New Orleans-class cruiser (1896)

This article is about the class of protected cruisers acquired in the 1890s. For the cruisers built in the 1930s, see New Orleans-class cruiser.

USS New Orleans circa 1898
Class overview
Name	New Orleans-class
Builders	Armstrong Whitworth, Elswick, England
Operators	United States Navy
Preceded by	Template:Sclass-
Succeeded by	Template:Sclass-
Built	1895–1899
In commission	1898–1922
Completed	2
Scrapped	2
General characteristics (as built)
Class and type	New Orleans-class protected cruiser
Displacement	3,769 long tons (3,829 t)
Length	354 ft 5 in (108.03 m)
Beam	43 ft 9 in (13.34 m)
Draft	18 ft (5.5 m)
Installed power	4 × double-ended coal-fired Scotch marine boilers 2 × Inverted vertical triple expansion engines (by Humphrys & Tennant in New Orleans, Hawthorn Leslie in Albany) 7,500 hp (5,593 kW)
Propulsion	2 × screws 822 tons of coal
Speed	21 knots (39 km/h; 24 mph)
Complement	366
Armament	6 × 6 in (150 mm)/50 rapid fire (RF) guns 4 × 4.7 in (120 mm)/50 RF guns 10 × 57 mm (2.2 in) 6-pdr Hotchkiss RF guns 8 × 1-pounder guns 4 × .30-cal. Maxim machine guns 3 × 18 inch (450 mm) Whitehead torpedo tubes
Armor	Harvey armor 4 in (100 mm) shields 6 in (150 mm) conning tower 4 in (100 mm) & 2+3⁄4 in (70 mm) deck
General characteristics (1907)
Armament	10 × 5 in (127 mm)/50 caliber RF guns
General characteristics (1918)
Armament	8 × 5 in (127 mm)/50 caliber RF guns 1 × 3 in (76 mm)/50 caliber anti-aircraft gun

The New Orleans-class of protected cruisers of the United States Navy consisted of two ships which were building for the Brazilian Navy at Elswick, near Newcastle Upon Tyne, England, by Armstrong Whitworth. The Brazilian Navy had ordered four Elswick cruisers, but had already sold the first ship during construction to Chile as the Ministro Zenteno. One ship was delivered to Brazil, named Almirante Barroso. The third ship was fitting out as Amazonas, and the fourth was on order as Almirante Abreu.

On 16 March 1898 the United States Navy purchased the undelivered ships to prevent them being acquired by the Spanish Navy shortly before the Spanish–American War.

Design and construction

Armament

These ships were originally armed with six 6"/50 caliber (152 mm) guns and four 4.7"/50 caliber (120 mm) guns. These were British-made export-model guns built by Elswick Ordnance Company, a subsidiary of Armstrong. These guns were unique in the US Navy, and they were designated as "6"/50 caliber Mark 5 Armstrong guns" and "4.7"/50 caliber Mark 3 Armstrong guns".

Refits

To reduce supply difficulties, during refits at the Cavite Navy Yard in the Philippines in 1903, both ships had their 4.7-inch guns replaced with standard 5"/50 caliber (127 mm) Mark 5 guns; the 6-inch guns were replaced with 5-inch guns in 1907. Their torpedo tubes were also removed in the 1903 refits. At least some of the guns from these ships were emplaced in the Grande Island/Subic Bay area 1907-1910 and operated by the United States Marine Corps until the Coast Artillery Corps' modern defenses centered on Fort Wint were completed. During World War I the 5-inch guns were reduced from ten to eight and a 3"/50 caliber (76 mm) anti-aircraft gun was added.

Service

The Amazonas served as USS New Orleans (CL-22) in the Spanish–American War, World War I and the Russian civil war in Siberia.

The Almirante Abreu became USS Albany (CL-23) and was too late to see service in the Spanish–American War. She served first in the Philippine–American War and then in World War I and the Russian civil war in Siberia.

In 1920 they were classified as gunboats, but in 1921 were reclassified as light cruisers. Both cruisers were decommissioned in 1922 and were sold for scrapping in 1930.

Ships in class

The two ships of the New Orleans class were:

• USS New Orleans (CL-22)
• USS Albany (CL-23)

Legacy

Two 4.7-inch guns (one from each ship of the class) are preserved at the Kane County, Illinois Soldier and Sailor Monument at the former courthouse in Geneva, Illinois.

See also

• Template:Sclass- - unrelated New Orleans-class cruisers in commission 1930s–1950s.

Bibliography

• Bauer, K. Jack; Roberts, Stephen S. (1991). Register of Ships of the U.S. Navy, 1775–1990: Major Combatants. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press. ISBN 0-313-26202-0.
• Burr, Lawrence (2011). US Cruisers 1883-1904: The Birth of the Steel Navy. Osprey Publishing. ISBN 9781780962702. Retrieved 5 July 2014.
• Friedman, Norman (1984). U.S. Cruisers: An Illustrated Design History. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 0-87021-718-6.
• Gardiner, Robert; Chesneau, Roger (1979). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships, 1860–1905. New York: Mayflower Books. ISBN 0-8317-0302-4.

External links

• Cruiser photo gallery index at NavSource Naval History