 After her commissioning , Alaska steamed down to Hampton Roads , escorted by the destroyers Simpson and Broome . The ship was then deployed for a shakedown cruise , first in the Chesapeake Bay and then into the Caribbean , off Trinidad . On the cruise she was escorted by the destroyers Bainbridge and Decatur . After completing the cruise Alaska returned to the Philadelphia Navy Yard for some minor alterations , including the installation of four Mk 57 fire control directors for her 5 @-@ inch guns . On 12 November she left Philadelphia in the company of the destroyer @-@ minelayer Thomas E. Fraser , bound for two weeks of sea trials off Guantanamo Bay , Cuba . On 2 December she left Cuba for the Pacific , transiting the Panama Canal two days later , and reaching San Diego on 12 December . There her gun crews trained for shore bombardment and anti @-@ aircraft fire . 
