Naval Historywith Dr. Alex

Q&A · 3:02:00-3:02:42

Omaha answered a US light-cruiser need

The Omaha program met the US Navy's own need for light cruisers and should not be reduced to a direct response to one British class.

C Class CruisersDanae Class Light CruisersLight CruisersNaval ProcurementOmaha Class CruisersUS Navy
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Question

Was the Omaha class built as a response to Britain's C-class and Danae-class cruisers?

Short answer

No. The stated explanation is that the US Navy needed light cruisers, without treating one British class as the program's direct cause.

Notes

The Omaha class should not be treated primarily as a direct answer to Britain's C-class or Danae-class cruisers. The US Navy needed light cruisers. That fleet requirement is enough to explain the building program without assigning it to one foreign design. A simple one-class response model does not fit the stated reason for construction.