USS Amsterdam ( CL - 101 ) USS " Amsterdam " ( CL - 101 ) was a United States Navy " Cleveland " - class light cruiser , the last of the class to see action in World War II . The ship was laid down on 3 March 1943 at Newport News , Virginia , by the Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock Company , launched on 25 April 1944 , sponsored by Mrs . William E . Hasenfuss ( the first " Gold Star Mother " of Amsterdam , New York , who had lost her son William E . Hasenfuss , Jr . in the Japan ese attack on Pearl Harbor ) , and commissioned at the Norfolk Navy Yard Portsmouth , Virginia , on 8 January 1945 , Captain Andrew P . Lawton in command . Service history . After final fitting out at Norfolk , Virginia , the cruiser got underway on 5 February for shakedown training in the Chesapeake Bay . On 17 February , she stood out from Hampton Roads and headed south for Trinidad and the second phase of her shakedown cruise . " Amsterdam " operated from Trinidad through 13 March , when she set a course for Norfolk . During the return voyage , she held shore bombardment practice off the island of Culebra and then arrived back at Norfolk on the 20th . Following a short cruise to Cape May , New Jersey , for gunnery exercises , the ship entered the Norfolk Navy Yard on 24 March for availability . " Amsterdam " left the yard on 20 April for training exercises in Chesapeake Bay and , four days later , sailed for the Caribbean . She held training exercises off Culebra and at Guantánamo Bay , Cuba , and then proceeded to the Panama Canal which she transited on 5 May . The warship reached Pearl Harbor on 18 May , and during her stay in Hawaiian waters , carried out numerous gunnery and tactical exercises . On 9 June , the cruiser set a course for Leyte , Philippine Islands . Upon her arrival in San Pedro Bay on the 21st , she reported to the 3rd Fleet for duty . After a period of provisioning and refueling , the ship sortied , with Task Force 38 , on 1 July to cover air strikes against the Japanese home islands . On 10 July , the force ' s planes began a series of raids on Japanese airfields , factories , and shipping . During these actions , " Amsterdam " protected the carriers from attack by enemy air or surface forces . Among the cities the task force attacked were Tokyo , Kure , Kobe , and Osaka . On 15 August , TF 38 was preparing to launch another attack on Tokyo when its ships received word of Japan ' s capitulation . During the next few weeks , " Amsterdam " remained in waters off the east coast of Honshū guarding against possible Japanese aggression during armistice negotiations . She steamed into Tokyo Bay on 5 September and remained there through the 20th and then shaped a course for the United States . After brief layovers at Buckner Bay , Okinawa , and Pearl Harbor to take on personnel for transportation to the United States , the cruiser arrived at Portland , Oregon , on 15 October and remained at that port for a fortnight to participate in Navy Day ceremonies . On the 29th , she got underway for San Pedro , California . The ship reached San Pedro on 1 November . After a period of leave and upkeep , the cruiser left the west coast on 19 November bound for Pearl Harbor . She touched there on the 25th , and took on personnel and equipment for transportation to the west coast . The cruiser set sail again on 12 December , arrived back at San Pedro on the 18th , and rode at anchor there into early 1946 . On 21 January , she got underway for San Francisco . Shortly after her arrival , her crew began work to prepare the ship for inactivation and entry into the Pacific Reserve Fleet . She was decommissioned on 30 June 1947 and was laid up at San Francisco . " Amsterdam ' s " name was struck from the Navy List on 2 January 1971 , and the vessel was sold on 11 February 1972 to National Metal and Steel Corporation , Terminal Island , California , and later scrapped . Awards . " Amsterdam " earned one battle star for her World War II service .