New Orleans-class cruiser (1896)

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	4 × double-ended Scotch marine boilers 2 × Inverted vertical triple expansion engines 7,500 ihp (5,600 kW)
Propulsion	2 × screws
Speed	20.5 knots (38.0 km/h; 23.6 mph)
Complement	366
Armament	6 × 6 in (152 mm)/50 rapid fire (RF) guns 4 × 4.7 in (119 mm)/50 RF guns 10 × 6 pdr 57 mm (2.2 in) Hotchkiss RF guns 8 × 1 pdr 37 mm (1.5 in) RF guns 4 × .30-cal. (7.62 mm) Maxim machine guns 3 × 18 in (457 mm) torpedo tubes
Armor	4 in (102 mm) gun shields 4 in (102 mm) conning tower 3+1⁄2 in (89 mm) (slopes) & 1+1⁄4 in (32 mm) (flat) deck
General characteristics (1907)[1]
Armament	10 × 5 in (127 mm)/50 caliber guns 8 × 3 pdr 47 mm (1.9 in) RF guns
General characteristics (1918)[2]
Armament	8 × 5 in (127 mm)/50 caliber guns 1 × 3 in (76 mm)/50 caliber anti-aircraft gun

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]