USS New Orleans ( CA - 32 ) USS " New Orleans " ( CA - 32 ) ( formerly CL - 32 ) was a United States Navy heavy cruiser , the lead ship of her class . The " New Orleans " - class were the last U . S . cruisers built to the specifications and standards of the Washington Naval Treaty of 1922 . Such ships , with a limit of 10 , 000 tons standard displacement and 8 - inch calibre main guns may be referred to as " treaty cruisers . " The term " heavy cruiser " was not defined until the London Naval Treaty in 1930 . Inter - war period . USS " New Orleans " keel was laid on 14 March 1931 at the New York Navy Yard , commonly known as the Brooklyn Navy Yard . The ship was launched on 12 April 1933 , sponsored by Cora S . Jahncke , a native of New Orleans , Louisiana and daughter of Ernest L . Jahncke , a civil engineer and president of the Jahncke Shipbuilding Co . in New Orleans . Jahncke had served as Assistant Secretary of the Navy in the administration of President Herbert Hoover , returning to private life in March 1933 with the inauguration of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt . " New Orleans " was commissioned at the Brooklyn Navy Yard on 15 February 1934 , with Captain Allen B . Reed the first commander of the 876 - man heavy cruiser . Attending the commissioning ceremonies were Rear Admiral Yates Stirling , Jr . , Commandant of the New York Naval Yard and former Assistant Navy Secretary Jahncke . Among " New Orleans " ' s junior officer plankowner s in 1934 were Jahncke ' s son , Ensign E . L . Jahncke , Jr . and Ensign T . H . Moorer , who as Admiral Thomas H . Moorer was Chief of Naval Operations ( CNO ) from 1967 – 1970 and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff from 1970 – 1974 . The " New Orleans " was lead ship in her class of seven heavy cruisers that collectively saw extensive service in all major engagements in the Pacific theater during World War II . s earned more than sixty battle stars during World War II . " New Orleans " herself received 17 battle stars , placing her among the top four highest decorated ships of World War II , along with two of her sister ships , and . Under Captain Reed ' s command that ended on 30 August 1935 , USS " New Orleans " made a shakedown Transatlantic crossing to Great Britain and Scandinavia in May and June 1934 . " New Orleans " made ports of call and was greeted by thousands at Stockholm , Sweden , Copenhagen , Denmark , Amsterdam , Netherlands and Portsmouth , England , returning to New York on 28 June . On 5 July , " New Orleans " sailed to Balboa , Panama , the western entrance to the Panama Canal to rendez - vous with the heavy cruiser , carrying President Franklin Delano Roosevelt , on a nearly 12 , 000 nmi . cruise to Hawaii and an exercise with the United States Airship and her aircraft off the California coast . " New Orleans " reached Honolulu , Hawaii on 26 July 1934 and Astoria , Oregon on 2 August , where the cruise ended . " New Orleans " sailed at once for Panama and Cuba , stopping at San Pedro , California on 7 August 1934 . She exercised off New England into 1935 , then visited her namesake city during Mardi Gras ( 5 March 1935 ) while en route to join United States Fleet Scouting Force Cruiser Division 6 ( CruDiv 6 ) based out of San Pedro , California and operating along the coast of California and the eastern Pacific . " New Orleans " was open for public viewing while visiting the " Crescent City " and thousands of citizens visited the ship during the time she was berthed there . " New Orleans " returned to the Brooklyn Navy Yard in New York where she was dry - docked for maintenance from 20 August to 7 December 1936 . Early in 1937 , she was once more in the Pacific . Aside from winter training in the Caribbean early in 1939 , she served out of California ports until joining the Hawaiian Detachment on 12 October 1939 , for exercises , training , and , as war drew close , vigilant patrol . World War II . Moored in Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941 , " New Orleans " was taking power and light from the dock , her engines under repair . With yard power out during the attack , " New Orleans " engineers fought to raise steam , working by flashlight , while on deck men fired on the Japan ese attackers with rifles and pistols . The crew was forced to break the locks on the ammunition ready boxes as the keys couldn ' t be located , and because the ship was taking power from the dock , the 25 cal AA gun had to be aimed and fired manually . The gunners topside were ducking machine gun bullets and shrapnel , training their guns by sheer guts and sweat , as they had no ammunition other than the few shells in their ready boxes . The ammunition hoists did not have power making it nearly impossible to get more ammunition topside to the gun crews . The shells had to be pulled up the powerless hoists by ropes attached to their metal cases . Every man with no specific job at the moment formed ammunition lines to get the shells to the guns . A number of her crew were injured when a fragmentation bomb exploded close aboard . " New Orleans " suffered no severe damage during the attack . 