USS New Orleans circa 1898 | |
Class overview | |
---|---|
Name | New Orleans class |
Builders | Armstrong Whitworth, Elswick, England |
Operators | United States Navy |
Preceded by | Columbia class |
Succeeded by | Denver class |
Built | 1895–1900 |
In commission | 1898–1922 |
Completed | 2 |
Scrapped | 2 |
General characteristics (as built) | |
Type | 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 |
|
Propulsion | 2 × screws |
Speed | 20.5 knots (38.0 km/h; 23.6 mph) |
Complement | 366 |
Armament |
|
Armor |
|
General characteristics (1907) [1] | |
Armament |
|
General characteristics (1918) [2] | |
Armament |
|
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 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. [3]
On 16 March 1898 the United States Navy purchased the undelivered ships to prevent them being acquired by the Spanish Navy and to augment the US Navy shortly before the Spanish–American War. [4]
These ships were originally armed with six 6-inch (152 mm)/50 caliber rapid fire (RF) guns and four 4.7-inch (119 mm)/50 caliber RF guns. [4] These were British-made export-model guns built by Elswick Ordnance Company, a subsidiary of Armstrong. One source states the 6-inch guns were Elswick Pattern DD and the 4.7-inch guns were Pattern AA. [5] 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". [6] [7] The 6-inch guns were arranged with one each fore and aft, and two each fore and aft in sponsons on the sides to allow ahead or astern fire. The 4.7-inch guns were on the broadside. Three 18-inch (457 mm) torpedo tubes for Whitehead torpedoes were also equipped. [5] Additional weapons included ten 6-pounder 57 mm (2.2 in) Hotchkiss RF guns, eight 1-pounder 37 mm (1.5 in) RF guns, and four .30-cal. (7.62 mm) Maxim machine guns.
Harvey armor was used on these ships. The armored deck was 3+1⁄2 in (89 mm) on the sloped sides and 1+1⁄4 in (32 mm) in the flat middle. The main guns had 4 in (102 mm) shields and the conning tower had 4 in (102 mm) armor. [5] [8] One source also lists 4 in (102 mm) on the boiler room glacis. [5]
The engineering plant included four double-ended coal-fired Scotch marine boilers [9] supplying steam to two inverted vertical triple expansion engines (made by Humphrys & Tennant in New Orleans, Hawthorn Leslie in Albany), [4] which produced 7,500 ihp (5,600 kW ) for a design speed of 20.5 knots (38.0 km/h; 23.6 mph), which was achieved on trials. [5] [8] The normal coal allowance was 512 tons, but this could be increased to 747 tons. [5]
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-inch (127 mm)/50 caliber Mark 5 guns; the 6-inch guns were replaced with additional 5-inch guns in 1907. [10] Their torpedo tubes were also removed in the 1903 refits. [8] 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. [6] [7] During World War I the 5-inch guns were reduced from ten to eight and a 3-inch (76 mm)/50 caliber anti-aircraft gun was added. [2] [4] At least one 6-inch gun Mark 5 was delivered to the Army during that war for potential service on M1917B field carriages on the Western Front; it is unclear if these weapons were shipped overseas. [11]
New Orleans (ex-Amazonas) served in the Spanish–American War, World War I and the Russian Civil War in Siberia. [12]
Albany (ex-Almirante Abreu) was completed 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. [13]
Both cruisers were decommissioned in 1922 and were sold for scrapping in 1930.
The two ships of the New Orleans class were: [4]
Ship | Shipyard | Laid down | Launched | Commissioned | Decommissioned | Fate |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
USS New Orleans (CL-22) | Armstrong Whitworth, Elswick, England | 1895 | 4 December 1896 | 18 March 1898 | 16 November 1922 | Sold for scrap 11 February 1930 |
USS Albany (CL-23) | Armstrong Whitworth, Elswick, England | 1897 | 14 January 1899 | 29 May 1900 | 10 October 1922 | Sold for scrap 11 February 1930 |
These ships did not initially have hull numbers. [1] [4] On 17 July 1920 they were designated with the hull numbers PG-34 (gunboat) and PG-36. On 8 August 1921 they were redesignated with the hull numbers CL-22 (light cruiser) and CL-23. [4]
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. [14]
USS New Orleans was a United States Navy protected cruiser of the New Orleans class.
