USS Pasadena ( CL - 65 ) USS " Pasadena " ( CL – 65 ) , a " Cleveland " - class light cruiser of the United States Navy , the second vessel to carry the name . Construction . " Pasadena " was laid down by the Bethlehem Steel Co . , Quincy , Mass . on 6 February 1943 and launched on 28 December 1943 . She was sponsored by Mrs . C . G . Wopschall , and commissioned on 8 June 1944 , Captain Richard B . Tuggle in command . Service history . World War II . Commissioned just before the thrust into the Mariana Islands , " Pasadena " completed shakedown and training during the summer of 1944 , and on 25 September got underway for the Pacific theater . On 3 November she crossed the International Date Line and , continuing on , joined TF 38 , the fast carrier force , at Ulithi at mid - month . Through the remainder of the year she participated in that force ’ s operations against Luzon and Formosa in support of the Philippine campaign . In mid - January 1945 , as the assault on Luzon pressed forward , the force sailed into the South China Sea and hit Japanese installations and shipping along the Indo - China coast and on Formosa . In February , the ships , now TF 58 , moved against the Japanese home islands , then swung southeast to cover the landings on Iwo Jima , during which " Pasadena " added her guns to the bombardment group and performed patrol duties . Replenished at Ulithi , the force , with " Pasadena " in the inner screen , sortied again in mid - March to soften the way for the operation " Iceberg " assault force with strikes on the southern Japanese home islands and the northern Ryukyus in addition to those against the main assault target : Okinawa . At sea for 80 days , " Pasadena " , as flagship for CruDiv 17 , participated in the night bombardments of Minami Daito ( 28 March and 10 May ) and in the continuous strikes against other Japanese positions on Okinawa and Kyūshū ( 1 April – 30 May ) . After a brief respite at Ulithi and Leyte in June , the force sortied from Leyte Gulf for its last strikes against the enemy ’ s home islands in early July , and from mid - month to mid - August pounded military and industrial complexes on the Tokyo Plain , northern Honshū , and Hokkaidō in anticipation of heavy resistance to what appeared inevitable — an invasion of Japan . On 15 August , however , Japan accepted surrender terms . Post - War . Following the cessation of Pacific hostilities , " Pasadena " commenced occupation duties . On 23 August she became flagship of TG 35 . 1 , on the 27th she anchored in Sagami Wan , and on 1 September shifted to Tokyo Bay where she witnessed the official surrender ceremony the next day . From then until mid - January 1946 , she remained in the Tokyo Bay area supporting the occupation forces . On 19 January she got underway for San Pedro , California and an overdue overhaul . Training and local operations followed and in September she headed west again . From November to February , 1947 , she participated in division exercises in Micronesia , then , after fleet maneuvers in Hawaiian waters , returned to California . For the next year she conducted local operations , including a trip up the Columbia River to Portland , OR for Navy Day 1947 then several months in dry dock at Bremerton , WA . Then , during the summer of 1948 , she conducted an NROTC training cruise . On 1 October she got underway again for the Far East . At the end of the month , she arrived at Tsingtao , and until May 1949 operated off the China coast . On 1 June , she returned to California . During the summer , she conducted local exercises , and on 12 September departed Long Beach , California for Bremerton and inactivation . She decommissioned on 12 January 1950 . Awards . " Pasadena " earned five battle star s during World War II .