USS Mobile was a Cleveland-class light cruiser of the United States Navy, which were built during World War II.

The start of the war led to the dissolution of the treaty system, but the dramatic need for new vessels precluded a new design, so the Clevelands used the same hull as their predecessors, but were significantly heavier.

Following the start of World War II in September 1939, Britain announced it would suspend the treaty for the duration of the conflict, a decision the US Navy quickly followed.

[2] The ship's belt armor ranged in thickness from 3.5 to 5 in (89 to 127 mm), with the thicker section amidships where it protected the ammunition magazines and propulsion machinery spaces.

Mobile then departed the East Coast of the United States for the Pacific to join the forces waging the war against Japan.

Mobile served as part of the defensive screen for the task force's aircraft carriers while they conducted preparatory raids on Tarawa on 18 September.

The ships bombarded Satawan on 29 and 30 April and Pohnpei on 1 May, and then departed for Majuro to make preparations for the next major campaign in the central Pacific.

They reached the island chain on 11 June and began air strikes on Japanese defenses on Saipan, Tinian, Guam, and Rota over the following several days.

On 18 June, reports of an approaching Japanese fleet prompted the fast carrier task force to sail west and begin searches for its opponent.

The ships then withdrew to Eniwetok for replenishment, which lasted until the end of the month, when they sortied again for another round of strikes on the Bonin Islands.

[3] After re-forming, the ships of TF 58 steamed north for another series of attacks on the Bonins, raiding Iwo Jima, Chichijima, and Hahajima on 4 August.

TG 38.3 then sailed back west to attack Japanese positions in the Philippines, including targets in the Manila area and the Visayas again, between 21 and 24 September.

[3] After another period of replenishment, this time at the recently-conquered Ulithi, the ships of TF 38 got underway on 6 October for the next major operation: the liberation of the Philippines.

During the attacks on the Ryukyus, Mobile and the destroyers Gatling and Cotten were detached to sink a pair of Japanese vessels that had been detected some 30 nautical miles (56 km; 35 mi) from the fleet.

[3] During the ensuing Formosa Air Battle on 13 October, Mobile's sister ship Houston and the heavy cruiser Canberra were both torpedoed and badly damaged by Japanese aircraft.

Once the damaged vessels had withdrawn far enough to be out of range of Japanese aircraft, Mobile left the formation and returned to TG 38.3, arriving with her unit on 17 October.

[3][4] Mobile and the rest of the fast carrier task force then turned south to begin attacks on the Philippines themselves as the invasion approached.

They struck targets in the northern Philippines on 20 October and move south over the following days, attacking installations in southern Luzon and the Visayas to degrade Japanese forces in the area.

Mobile and several other surface ships were sent to make a sweep for crippled Japanese vessels, and she assisted in the sinking of the light carrier Chiyoda and the destroyer Hatsuzuki.

[3] For the next two months, the fast carrier task force operated in the Philippines, covering the next several amphibious invasions of islands in the Visayas and on Mindoro.

[3] With the war over, Mobile left San Pedro Bay in the Philippines on 20 August, bound for Okinawa to join the forces available for occupation duty.

She made several cruises between Okinawa and the Japanese Home Islands in September, carrying prisoners of war who had been liberated after the surrender of Japan.