1942 . Before having the engine work complete at Pearl Harbor the cruiser convoyed troops to Palmyra and Johnston Atoll operation on only three of her four engines ; she then returned to San Francisco on 13 January 1942 for engineering repairs and installation of new search radar and 20 mm guns . She sailed on 12 February , commanding the escort for a troop convoy to Brisbane ; from Australia she screened a convoy to Nouméa , and returned to Pearl Harbor to join Task Force 11 ( TF 11 ) . Battle of Coral Sea . TF 11 sortie d on 15 April to join the task force southwest of the New Hebrides . It was this joint force , together with a cruiser - destroyer group , which won the great Battle of the Coral Sea on 7 – 8 May , driving back a southward thrust of the Japanese which threatened Australia and New Zealand and their seaborne life lines . This mighty duel of carrier aircraft was not without price , was mortally wounded and " New Orleans " stood by , her men diving overboard to rescue survivors and her boat crews closing the burning carrier , oblivious to the dangers of flying debris and exploding ordnance as they saved 580 of " Lexington " s crew who were landed at Nouméa . " New Orleans " then patrolled the eastern Solomons until sailing to replenish at Pearl Harbor . Battle of Midway . " New Orleans " sailed on 28 May , screening , to surprise the Japanese in the Battle of Midway . On 2 June , she made rendezvous with the " Yorktown " force , and two days later joined battle . Three of the four Japanese carriers were sunk by hits scored in the dive bomber attacks , the fourth went down later , but not before her dive bombers had damaged " Yorktown " so badly she had to be abandoned . " New Orleans " , veteran of the battle that halted Japanese expansion southward , had now played a significant role protecting her carrier in the great victory that turned back Japan ' s eastward movement and heavily crippled her naval air arm in a decisive battle . Battle of the Eastern Solomons . Again " New Orleans " replenished at Pearl Harbor , sailing on 7 July to rendezvous off Fiji for the invasion of the Solomons , during which she screened . Fighting off vicious enemy air attacks on 24 – 25 August , " New Orleans " aided the Marines holding the precious toehold on Guadalcanal , as a Japanese landing expedition was turned back in the Battle of the Eastern Solomons . At this point , " New Orleans " had been in the Coral Sea for two full months , and food began to run low . The crew went on half rations and spam became the main course of every meal ; eventually they ran out of rice . When " Saratoga " was torpedoed on 31 August , " New Orleans " guarded her passage to Pearl Harbor , arriving on 21 September . Battle of Tassafaronga . With the repaired carrier , " New Orleans " sailed to Fiji early in November 1942 , then proceeded to Espiritu Santo , arriving on 27 November to return to action in the Solomons . With four other cruisers and six destroyers , she fought in the Battle of Tassafaronga on the night of 30 November , engaging a Japanese destroyer - transport force . When the flagship was struck by two torpedoes , " New Orleans " , next astern , was forced to sheer away to avoid collision , and ran into the track of a torpedo which detonated the ship ' s forward magazines and gasoline tanks . This explosion severed of her bow just forward of turret No . 2 . The severed bow , including Turret No . 1 , swung around the port side and punched several holes in the length of " New Orleans " hull before sinking at the stern and damaging the port inboard propeller . With one quarter of her length gone , slowed to , and blazing forward , the ship fought for survival . Individual acts of heroism and self - sacrifice along with skillful seamanship kept her afloat , and under her own power she entered Tulagi Harbor near daybreak on 1 December . The crew Camouflaged their ship from air attack , jury - rigged a bow of coconut logs , and worked furiously clearing away wreckage . Eleven days later , " New Orleans " sailed stern first to avoid sinking to Cockatoo Island Dockyard in Sydney , Australia , arriving on 24 December . At Cockatoo , the damaged propeller was replaced and other repairs were made including the installation of a temporary stub bow . On 7 March 1943 , she left Sydney for Puget Sound Navy Yard , sailing backward the entire voyage , where a new bow was fitted , interestingly enough with the use of " Minneapolis " s No . 2 Turret . All battle damage was repaired and she was given a major refit and overhaul . She continued to sail with the back portion ( aft ) riveted and the front portion ( bow ) welded . 1943 . Returning to Pearl Harbor on 31 August for combat training , " New Orleans " next joined a cruiser - destroyer force to bombard Wake Island on 5 – 6 October , repulsing a Japanese torpedo - plane attack . Her next sortie from Pearl Harbor came on 10 November when she sailed to fire precision bombardment in the Gilberts on 20 November , then to screen carriers striking the eastern Marshalls on 4 December . In aerial attacks that day , the new , namesake of the carrier whose men " New Orleans " had pulled from the Coral Sea , was torpedoed , and " New Orleans " guarded her successful retirement to repairs at Pearl Harbor , arriving on 9 December . 