The Atlanta name runs from Confederate ironclad through protected cruiser, anti-aircraft cruiser, light cruiser, and attack submarine. The 1884 protected cruiser carried two eight-inch and six six-inch guns among a varied light battery and belonged to the US Navy's first four steel ships. A late-1890s refit added a triple-expansion engine and converted the six-inch battery to rapid fire with brass-cased ammunition. Her service until 1912 shows how an early steel cruiser could absorb major changes during a period of exceptionally rapid naval development.
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USS Atlanta and the US Navy's steel-cruiser beginning
The 1880s USS Atlanta anchors the American cruiser story in the first generation of steel warships and a long modernization cycle.