The Pensacola is the first US ship of a series of so-called “Washington Сruisers” that were designed based on the requirements and restrictions of the Washington Naval Conference. The ship began its design journey in 1919, when the United States’ potential rivals were Great Britain and Japan (amongst others). The ship had to be able to stand up to the British Hawkins class heavy cruisers, and a potential war with Japan in the Pacific meant that the vessel had to be able to travel significant distances. A draft of the new heavy cruiser was ready by 1923, but it wasn’t accepted until 1925. The main armament of the 10,000 ton cruiser was ten 8 inch (203mm) guns, her predicted speed was slightly over 31 knots (about 60 km/h), and her armour was expected to withstand hits to her magazines from 130mm shells at medium range. The fast, heavily-armoured Washington Cruiser would thus not able to withstand fire from another heavy cruiser with 203mm guns, but she would be able to effectively fight light cruisers with 152mm guns at ranges where the smaller ships’ weapons were not particularly effective. The first two ships of this type, the Pensacola and the Salt Lake City, were ordered in 1925.

Before World War II, the Pensacola served off the US East Coast before being transferred to the Pacific Ocean as part of a division in 1935. The Pensacola left for Manila not long before the tragedy of Pearl Harbor, and the news about the outbreak of the war reached the crew while they were enroute to their destination. The cruiser saw her first battle in February of 1942, where she fought off a raid by Japanese aircraft near the Solomon Islands group. The Pensacola soon took part in the epic Battle of Midway, then provided cover for paratroopers at Guadalcanal. Combat operations against the Japanese navy and air force continued throughout the entire summer and autumn of 1942. During a skirmish with the Japanese on November 30th, the Pensacola took a torpedo hit, which led to an explosion and a fire. 125 of the crew were killed. Repairs took almost a year, but the Pensacola returned to service immediately thereafter. The heavy cruiser fought in many famous American naval operations in the Pacific, including the attacks on Iwo Jima and Okinawa. Toward the end of the summer of 1945, the Pensacola returned to the Florida for repairs. The cruiser was in the Port of Adak in Alaska when the war ended. After the war, the effect of nuclear explosions was tested on the Pensacola during tests at Bikini Atoll. The decommissioned heavy cruiser was destroyed during artillery drills near Washington State.