USS Los Angeles, a 13,600-ton Baltimore class heavy cruiser built at the Philadelphia Navy Yard, was commissioned in July 1945. She went to the Far East late in 1945, serving there a year. The cruiser then returned to the U.S. and was decommissioned in April 1948.Los Angeles was brought back to commissioned status in January 1951, in response to an urgent need for more heavy gun ships during the Korean War. She made two combat tours, in May-December 1951 and in October 1952 - May 1953, during which her 8" and 5" guns were actively employed supporting United Nations ground forces and in bombarding enemy targets along the coast of North Korea.In 1953-63, Los Angeles deployed eight more times to the Western Pacific to "show the flag" in a frequently troubled region. She was modernized during the later 1950s, receiving the capability to launch "Regulus" surface-to-surface guided missiles, and in early 1960s to better fit her for flagship service with a heavier foremast and long-range radar. Decommissioned in November 1963, USS Los Angeles was laid up on the west coast until May 1975, when she was sold for scrapping.