USS New Orleans (CA-32) - Inter-war Period

Inter-war Period

New Orleans was launched on April 12, 1933 at the Brooklyn Navy Yard, sponsored by Miss Cora Jahncke, a native of the "Crescent City" and daughter of Assistant Secretary of the Navy, Ernest L. Jahncke. Captain Reed was selected to be the first commanding officer of the 876-man heavy cruiser. Among New Orlean's junior officer plankowners under Captain Reed's command in 1934 were Ensign E.L. Jahncke, Jr., son of the Assistant Secretary of the Navy, 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 a lead ship in a class of seven "treaty cruisers" that collectively saw extensive service in all major engagements in the Pacific theater during World War II. New Orleans-class cruisers 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, USS San Francisco (CA-38) and USS Minneapolis (CA-36).

New Orleans was commissioned on February 15, 1934 at the Brooklyn Navy Yard. Under Captain Reed's command that ended on August 30, 1935, USS New Orleans made a shakedown Transatlantic crossing to Northern Europe and Scandinavia in May and June 1934, returning to New York on June 28. On July 5, New Orleans sailed to rendezvous with USS Houston (CA-30), carrying President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, for a nearly 12,000 nmi. cruise through the Panama Canal to Hawaii and an exercise with the United States Airship Macon and her aircraft off the California coast.

New Orleans reached Honolulu, Hawaii on July 26, 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 August 7, 1934. She exercised off New England into 1935, then visited her namesake city on Mardi Gras (5 March 1935) while en route to join Battle Fleet Cruiser Division 6 (CruDiv 6). New Orleans was open for public viewing while visiting New Orleans, Louisiana and thousands of citizens visited the ship during the month she was berthed there.

New Orleans made a shakedown cruise to Northern Europe in May and June 1934, returning to New York on 28 June. On 5 July, she sailed to rendezvous with Houston, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt embarked, for a cruise through the Panama Canal and an exercise with the United States Airship Macon and her brood of aircraft off California. The cruise ended at Astoria, Oregon on 2 August, and New Orleans sailed at once for Panama and Cuba. New Orleans exercised off New England into 1935, then visited her namesake city while en route to join Cruiser Division 6 (CruDiv 6) in operations in the eastern Pacific for over a year. She returned to New York from 20 August to 7 December 1936 and was once more in the Pacific early in 1937. 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.