Heavy Cruisers: New Orleans Class

[Brian James]

New Orleans Class Heavy Cruiser USS Vincennes pictured passing through the Panama Canal on January 6th 1938, while en route to join the U.S. Fleet in the Pacific.She was laid down on January 2nd1934 at Quincy, Massachusetts, by the Bethlehem Shipbuilding Company's Fore River Shipyard, launched on May 21st 1936.The New Orleans-Class Cruisers were the last U.S. Cruisers built to the specifications and standards of the Washington Naval Treaty of 1922. Such ships, with a limit of 10,000 tons standard displacement and 8-inch calibre main armament guns are referred to as Treaty Cruisers.She was sunk at the Battle of Savo Island,August 9th 1942.

[Brian James]

New Orleans Class Heavy Cruiser USS San Francisco pictured c 1943.

[designeraccd]

Overall 1 of the most balanced CA Treaty designs, while actually observing the Treaty restrictions. The weak spot, typical of the time, was AA. Close range rapid fire AA needed radical improvement as the war soon proved.

Note changed bridge on SAN FRANCISCO compared to views that were earlier on the other units.

Class and type: New Orleans-class cruiser
Displacement: 9,950 long tons (10,110 t) (standard)
Length: 588 ft (179 m) oa
574 ft (175 m) pp

Beam: 61 ft 9 in (18.82 m)
Draft: 19 ft 5 in (5.92 m) (mean)
23 ft 6 in (7.16 m) (max)

Installed power: 8 × Babcock & Wilcox boilers
107,000 shp (80,000 kW)

Propulsion: 4 × Westinghouse geared turbines
4 × screws

Speed: 32.7 kn (37.6 mph; 60.6 km/h)
Capacity: Fuel oil: 1,650 tons
Complement: 96 officers 819 enlisted
Armament: 9 × 8 in (203 mm)/55 caliber guns (3x3)
8 × 5 in (127 mm)/25 caliber anti-aircraft guns
2 × 3-pounder 47 mm (1.9 in) saluting guns
8 × caliber 0.50 in (13 mm) machine guns

Armor: Belt: 3–5 in (76–127 mm)
Deck: 1 1⁄4–2 1⁄4 in (32–57 mm)
Barbettes: 5 in (130 mm)
Turrets: 1 1⁄2–8 in (38–203 mm)
Conning Tower: 5 in (127 mm)

Aircraft carried: 4 × floatplanes
Aviation facilities: 2 × Amidship catapults

Pretty good for 10K tons at that time! DFO

[Brian James]

USS Astoria pictured at Portland Oregon on July 16th 1937.
She was the lead ship of the Astoria Class of Heavy Cruisers (later renamed the New Orleans Class) that participated in both the Battle of the Coral Sea and the Battle of Midway, but was then sunk in August 1942, at the Battle of Savo Island. Astoria was the first ship of the Astoria Class of Cruisers to be laid down at Puget Sound Navy Yard,Bremerton in 1930, but received a hull number higher than New Orleans because she was launched second.
Immediately after the months-long Guadalcanal Campaign ended in February 1943, the remaining ships of the Class would go through major overhauls to lessen top-heaviness due to new electrical and radar systems and advanced Anti-Aircraft weaponry. In doing so the ships took on a new appearance, most notably in the bridge, becoming known as the New Orleans Class.

[designeraccd]

A modified NEW ORLEANS, the hard-24"-way! Also, later-repaired and updated!! DFO

[Brian James]

New Orleans Class Heavy Cruiser USS Quincy pictured post refit,off New York Navy Yard,Brooklyn,May 23rd 1942.

[Brian James]

New Orleans Class Heavy Cruiser USS Quincy pictured post refit,off New York Navy Yard,Brooklyn,May 23rd 1942.

[Brian James]

Lead Ship,Heavy Cruiser USS New Orleans pictured post her final refit,off Mare Island Navy Yard,March 8th 1945.Moored in Pearl Harbor on December 7th 1941, she was taking power and light from the dock, her engines under repair. With yard power out during the attack,her engineers began to raise steam, working by flashlight, while on deck men fired on the Japanese attackers with rifles and pistols. The crew was forced to break the locks on the ammunition ready boxes as the keys couldn't be located, and because the ship was taking power from the dock, the 5"/25 cal AA gun had to be aimed and fired manually. The gunners topside were ducking machine gun bullets and shrapnel, training their guns manually, as they had no ammunition other than the few shells in their ready boxes. The ammunition hoists did not have power making it nearly impossible to get more ammunition topside to the gun crews. The 54 lb shells had to be pulled up the powerless hoists by ropes attached to their metal cases. Every man with no specific job at the moment formed ammunition lines to get the shells to the guns. A number of her crew were injured when a fragmentation bomb exploded close aboard. She suffered no severe damage during the attack.
Before having the engine work complete at Pearl Harbor, she convoyed troops to Palmyra Atoll and Johnston Atoll operating on only three of her four engines; she then returned to San Francisco on January 13th 1942 for engineering repairs and installation of new search radar and 20 mm guns. She sailed on February 12th, commanding the escort for a troop convoy to Brisbane; from Australia she screened a convoy to Nouméa, and returned to Pearl Harbor to join Task Force 11 (TF 11).

[Brian James]

Lead Ship,Heavy Cruiser USS New Orleans pictured fitting out at New York Navy Yard,Brooklyn,January 20th 1934.

[Brian James]

New Orleans Class Heavy Cruiser USS Minneapolis pictured moored off Mare Island Navy Yard,post her major overhaul and battle damage repairs,September 1943.