Receiving five battle-stars for service during the Korean Conflict, U.S.S. LOS ANGELES is shown as the Cruiser Division Flagship of the 7th Fleet. The Armed Cruiser (CA-135) carried a length of 674'11", a beam of 70'10" and drew 20'6" with her massive array of steel and guns that included 9 8" diameter barrels, 12 5", 48 40mm and 28 20mm. Launched in 1944 and commissioned in 1945, LOS ANGELES cruised the Far East and was put into reserve in 1948, only to recommission in 1951 under Captain Robert McFarlane against the Communist aggression of the Republic of North Korea. She'd see action and support gunnery duty for more than two years before the conflict was halted.
Her flags of command top her communication arrays as the active Pacific Ocean flows off her decks and parts before her mass. Beaumont's sea in this case is one of the most active ever, with deep troughs and the churning white caps offering little resistence to the cruiser. The sky is glowing with cloudy atmosphere and the heavy emotion of the unknown, always a consideration in military actions.
LOS ANGELES would cruise the Far East eight more times from 1953 to 1963 from her home port of Long Beach, and visit contested zones near China and the allied ports of the Philippines, Okinawa, South Korea, Hong Kong, Australia and Formosa. She also operated out of the Hawaiian Islands for a time. She entered the reserves afterward, stationed in San Diego.
