New Orleans

Tier VI \| Type: Cruiser
Preceded by	Succeeded by
Pensacola	Baltimore Buffalo
Cost	9 000 000
Variants	New Orleans W
XP Required	143 000

New Orleans — American Tech Tree Tier VI Cruiser.

The first U.S. heavy cruiser of the new generation. The key difference from the preceding cruisers was her remarkably reinforced armor. Taking into account her limited displacement, the ship boasted a successful balance of armament, protection and speed.

Entered Service: 1934
Ships in a series: 7

Ship Traits

Sticky Shot: Reduced ricochet change - greater chance of penetrating enemy ship armor at sharper angles.	Hidden: Good concealment means the ship can get closer to enemies before being detected.	Sluggish Shot: Difficult to aim at long distances, but the trajectory allows for effective fire from cover.

Modules

	Hit Points	Min Armor (mm)	Max Armor (mm)	Torpedo Damage Reduction (%)	Main Battery Turrets	Rudder Shift (s)	Purchase Price
Stock	29 700	6	152	4	3x3	9	0
Hull B	35 000	6	152	4	3x3	6.9	1 800 000

	Turret Arrangement	Reload Time (s)	180° Turn Time (s)	Max HE Damage	HE Fire Chance (%)	Max AP Damage	Purchase Price
203mm Mk14	3x3	13.5	25.7	2800	14	4600	0
203mm/55 Mk14	3x3	12	27.7	2800	14	4600	225 000

	Firing Range Increase (%)	Main Battery Firing Range	Purchase Price
Stock	0 %	13.6 km	0
Targeting System Mk6 mod. 2	10 %	15 km	225 000

	Maximum Speed
Stock	32.5 kn

History

USS New Orleans (CA-32) was a US Navy heavy cruiser, the first of her class which was the last class of heavy cruisers designed by the US Navy under the limitations of the Washington Naval Treaty. Originally planned to have 33 units, the London Naval Treaty of 1930 limited the class to “only” seven vessels. Designed by taking the experience gained while designing and building the Pensacola Class, Northampton class and Portland class (represented in-game by the premium ship Indianapolis), she was a testbed for numerous technology, resulting in 3 distinct series of construction, and all subsequent guns cruiser of the US Navy where build by taking into account the experience gained with the New Orleans.

They were originally known as Artosia class, but after the loss of the ship during the battle of Savo Island, the class was renamed after New Orleans.

She received 17 battle stars during world war two for her service in the Pacific.

Commissioned in 1934, New Orleans did a shakedown cruise to Great Britain and Scandinavia, alongside other European cities before returning home. Then, she joined the Pacific and passed most of her early service doing exercises before joining the Cruiser Division 6 of the United States Fleet Scouting Force. She passed the interwar in the Pacific, doing occasional training in the Caribbeans before being assigned the Hawaiian Detachment in 1939.

During the Japanese raid over Pearl Harbor, New Orleans was under repair in harbour. Her crew contributed to the AA defence of the fleet, even if fewer ammo were ready for such a combat situation. She wasn’t damaged too much during the air raid and returned to duty in early 1942 even if one of her engines was still out of function. Fitted with a new radar, she started escorting convoys before being assigned to Task Force 11. Deployed alongside the carrier USS Lexington (CV-2), she joined USS Yorktown (CV-5) task force for the battle of the Coral Sea. When Lexington sank during the same battle, she helped rescue the carrier crew. After the Coral Sea, New Orleans patrolled near the Solomons before joining USS Enterprise (CV-6) air group for the battle of Midway. During the invasion of the Solomons Islands, she screened USS Saratoga (CV-3) and contributed to the landing of the US Marines Corps at Guadalcanal. When the carrier took a torpedo hit, she escorted her back to Pearl Harbor. Deployed again alongside Saratoga, New Orleans returned to the Fijis to take part in the Battle of Tassafaronga. She took a torpedo hit which exploded the forward magazines and tanks. All of the ship front, from the bow to the second turret, was destroyed. The damage control party of the ship managed to save the ship and allowed her to join Australia for repair. Returning to the United States, New Orleans bow was fully rebuilt, and her front turret was replaced with Minneapolis (CA-36) second turret. Returning in full service in the middle of 1943, she took part in the bombardment of Wake islands and contributed to multiple shore bombardment before returning to Pearl Harbor while escorting USS Lexington (CV-16), named after the carrier New Orleans witnessed the sinking and helped save the crew. In 1944, she took action during multiple shore bombardment, the Marianas among others. During the battle of Leyte Gulf, she helped protect the US Navy carriers, and New Orleans contributed to the sinking of a light carrier and a destroyer. In 1945, she took part in the invasion of Okinawa, bombarding shore artillery and providing heavy support directly on the enemy lines. New Orleans was in the Philippines when the war ended. In the immediate after war, she was deployed in south-east Asia to cover the internment of Japanese ships at Tsingtao, the evacuation of liberated prisoners-of-war and the landing of troops. She took part in the return home of US Soldiers before being decommissioned in 1947 and sold for scraps in 1959.

In World of Warships Legends, New Orleans have the wrong AA armament, being fitted in Hull A with twin 40mm Bofor, which never saw usage on any New Orleans class vessel, being armed with quad Bofor mount in 1943. She also lacks some 28mm AA guns.

Sources:

Friedman, Norman, U.S. Cruisers: An Illustrated Design History, Annapolis, Naval Institute Press, 1984
Cressman, Robert, The Official Chronology of the U.S. Navy in World War II, Annapolis, MD: US Naval Institute Press, 2000

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