USS Astoria (CL/CA-34) was a New Orleans Class heavy cruiser of the United States Navy that participated in both the Battle of the Coral Sea and the Battle of Midway, but was then sunk in August 1942, at the Battle of Savo Island. Astoria was the first Astoria-class cruiser to be laid down but launched after and received a hull number higher than New Orleans, which the class was renamed for after Astoria sunk.
Immediately after the months-long Guadalcanal Campaign ended in February 1943, the remaining ships of the class would go through major overhauls to lessen top-heaviness due to new electrical and radar systems and advanced anti-aircraft weaponry. In doing so the ships took on a new appearance, most notably in the bridge.
Trivia[]
- The name of her skill "Nasty Asty" is the nickname her crew members came up with.
- Her self-introduction mentions the strange history of her class name. Astoria was the first ship of her class to be laid down and thus, they were named the Astoria-class. However, delays in her construction meant that her sister New Orleans was launched first. After the sinking of Astoria in 1943, all of her sisters went through a drastic refitting that completely changed their profile. Afterwards, they were renamed the New Orleans-class.