The USS New Orleans (CA-32) was an American heavy cruiser the keel of which was laid in 1931, launched in April 1933, and commissioned in the US Navy in 1934. The total length of the ship was 179 m, width 18.8 m, and standard displacement - at the time of launching - 10,100 tons. The maximum speed was up to 32.7 knots. The main armament at the time of the launch was 9 203 mm guns in three turrets of three guns each, and the secondary armament was mainly 8 127 mm guns.
The USS New Orleans (CA-32) was the leading unit of the cruiser class of the same name. The New Orleans-class ships (originally Astoria) were built to the Washington Treaty's tonnage limit, but marked a decisive step forward over the previous classes of American cruisers. First of all, the armor and the overall strength of the structure were significantly improved, which proved its great advantages during the fights in the Pacific. In addition, for the first time in the US Navy, 203 mm main artillery was used in real turrets. The maximum possible speed was also taken care of. Undoubtedly, ships of this class were very successful units, able to compete with their Japanese counterparts without any problems. USS New Orleans (CA-32) was in it when the Japanese attacked the base at Pearl Harbor (December 7, 1941), but suffered minor damage. In May and June 1942, the ship took part in the battles in the Coral Sea and for the Midway. After these struggles, he was directed to the Mariana Islands and Guadalcanal Island. Here, in November 1942, he took part in the Battle of Tassafaronga, suffering very heavy damage, which excluded him from operations until the second half of 1943. In early 1944, the unit supported American operations in the Kwajalein area, and in June of that year - covered the Saipan landings. Shortly thereafter, she took part in the Battle of the Philippine Sea. The USS New Orleans was decommissioned in 1947 and sold for scrap in 1959.