The U.S.S. Portland CA-33 was a heavy cruiser commissioned in 1933 during the Depression and manned by a crew of 876. Built in Quincy, Massachusetts as the first ship named for the City of Portland, she became one of the most-decorated ships of World War II and was known to her crew as Sweet Pea. In October 1945, after the war, she triumphantly visited Portland, where a giant parade, civic and military leaders, and celebrations including dances, dinners, ball games, and speeches honored the ship and crew. In July 1946, while carrying American troops home from Europe during Operation Magic Carpet, she struck a hurricane off the coast of France; seas up to 100 feet battered the cruiser, warped the bow, and stove in the starboard hangar, leaving four dead and 50 severely injured, yet the ship and crew still sailed home across the Atlantic despite being deemed unseaworthy. When the Portland was sold for scrap in 1959, retired Navy Captain Arthur T. Forrestall arranged to preserve her after mast, bridge shield, and ship's bell and bring them from Florida to Portland. Fifty years later, in 2008, Bill Whitten, a U.S. Marine, led an effort to restore the memorial with support from Cianbro Corporation, other companies, and individual donors. The ship's call sign was NACB, memorabilia including her sextant and compass were given to the City of Portland, and in 1995 Micronesia honored the Portland with a postage stamp.