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.[2]
These ships were originally armed with six 6inches/50 caliber rapid fire (RF) guns and four 4.7inches/50 caliber RF guns.[2] These were British-made export-model guns built by Elswick Ordnance Company, a subsidiary of Armstrong. One source states the 6-inch guns were Elswick Pattern DD and the 4.7-inch guns were Pattern AA.[3] These guns were unique in the US Navy, and they were designated as "6"/50 caliber Mark 5 Armstrong guns" and "4.7"/50 caliber Mark 3 Armstrong guns".[4] [5] The 6-inch guns were arranged with one each fore and aft, and two each fore and aft in sponsons on the sides to allow ahead or astern fire. The 4.7-inch guns were on the broadside. Three 18inches torpedo tubes for Whitehead torpedoes were also equipped.[3] Additional weapons included ten 6-pounder 57mm Hotchkiss RF guns, eight 1-pounder 37mm RF guns, and four .30-cal. (7.62 mm) Maxim machine guns.
Harvey armor was used on these ships. The armored deck was NaN0NaN0 on the sloped sides and NaN0NaN0 in the flat middle. The main guns had 40NaN0 shields and the conning tower had 40NaN0 armor.[3] [6] One source also lists 40NaN0 on the boiler room glacis.[3]
The engineering plant included four double-ended coal-fired Scotch marine boilers[7] supplying steam to two inverted vertical triple expansion engines (made by Humphrys & Tennant in New Orleans, Hawthorn Leslie in Albany),[2] which produced 7500lk=onNaNlk=on for a design speed of 20.5kn, which was achieved on trials.[3] [6] The normal coal allowance was 512 tons, but this could be increased to 747 tons.[3]
To reduce supply difficulties, during refits at the Cavite Navy Yard in the Philippines in 1903, both ships had their 4.7-inch guns replaced with standard 5inches/50 caliber Mark 5 guns; the 6-inch guns were replaced with additional 5-inch guns in 1907.[8] Their torpedo tubes were also removed in the 1903 refits.[6] At least some of the guns from these ships were emplaced in the Grande Island/Subic Bay area 1907-1910 and operated by the United States Marine Corps until the Coast Artillery Corps' modern defenses centered on Fort Wint were completed.[4] [5] During World War I the 5-inch guns were reduced from ten to eight and a 3inches/50 caliber anti-aircraft gun was added.[2] At least one 6-inch gun Mark 5 was delivered to the Army during that war for potential service on M1917B field carriages on the Western Front; it is unclear if these weapons were shipped overseas.[9]
(ex-Amazonas) served in the Spanish–American War, World War I and the Russian Civil War in Siberia.[10]
(ex-Almirante Abreu) was completed too late to see service in the Spanish–American War. She served first in the Philippine–American War and then in World War I and the Russian Civil War in Siberia.[11]
Both cruisers were decommissioned in 1922 and were sold for scrapping in 1930.
The two ships of the New Orleans class were:[2]
| Ship | Shipyard | Laid down | Launched | Commissioned | Decommissioned | Fate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Armstrong Whitworth, Elswick, England | 1895 | 4 December 1896 | 18 March 1898 | 16 November 1922 | Sold for scrap 11 February 1930 | |
| Armstrong Whitworth, Elswick, England | 1897 | 14 January 1899 | 29 May 1900 | 10 October 1922 | Sold for scrap 11 February 1930 | |
These ships did not initially have hull numbers.[2] On 17 July 1920 they were designated with the hull numbers PG-34 (gunboat) and PG-36. On 8 August 1921 they were redesignated with the hull numbers CL-22 (light cruiser) and CL-23.[2]
Two 4.7-inch guns (one from each ship of the class) are preserved at the Kane County, Illinois Soldier and Sailor Monument at the former courthouse in Geneva, Illinois.[12]