1944 . From 29 January 1944 , " New Orleans " fired on targets in the Marshalls , hitting air installations and shipping as the Navy took Kwajalein . She fueled at Majuro , then sailed 11 February to join the fast carriers in a raid on Truk , Japanese bastion in the Carolines on 17 – 18 February . While air strikes were flown , " New Orleans " , with other warships circled the atoll to catch escaping ships ; the task force ' s combined gunfire sank a light cruiser , a destroyer , a trawler , and a submarine chaser . The force sailed on to hit the Marianas , then returned to Majuro and Pearl Harbor . The carriers , with " New Orleans " in escort , again heaped destruction on targets in the Carolines late in March , then in April , sailed south to support Allied landings at Hollandia ( currently known as Jayapura ) , New Guinea . There on 22 April , a disabled plane flew into " New Orleans " mainmast , hitting gun mounts as it fell into the sea . The ship was sprayed with gas as the plane exploded on hitting the water , one crew member was lost , another badly injured , but " New Orleans " continued in action , patrolling and plane guarding off New Guinea , then joining in further raids on Truk and Satawan , which she bombarded on 30 April . She returned to Majuro on 4 May . Preparations were made in the Marshalls for the invasion of the Marianas , for which " New Orleans " sortied from Kwajalein on 10 June . She bombarded Saipan on 15 – 16 June , then joined the screen protecting carriers as they prepared to meet the Japanese Mobile Fleet in the Battle of the Philippine Sea . In this last major carrier combat the Japanese were able to mount , American naval aviators and submariners sank three enemy carriers and destroyed almost every aircraft launched against them , 395 in all . The few enemy planes which penetrated to the American carriers were shot down by " New Orleans " and other escorts . The Marianas operation continued , and Japanese naval aviation was virtually nonexistent after this great victory of 19 – 20 June . " New Orleans " made patrols and bombardments on Saipan and Tinian into August , returned to Eniwetok on the 13th , and sailed the 28th for carrier raids on the Bonins , bombardments of Iwo Jima on 1 – 2 September , and direct air support for the invasion of the Palaus . After re - provisioning at Manus , the task force assaulted Okinawa , Formosa , and Northern Luzon , destroying Japanese land - based aviation which otherwise would have threatened the landings on Leyte on 20 October . The carriers continued to send raids , aiding troops ashore , as they prepared to meet the Japanese , who were sending almost every surface ship left afloat in one great effort to break up the Philippines operation . " New Orleans " guarded her carriers as they joined in the great Battle for Leyte Gulf , first attacking the Japanese Southern Force on 24 October , then raiding the Center Force in the Sibuyan Sea , and next destroying the Japanese Northern Force of decoy carriers in the Battle off Cape Engano . The carriers then sped south to aid the gallant escort carriers holding off the powerful Japanese battleship - cruiser force in the Battle off Samar . A stunning American victory was followed by strikes against the retreating Japanese remnant . 1945 . After replenishing at Ulithi , " New Orleans " guarded carriers during raids throughout the Philippines in preparation for the invasion of Mindoro , then late in December sailed for a Mare Island Navy Yard overhaul , followed by training in Hawaii . She returned to Ulithi on 18 April 1945 , and two days later , departed to give direct gunfire support at Okinawa , arriving on 23 April . Here , she dueled with shore batteries and fired directly against the enemy lines . After nearly two months on station , she sailed to replenish and repair in the Philippines , and was at Subic Bay when hostilities ceased . Post - war . " New Orleans " sailed on 28 August with a cruiser - destroyer force to ports of China and Korea . She covered the internment of Japanese ships at Tsingtao , the evacuation of liberated Allied prisoners - of - war , and the landing of troops in Korea and China . She sailed on 17 November from the mouth of the Peking River ( Hai He ) , carrying veterans homeward bound . More returning troops came aboard at the Sasebo U . S . Fleet Activities base , and all were disembarked at San Francisco 8 December . After similar duty took her to Guam in January 1946 , she sailed through the Panama Canal for a 10 - day visit to her namesake city . She then steamed to Philadelphia Navy Yard , arriving on 12 March . There , she decommissioned on 10 February 1947 and lay in reserve until struck from the Naval Vessel Register on 1 March 1959 and sold for scrapping on 22 September to Boston Metals Company , Baltimore , Maryland . , Legacy . , USS " Haines " ( DE - 792 / APD - 84 ) . – Warship Pictorial – An intensely personal and gripping memoir , a veteran of the gallant ship tells its history from rollicking peacetime days , on through 17 Pacific battles , to the hauling down of its commission pennant and its finally being broken up for scrap . – First Hand accounts from the Chaplain of the New Orleans from the attack on Pearl Harbor to Bremerton after the Battle of Tassafaronga . – First Hand accounts from Bremerton after the New Orleans received a new bow till the end of hostilities in the Pacific . – Warship Pictorial