USS Richmond, a 7050-ton Omaha class light cruiser, was built at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Following commissioning in July 1923, her shakedown cruise took her to Europe, Africa and South America. At the end of 1923, the new ship joined the Atlantic-based Scouting Force. During the next three years, she participated in Fleet Problems and other exercises, rescued survivors of the wrecked gunboat Tacoma (January 1924), protected U.S. interests along the turbulent east coast of Mexico, supported a flight around the World by Army Air Corps aviators (mid-1924), and steamed across the Pacific during the U.S. Fleet's 1925 cruise to Australia and New Zealand. Richmond deployed to Asiatic waters for a year, beginning in early 1927, spending most of her time there in Chinese waters. She then served briefly on the Pacific Coast before returning to the Atlantic, where she was mainly employed well into the 1930s.

With brief exceptions to participate in exercises, Richmond operated in the Pacific from mid-1934 to the end of her service. She was flagship of the U.S. Fleet's Submarine Force during 1938-40 and carried the Commander of the Scouting Force in the first half of 1941, while based in Hawaii. Later in that year and during the first year of World War II, she patrolled along the Latin American west coast and escorted convoys in the southeastern Pacific.

Richmond went to the North Pacific in January 1943 and was soon heavily engaged in the then-active Aleutians campaign. She bombarded Japanese-held Attu in February, participated in the Battle of the Komandorski Islands on 26 March and took part in the recovery of Attu and Kiska in May and August 1943. Serving in the Aleutians area for the next two years, Richmond's activities included active patrolling and, beginning in February 1944, bombardments of the Kuril Islands. After the fighting ended in August 1945, she briefly supported the occupation of Northern Japan. In October, the old cruiser transited the Panama Canal, en route to Philadelphia, where she was decommissioned late in the year. USS Richmond was sold for scrapping late in 1946 or early in 1947.