USS Baltimore - CA-68 (Cruiser)

The USS Baltimore (CA-68), a prominent heavy cruiser in the United States Navy, marked its commission in 1943, renowned for its sheer size and a crew of 1,142. Post-fitting, it engaged in exercises off the U.S. West Coast and played a pivotal role in Pacific island invasions during WWII. It contributed to Operation Magic Carpet post-war and was part of the naval occupation force in Japan. Recommissioned in 1951 for Atlantic Fleet duties, it voyaged the Mediterranean and Far East but returned to reserve in 1956 and eventually scrapped in 1972. Despite North Korea's claim of its sinking during the Korean War, historical records refute this, with the ship operating in the Far East two years after the war's end.