The New Orleans class tried to be too many things

How useful were the New Orleans-class heavy cruisers?

He likes them and credits their service, but argues they were constrained by treaty limits and by an American desire for heavy cruisers to substitute for battleships in a Mahanian fleet-battle concept.

The New Orleans class was fast enough, efficient enough, and ultimately useful, especially after later rebuilds. American planners also expected these ships to perform cruiser duties while standing in for battleships under a particular reading of Mahan and Pacific sea-control needs. Those competing demands pushed the design toward the cruiser end of a battlecruiser-like spectrum and limited how innovative or balanced it could be.