Damage control
For almost four years, the ships of the "New Orleans" class were assigned to the most urgent of front line duties, becoming involved in much deadly action. "Astoria", "Quincy" and "Vincennes" were sunk in the Battle of Savo Island, 8–9 Aug 1942. Although three of their number were lost, the ships proved to be well designed. "New Orleans", "Minneapolis" and "San Francisco" were also seriously damaged in early war engagements in the Pacific. These engagements included the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal, in which "San Francisco" engaged enemy ships at point blank range, and the Battle of Tassafaronga where "Minneapolis" and "New Orleans" took heavy damage and losses from Long Lance torpedoes. Damage control work and skillful seamanship kept these ships afloat to continue to fight through the end of the war.