Departing Boston on 1 April 1933, the cruiser arrived Gravesend Bay, New York late in the day on 3 April.
The next evening, she was  dispatched on her first assignment to the scene of the airship Akron, which had crashed at sea.
Thirty six minutes after receiving the message, she was underway and en route to the crash site.
She was the first Navy vessel on scene, and began coordinating the search and rescue effort with other ships arriving.
In spite of her efforts, 73 were killed in the crash, including Admiral William Moffett, Chief of the Bureau of Aeronautics.

Portland steamed from San Diego, California, on 2 October 1935 along with Houston, which was carrying President Franklin D. Roosevelt.
The president spent much of his trip fishing with his party.
After visiting Panama and several other ports, the two ships steamed to Charleston, South Carolina, where the President disembarked.
Portland spent the remainder of the interwar era with the Scouting Force, Cruiser Division 5 and later in the United States Pacific Fleet conducting peacetime training and a number of goodwill missions.
She crossed the equator for the first time on 20 May 1936 during fleet maneuvers.

When the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941, Portland was two days away, en route to Midway Atoll as part of a carrier group escorting aircraft carrier Lexington.
From December 1941 to 1 May 1942, she operated between the West Coast, Hawaii, and Fiji on patrol.
Departing Boston on 1 April 1933, the cruiser arrived Gravesend Bay, New York late in the day on 3 April. The next evening, she was  dispatched on her first assignment to the scene of the airship Akron, which had crashed at sea. Thirty six minutes after receiving the message, she was underway and en route to the crash site. She was the first Navy vessel on scene, and began coordinating the search and rescue effort with other ships arriving. In spite of her efforts, 73 were killed in the crash, including Admiral William Moffett, Chief of the Bureau of Aeronautics.
Portland steamed from San Diego, California, on 2 October 1935 along with Houston, which was carrying President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The president spent much of his trip fishing with his party. After visiting Panama and several other ports, the two ships steamed to Charleston, South Carolina, where the President disembarked. Portland spent the remainder of the interwar era with the Scouting Force, Cruiser Division 5 and later in the United States Pacific Fleet conducting peacetime training and a number of goodwill missions. She crossed the equator for the first time on 20 May 1936 during fleet maneuvers.
When the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941, Portland was two days away, en route to Midway Atoll as part of a carrier group escorting aircraft carrier Lexington. From December 1941 to 1 May 1942, she operated between the West Coast, Hawaii, and Fiji on patrol.
USS Portland (CA-33)