The third USS Albany was a United States Navy protected cruiser of the New Orleans class. She saw service in the Philippine–American War and World War I.
The 16"/50 caliber Mark 7 – United States Naval Gun is the main armament of the Iowa-class battleships and was the planned main armament of the cancelled Montana-class battleship.
The Brooklyn-class cruiser was a class of nine light cruisers built for the United States Navy between 1935 and 1938. Armed with five triple 6-inch (152 mm) gun turrets, they mounted more main battery guns than any other standard US cruiser. The Brooklyn-class ships were all commissioned between 1937 and 1939, in the time between the start of the Second Sino-Japanese War and before the invasion of Poland. They served extensively in both the Pacific and Atlantic theaters during World War II.
The Pennsylvania class of six armored cruisers served in the United States Navy from 1905 to 1927. All six were renamed for cities 1912–1920, to make the state names available for the new battleships beginning with the Pennsylvania-class battleships. All of these served during World War I, with California being the only ship of the class to be lost. The remaining five armored cruisers were scrapped between 1930 and 1931 in accordance with the London Naval Treaty.
The 5-inch /54-caliber lightweight gun is a U.S. naval artillery gun mount consisting of a 5 in (127 mm) L54 Mark 19 gun on the Mark 45 mount. It was designed and built by United Defense, a company later acquired by BAE Systems Land & Armaments, which continued manufacture.
The 3-inch/50-caliber gun in United States naval gun terminology indicates the gun fired a projectile 3 inches (76 mm) in diameter, and the barrel was 50 calibers long. Different guns of this caliber were used by the U.S. Navy and U.S. Coast Guard from 1900 through to 1990 on a variety of combatant and transport ship classes.
The three Chester-class cruisers were the first United States Navy vessels to be designed and designated as fast "scout cruisers" for fleet reconnaissance. They had high speed but little armor or armament. They were authorized in January 1904, ordered in fiscal year 1905, and completed in 1908. In 1920 all scout cruisers were redesignated as "light cruisers" (CL).
The QF 4.7-inch gun Mks I, II, III, and IV were a family of British quick-firing 4.724-inch (120 mm) naval and coast defence guns of the late 1880s and 1890s that served with the navies of various countries. They were also mounted on various wheeled carriages to provide the British Army with a long-range gun. They all had a barrel of 40 calibres length.
The 6-inch/47-caliber Mark 16 gun was used in the main batteries of several pre-war and World War II US Navy light cruisers. They were primarily mounted in triple turrets and used against surface targets. The Mark 16DP gun was a dual-purpose fitting of the Mark 16 for use against aircraft as well as surface ships. It was installed in the postwar Worcester-class light cruisers and the anti-aircraft gunnery training ship Mississippi.
The QF 6-inch 40 calibre naval gun (Quick-Firing) was used by many United Kingdom-built warships around the end of the 19th century and the start of the 20th century. In British service it was known as the QF 6-inch Mk I, II, III guns. As the 15 cm/40 (6") 41st Year Type naval gun it was used for pre-dreadnought battleships, armoured cruisers and protected cruisers of the early Imperial Japanese Navy built in UK and European shipyards. It was also the heaviest gun ever carried by a pre-Cold War destroyer.
The QF 3-pounder Hotchkiss or in French use Canon Hotchkiss à tir rapide de 47 mm were a family of long-lived light 47 mm naval guns introduced in 1886 to defend against new, small and fast vessels such as torpedo boats and later submarines. There were many variants produced, often under license which ranged in length from 32 to 50 calibers but 40 caliber was the most common version. They were widely used by the navies of a number of nations and often used by both sides in a conflict. They were also used ashore as coastal defense guns and later as an anti-aircraft gun, whether on improvised or specialized HA/LA mounts.
