beach 30 January . Ten days later she steamed for her scheduled yard overhaul at Mare Island Naval Shipyard , San Francisco , which took her through May . During refresher training in the Long Beach - San Diego area , " Rochester " assisted in training crews for the ships that were being taken out of mothballs . She departed Long Beach 27 August 1951 for training in the Hawaiian area , after which she steamed for Yokosuka , Japan , arriving there 21 November . On 28 November , she blasted Kosong with more han 250 rounds of high explosive . She then ranged the entire northeastern Korean coastline , bombarding ground targets , while her helicopters flew rescue missions for Task Force 77 aviators . Into the spring she continued harassment and interdiction missions along the eastern coast of Korea . In early April 1952 , she spent a week as flagship of the Blockading and Escorting Forces on Korea ' s west coast , and in late April , she steamed for her homeport . May through October was given over to in - port time at Long Beach and to coastal training operations . In November , the cruiser departed for another WestPac tour , arriving back on station as a unit of Task Group 77 . 1 ( Support Group ) in the waters off eastern Korea 7 December . After spending the winter months in harassment and interdiction missions and other operations with the fast carrier task force , " Rochester " steamed home , arriving Long Beach , 6 April 1953 . Post Korean War and fate . During her regularly scheduled yard period at Mare Island , 4 May to 7 September 1953 , her 20 mm . and 40 mm . batteries were replaced with 3 inch / 50 rapid - fire guns . Coastal refresher training was followed by a 5 January 1954 departure for WestPac . The normal exercises and port calls of a WestPac deployment ended with her departure from Yokosuka 29 May for the west coast . In February 1955 , " Rochester " served on her fifth WestPac deployment , completing that cruise 6 August and arriving at her homeport the 22d . An overhaul at the San Francisco Naval Shipyard commenced 19 November 1955 and was completed 7 March 1956 . Thence came refresher training and preparations for yet another WestPac deployment . This sixth Pacific tour commenced 29 May when " Rochester " and her escorts stood out of Long Beach . It was 16 December when the ships returned to homeport . The first week of June 1957 found " Rochester " in San Francisco , where she acted as flagship for Fleet Adm . Chester W . Nimitz as he reviewed the 1st Fleet . Returning to Long Beach the 18th , she resumed local operations and exercises until her departure on 3 September for her seventh WestPac deployment . She returned to Long Beach 24 March 1958 . Two more WestPac deployments followed , 6 January to 17 June 1959 and 5 April to 29 October 1960 . While planning was in place to convert her into an " Albany - class " guided missile cruiser , funds were not appropriated and " Rochester " was ordered to report to the Commander , Bremerton Group , Pacific Reserve Fleet on 15 April 1961 for inactivation . She departed Long Beach 12 April , reported to the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard , and she was placed out of commission , in reserve , 15 August 1961 . She remained at Bremerton until struck from the Navy list on 1 October 1973 and sold to Zidell Explorations , Portland , Oregon on 31 July 1974 and scrapped . " Rochester " received six battle star s for Korean War service .