USS Little Rock (CL-92/CLG-4/CG-4) is a Cleveland-class light cruiser and one of 27 completed for the United States Navy during or shortly after World War II. She is one of six to be converted to guided missile cruisers and the first US Navy ship to be named for Little Rock, Arkansas. Commissioned in mid-1945, she was completed too late to see combat duty during World War II and was retired post-war, becoming part of the Atlantic Reserve Fleet in 1949.

In the late 1950s, she was converted to a Galveston-class guided-missile cruiser, removing her aft six-inch and five-inch guns to accommodate the Talos missile system. Like three other of her sister Cleveland ships converted to missile ships, she was also extensively modified forward to become a flagship. This involved removal of most of her forward armament to allow for an enlarged superstructure and was recommissioned in 1960 as CLG-4 (redesignated CG-4 in 1975). In this configuration, she served in the Mediterranean, often as the Sixth Fleet flagship.

She decommissioned for the final time in 1976 and is now a museum ship, located in Buffalo, New York. She is the last surviving Cleveland-class cruiser.

Little Rock was laid down by William Cramp & Sons Shipbuilding Company, Philadelphia, 6 March 1943; launched 27 August 1944, sponsored by Mrs Sam Wassell and commissioned 17 June 1945.

Little Rock departed Philadelphia on 13 July 1945, and sailed via Naval Operating Base Norfolk, Portsmouth, Va., for her shakedown training cruise to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. She returned to Philadelphia, on 30 August for post-shakedown repairs until 26 September, when she commenced local operations out of Newport, R.I., for the training of the prospective crew of the aircraft carrier Princeton (CV-37). On 21 October 1945, Little Rock departed Newport, for a cruise to South America, steaming via San Juan, P.R., to arrive at Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on 10 November 1945. She then called at the ports of Chile, including Concepcion Bay; thence to Callao, Peru; and Santa Elena, Ecuador. She completed the transit of the Panama Canal (11-15 March) and after a visit to Cartagena, Colombia (16-18 March), returned to Norfolk on 23 March 1946.

Little Rock sailed on 19 April 1946 for maneuvers with units of the Eighth Fleet in the Caribbean and returned to Philadelphia, on 12 May for repairs. Little Rock then departed on 4 June 1946, for an extended cruise in European waters. On 11 June, she arrived at Plymouth, England. After a voyage to Gibraltar, she visited ports around northern Europe. She returned to Plymouth on 31 July, and then visited Lisbon, Portugal, before arrival at the British Crown Colony of Gibraltar, on 22 August, to commence a tour of the Mediterranean. She called at Naples, Italy (27 August-3 September); Piraeus, Greece; Valletta, Malta; and Bone, Algeria. She departed Valletta, on 17 September, and returned to Norfolk, on 27 September 1946. From November 21–27, 1946, USS Missouri (BB-63) was en route to Davis Strait as part of Task Group 20.2. Between 27 November and 4 December, she participated in cold-weather exercises, between Greenland and Baffin Island, as part of Task Group 20.2.

During the deployment, she was firing 5-inch star shells off the port side of Missouri for illumination, when there was a misfire. As the gunner began to point the barrel toward the water, as per standard procedure, the round cooked-off, (thermally induced firing) and struck Missouri on the signal bridge, killing Coxswain Robert Fountain and starting a fire involving an acetylene tank lashed to the railings. Missouri did not return to Norfolk until 13 December 1946.

Little Rock conducted local operations at Norfolk until 21 November 1946, and after operations with Missouri (BB-63) to Argentia, Newfoundland, returned to New York on 13 December 1946. She commenced local operations at Newport, on 9 January 1947, then steamed to Charleston, S.C., arriving on 8 February. She embarked Naval Reservists here for a training cruise, departing 10 February for San Juan. She debarked her reservists at Charleston, on 22 February, and sailed that same day for New York, arriving on 25 February 1947.