The New York Shipbuilding Corporation of New Jersey launched the USS Fargo 75 years ago yesterday. The WWII Cruiser carried a crew of 992, was 611 feet long and 66 feet wide, had a speed of 33 knots, and displaced 10,000 long tons. The ship was built for use against the Japanese but was finished a bit late for that purpose. Instead, she served as flagship for Commander of Naval Forces in the Mediterranean for a short time and then primarily operated in the Mediterranean and Caribbean. Her ports of call included Bermuda, Trinidad, Rio de Janeiro, Montevideo, Turkey, Lebanon, Greece, Italy, France, North Africa and Newfoundland. USS Fargo was decommissioned after just five years and berthed in NJ on Valentines Day, 1950.

A prominent display at the Fargo Public Library includes photos of the USS Fargo, as well many objects, like its commissioning pennant and its steering and navigation counsel.

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