The Armstrong Whitworth 12-inch naval gun of 40 calibres length was designed by and manufactured mainly by Armstrong's ordnance branch, Elswick Ordnance Company. It was intended for the Royal Navy's Royal Sovereign-class battleships, but budgetary constraints delayed their introduction. The first units were instead supplied to Japan. As the Type 41 12-inch (305 mm) 40-calibre naval gun it was the standard main battery on several early United Kingdom-built pre-dreadnought battleships of the Imperial Japanese Navy.
The St. Louis-class cruisers were a class of three cruisers that served in the United States Navy at the beginning of the 20th century. Authorized in fiscal year 1901 by an Act of Congress of 7 June 1900 as part of the naval buildup touched off by the Spanish–American War, the St. Louis-class cruiser initially began as an improved Olympia. However, during the design phase, decisions were made that increased the size of the vessel from 6,000 long tons (6,100 t) to 9,700 long tons (9,900 t), including adding protection that resulted in the designation "semi-armored cruiser". This led to a larger power plant, and other decisions were made to try to increase speed and range, such as using smaller 6-inch (152 mm) guns instead of 8-inch (203 mm) guns, and adding coal capacity. The completed ship at 9,700 long tons was the same displacement as a full armored cruiser without the same armor. One reference describes the class as "among the earliest well-documented examples of creeping growth in warship design".
The Columbia-class cruisers were two protected cruisers constructed in 1890 and 1891 and used by the United States Navy. They were lightly gunned ships with only moderate armor that were built for the speed needed to overtake and destroy the fast ocean liners of the day as commerce raiders. However, the light armament and armor left these ships over-specialized and outclassed by ordinary similar sized protected cruisers that they might encounter. Also, the engines were expensive to operate and at full power the ships' range was greatly decreased. Due to the ongoing size and speed race in ocean liners, by 1907 they were outclassed in speed by the ill-fated Lusitania and the German liner Kronprinzessin Cecilie.
The 3"/70 Mark 26 Gun was a US post war naval anti-aircraft gun. Developed as a joint project with the United Kingdom, which called it the QF 3-inch Mark N1 gun, it had a water-cooled barrel combined with an automatic loader to deliver high rates of fire.
The Cincinnati-class cruisers were two small protected cruisers built for the United States Navy in the early 1890s. They were smaller and more lightly armed and protected than most previous US cruisers, and were intended for commerce raiding. They may also be referred to as Raleigh-class cruisers, as Raleigh was launched and commissioned prior to Cincinnati.
The Montgomery-class cruisers were three unprotected cruisers built for the United States Navy in the early 1890s. They had a thin water-tight protective deck, and also relied for protection upon their coal bunkers, cellulose packing, and numerous compartments. Roomy accommodations were provided for officers and crew, these cruisers being mainly intended for long cruises on distant stations.
The EOC 8 inch 45 caliber were a family of related 8-inch (203 mm) 45 caliber naval guns designed by the Elswick Ordnance Company and manufactured by Armstrong for export customers before World War I. In addition to being produced in the United Kingdom licensed variants were produced in Italy and in Japan. Users of this family of gun included the navies of Argentina, Chile, China, Italy, Japan and Spain. This family of guns saw action in the Spanish–American War, Boxer Rebellion, Russo-Japanese War, Italo-Turkish War, World War I and World War II. In addition to its naval role it was later used as coastal artillery and siege artillery after the ships it served on were decommissioned.
The 15 cm/45 41st Year Type was a British naval gun designed by the Elswick Ordnance Company for export in the years before World War I that armed warships of the Imperial Japanese Navy. These guns served aboard Japanese ships during World War I and as coastal artillery during World War II.