USS Richmond ( CL - 9 ) USS " Richmond " ( CL - 9 ) was an " Omaha " - class light cruiser of the United States Navy . She was the third Navy ship named for the city of Richmond , Virginia . " Richmond " was laid down on 16 February 1920 by William Cramp & Sons , Philadelphia , Pa . ; launched on 29 September 1921 , sponsored by Miss Elizabeth S . Scott ; and commissioned on 2 July 1923 , Captain David F . Boyd in command . Inter - war period . On completion of a three - month shakedown cruise to Europe , Africa , and South America , " Richmond " underwent post - shakedown availability and in December departed Norfolk for New Orleans . There , at the end of 1923 , she became flagship of the Scouting Force . In early January 1924 , she got underway to participate in Fleet Problem III which tested Caribbean defenses and transit facilities of the Panama Canal . On the 19th , she arrived off Veracruz , rescued survivors of , wrecked on Blanquilla Reef ; then proceeded to Tampico to stand by as political tension rose . On the 26th , she headed for Galveston , only to return to Mexico on 3 February to evacuate refugees from Puerto Mexico and transport them to Veracruz . On the 17th , she headed east and joined in exercises off Puerto Rico . In May , " Richmond " returned briefly to New Orleans , then steamed for the northeast coast and further exercises . Toward the end of July she departed Newport , R . I . , for duty as a station ship along the route of Army planes making a round - the - world flight . On 2 August , she attempted to take in tow the Douglas World Cruiser " Boston " , downed on the Atlantic Ocean after engine trouble , but the floatplane capsized in rough seas , although the two crew were rescued . Then , from September through December , she underwent overhaul at the New York Navy Yard . In January 1925 , " Richmond " , flagship of Light Cruiser Divisions , Scouting Fleet , again participated in Caribbean exercises . In February , she transited the Panama Canal and during March trained off the California coast . In April , she steamed to Hawaii for joint Army - Navy maneuvers , after which she joined the Battle Fleet for a good will cruise to Australia and New Zealand . Returning to Norfolk on 23 November , " Richmond " operated off the eastern seaboard and in the Caribbean through 1926 . On 1 February 1927 , she again transited the Panama Canal ; conducted exercises in Hawaiian waters ; then continued on to China , arriving at Shanghai on 3 April . She remained on the China Station for a year , with only infrequent diversions to the Philippines for repairs and exercises . On 14 April 1928 , she sailed eastward and less than three months later departed San Pedro , California , for Corinto , Nicaragua with a Navy Battalion embarked . On 25 July , she retransited the Panama Canal and for the next six years operated off the New England and mid - Atlantic coasts and in the Caribbean with occasional interruptions for fleet problems and exercises in the eastern Pacific . From September 1934 to December 1937 , " Richmond " operated off the west coast as a unit of the Scouting Fleet . After 21 December , she served as flagship of the Submarine Force , and on 10 May 1938 , she headed back to the east coast . On 26 August , she returned to San Diego and resumed her previous duty with the Submarine Force . In the winter of 1939 and the fall of 1940 , she returned to the Atlantic for fleet and submarine exercises , and , at the end of December 1940 , hauled down the flag of the Submarine Force . With the new year , 1941 , " Richmond " shifted to Pearl Harbor ; and , from January to June , served as flagship , Scouting Force . Into October , she remained in Hawaiian waters , operating with Cruiser Division 3 ( CruDiv 3 ) , then she returned to California and in November began Neutrality Patrols off the west coasts of the Americas . On 7 December , she was " en route " to Valparaíso , Chile . World War II . Recalled from her original mission , she took up patrol off Panama and in 1942 commenced escorting reinforcement convoys to the Galápagos Islands and Society Islands . Later , returning to patrols from Panama to Chile , she put into San Francisco for overhaul in December and in January 1943 sailed for the Aleutians . " Richmond " arrived at Unalaska on 28 January 1943 . On 3 February , she became flagship of Task Group 16 . 6 ( TG 16 . 6 ) , a cruiser - destroyer task group assigned to defend the approaches to recently occupied Amchitka . On the 10th , she underwent her first enemy air raid and on the 18th she participated in the initial bombardment of Holtz Bay and Chichagof Harbor , Attu Island . The force then resumed patrols to enforce the blockade of enemy installations on Attu and Kiska . In March , the Japanese decided to run the blockade and on the 22nd dispatched a force of two heavy cruisers , two light cruisers , four destroyers , and three transports from Paramushiro . TG 16 . 6 , one light cruiser , one heavy cruiser , and four destroyers , intercepted the Japanese on the 26th approximately 180 mi ( 290 km ) west of Attu and 100 mi ( 160 km ) south of the Komandorski Islands . The Japanese sent the transports and one destroyer on , then turned to meet " Richmond " s force . At 0840 , the Battle of the Komandorski Islands began . Initially firing on " Richmond " , the Japanese soon concentrated on , the only American ship with the firing range to reach them . In the running , retiring action which ensued and lasted until shortly after noon , " Salt Lake City " went dead in the water , but continued firing . " Richmond " went to her aid as the American destroyers closed the Japanese for a torpedo attack . The enemy , however , low on fuel and ammunition did not press their advantage . Changing course , they headed west , pursued by the American destroyers . " Salt Lake City " regained power after four minutes and " Richmond " joined the destroyers , but the action was broken off as the Japanese outdistanced TG 16 . 6 . The transports sent ahead by the Japanese turned back for the Kuriles before reaching Attu . TG 16 . 6 had succeeded in its mission . In May , a week - long struggle resulted in the reoccupation of Attu by American forces . In August , Kiska became the target , and " Richmond " joined in the preinvasion bombardment . The landings took place on the 15th and met no resistance . The Japanese had pulled out undetected , before the end of July . On 24 August , " Richmond " departed the Aleutians ; underwent overhaul at Mare Island ; then returned to Kiska . Through the remainder of the year , she conducted patrols to the west of the outer Aleutians . On 4 February 1944 , she began bombardment missions in the Kuriles which continued , alternated with antishipping sweeps , for the remainder of World War II . With the end of hostilities , " Richmond " covered the occupation of northern Japan . On 14 September 1945 , she departed Ominato for Pearl Harbor , where she was routed on to Philadelphia for inactivation . Decommissioned on 21 December , " Richmond " was struck from the Naval Vessel Register on 21 January 1946 , and was sold on 18 December to the Patapsco Scrap Co . , Bethlehem , Pa . Awards . " Richmond " earned two battle star s for World War II service .