USS Colorado (BB-45) is the first ship of the Colorado class. It was built at the New York Shipyard in 1919, launched in 1921 and commissioned in 1923. It was mostly used for training and various fleet problem-solving exercises. Frontline combat for USS Colorado consisted of the Gilbert and Marshall Islands, the Mariana Islands, Palau, and the Battle of Leyte Gulf. She was damaged by friendly fire at the 1945 invasion of the Lingayan Gulf. After repairs she returned to battle at Okinawa and assisting Allied forces after Japan’s surrender. USS Colorado returned to the US in 1947 and retired in 1959.