Naval Historywith Dr. Alex

Chapter · 1:12-3:44

New Orleans class and the evolution of American treaty cruisers

Three New Orleans construction batches trace the US Navy's path from early eight-inch treaty cruisers toward Wichita and later cruiser families.

Baltimore Class Heavy CruisersBrooklyn Class Light CruisersCleveland Class CruisersHeavy CruisersNaval TreatiesNew Orleans Class CruisersUS NavyWichita Class Heavy Cruisers
Watch at this timeFull video guide
Notes

The class marked an effort to turn earlier treaty-limited experiments into more credible fighting ships. Its three construction flights comprised New Orleans, Astoria, and Indianapolis; Tuscaloosa and San Francisco; then Quincy and Vincennes. These were the last American cruisers completed within the limits created by the 1922 and 1930 naval treaties. Their successive refinements form a design bridge toward Wichita and the later Brooklyn, Cleveland, and Baltimore families. Wichita can also be understood as a fourth New Orleans flight rather than a wholly separate break in the sequence.