Platapus
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From LK's guide in old data:
The New Orleans holds the reputation as the only US CA that can be armor whored.
For those of you who don't know what that means, it means mounting so much deck
armor that it can completely stop shells of the same caliber that it fires. It competes
with the Baltimore as the best US CA, and the debate between the two continues to
this day.
Originally, getting the New Orleans was considered a true test of patience, since
players had to go through the Northampton, which was once one of the worst CAs in
the game, and pass up on getting the Portland, which came two levels earlier.
Nowadays it's not as hard since the Northampton isn't so crappy anymore, but
nonetheless it's still a good reward at the end of a long grind. While the OpenNF patch
has closed the gap slightly between the Portland and the New Orleans, the New Orleans is
still a very flexible ship.
Like the Portland, you should play the New Orleans like an actual CA: use line tactics,
engage your targets at range, and back off when you know you can't handle the
enemy. Most players prefer to mount the Mark 13 L's, but you can also mount the Mark
14 L's with 3 binds of ammo. Beginner and advanced players alike prefer the Mark 13
L's because there's no risk of an ammo shortage, though players that like to play
more slowly and make their shots count can choose the Mark 14 L's. However, this
should only be attempted if your gunners are good enough to minimize your spread.
The engine choice on the New Orleans is a bit more complicated. You can actually
mount a CV II Engine on it to speed whore, but the displacement that it takes up
limits how much armor you can mount. Conversely, you can mount a DD III Engine,
which slows you down to a crawl but allows you to mount more armor. In general, you
should pick the CA III Engine, which is more balanced and suited for CAs. The New
Orleans is similar to the Cleveland in that it can be equipped in various ways, so you
can choose to speed whore, or armor whore, it's up to you.
Now, the kicker. The New Orleans has a low HE defense rating, lower than any other
CA. This means that with the proper engine and gun setup, plus a light enough crew,
you have lots and lots of room for armor, and this time you can make it count. The New
Orleans can mount up to 5" of deck armor, even more, which is enough to stop 8"
shells! While this means that you need lots of money and will run slow as a tub, it's
also well worth it if you force your opponent to switch to AP rounds in order to damage
you. If you don't have enough room to mount that much deck armor (heavy crews,
wrong engine setup, using the Mark 14L's), then it's best to just speed whore it and
play it like a Northampton. The problem, however, is that because you're putting so
much displacement into deck armor, you'll have very little space for other armor,
namely bulge, which makes you very vulnerable to torpedoes from ships and bombers.
Unfortunately, the New Orleans, like the Portland, keeps the same amount of space on
its T mounts as the Northampton, so mounting AA weapons is out of the question. Like
the Northampton, you should use the T slots to level sailors, as they'll be useless
otherwise. This can be a huge pain for those who like to use AA guns, as you won't be
able to do anything about circling scouts or approaching bombers. This actually
compounds your weakness to torpedoes, since torpedo bombers can approach you
without fear of being shot down.
Like the Northampton and the Portland, the New Orleans can launch scouts. As before,
use the scouts to spot your own fire, and look for the enemy. Remember to be careful
with them though, since you will actually need them, and they'll otherwise be shot
down quite easily, leaving you blind.
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