USS Denver, a 10,000-ton Cleveland class light cruiser, was built at Camden, New Jersey. Commissioned in mid-October 1942, she arrived in the South Pacific war zone in February 1943 and was soon engaged in operations in and around the Solomon Islands. On 6 March, Denver took part in a mission to shell the Japanese base at Vila, Kolombangara, that also resulted in the sinking of two enemy destroyers. Late in June 1943, she bombarded other Japanese facilities and covered the Rendova and New Georgia landings. In addition to furnishing similar support for the Bougainville invasion in November 1943, Denver also participated in the Battle of Empress Augusta Bay on the night of 1-2 November. While operating off Bougainville on 13 November, she was hit by an aircraft-launched torpedo that severely damaged the ship and killed twenty of her crewmen.

Repaired and overhauled at the Mare Island Navy Yard, California, Denver returned to combat in June 1944, screening aircraft carriers during their strikes in the Marianas and Bonins area and using her guns to bombard Iwo Jima. In September the cruiser took part in the invasion of the Palau Islands. She next covered landings on Leyte and was part of the force that defeated a Japanese surface ship counter-attack in the Battle of Surigao Strait on the night of 24-25 October. During the pursuit phase of that action, she helped sink the enemy destroyer Asagumo.

Denver continued to operate in the Philippines area for the rest of the Pacific War. She covered landings at Mindoro in December 1944, on Luzon in January and February 1945, and later in the southern Philippines. In June 1945 she took part in amphibious attacks on Borneo and, in July and August, participated in anti-shipping raids off China. Following Japan's surrender, Denver supported prisoner of war recovery and occupation efforts. She left the Western Pacific in October 1945, steaming to the U.S. East Coast for overhaul. During early 1946 the cruiser was employed in Naval Reserve training missions. Decommissioned at the Philadelphia Navy Yard in February 1947, she was part of the Atlantic Reserve Fleet until March 1959, when she was stricken from the Naval Vessel Register. USS Denver was sold for scrapping in February 1960.