USS Pasadena 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.

These operations carried on into 1945, and in January, the unit entered the South China Sea to strike Japanese installations in French Indochina and Formosa.

[3] The Fast Carrier Task Force then returned to Ulithi to replenish stores and take on munitions before getting underway again in mid-March to begin the preparatory attacks on Okinawa in advance of the invasion of that island.

These included air raids on the northern Ryukyu Islands and southern Japan to neutralize forces that would interfere with the planned landings.

During this period, Pasadena served as the flagship of Cruiser Division 17, which carried out night bombardments of Minami Daito on 28 March and 10 May.

Pasadena thereafter took part in the occupation of Japan; she became the flagship of Task Group 35.1 on 23 August, and four days later she dropped anchor in Sagami Bay outside Tokyo.

Over the following months, she took part in training exercises in the area before going to sea for the last time on 12 September, bound for Bremerton, Washington, where she was laid up in the Pacific Reserve Fleet.