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The third USS Colorado (BB-45)

USS Colorado

By Jon Pinnow
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Colorado is far from the ocean, but the state’s name has sailed the high seas on four different vessels since 1858. The first was a steam frigate. During the Civil War it captured several Confederate vessels and sank a schooner. It was named for the Colorado river. But the second drew its name from the state. An armored cruiser, the flagship of the Pacific Reserve Fleet, patrolling in Mexican waters. During World War I it got a name change, and that freed up the moniker to go on the third USS Colorado -- a battleship in World War II that even joined the search for Amelia Earhart. When it retired, the state's name took a break from the high seas for 70 years. And then in 2016, the fourth USS Colorado came along: a nuclear-powered attack submarine, launched with the motto "by land and sea, untamed."

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Colorado Postcards are snapshots of our colorful state in sound. They give brief insights into our people and places, our flora and fauna, and our past and present, from every corner of Colorado.

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