Michigan's Own on the High Seas The USS Detroit: Of all the U.S. Navy warships named for Michigan, the light cruiser Detroit possesses several important distinctions. It was not only among the largest and longest-serving of those vessels to participate in World War II but also one of just two ships in the U.S. Navy to be present at both the war's opening chapter and its conclusion

The cruiser Detroit that served with distinction in World War II was not the first naval vessel to bear the name of Michigan's largest city and the river that runs [...]