New Orleans-class cruiser (1896)

The New Orleans class of protected cruisers of the United States Navy consisted of two ships, which were built 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 . One ship was delivered to Brazil, named . The third ship was fitting out as Amazonas, and the fourth was on order as Almirante Abreu.

On 16 March 1898, the United States Navy purchased the undelivered ships to prevent them from being acquired by the Spanish Navy and to augment the US Navy shortly before the Spanish–American War.

Design and construction

Armament

These ships were originally armed with six /50 caliber rapid-fire (RF) guns and four /50 caliber RF guns. 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". 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 torpedo tubes for Whitehead torpedoes were also equipped. One source also lists on the boiler room glacis. supplying steam to two inverted, vertical, triple expansion engines (made by Humphrys and Tennant in New Orleans, Hawthorn Leslie in Albany), Their torpedo tubes were also removed in the 1903 refits.

Service

(ex-Amazonas) served in the Spanish–American War, World War I, and the Russian Civil War in Siberia.

(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.

Both cruisers were decommissioned in 1922 and were sold for scrapping in 1930.

Ships in class

The two ships of the New Orleans class were:

References

Bibliography

External links

Cruiser photo gallery index at NavSource Naval History