On June 16, 1933
President Roosevelt announced that $238 million of the funds provided by the National Recovery Act would be allociated to increase contracts for the depressed shipbuilding industry and thereby help the US Navy to build up to the strength allowed by the 1930 London Treaty. Having reached the treaty limit for heavy cruisers with its plans to build Wichita (CA-45), the Navy chose to build large 10,000 ton cruisers with 15 6" guns.
Reasons for this descision centered on the response to the recent Japanese Mogami-class design: American officers wanted a long-ranging, rapid-firing, 6-inch gunned cruiser that could smother the slower-firing, 8-inch gunned cruisers.
The first four ships of this class Brooklyn (CL-40), Philadelphia (CL41), Savannah (CL-43) were authorized in 1933 along with the soon-to-be-famous carriers Yorktowne (CV-5) and Enterprise (CV-6). The remaining three cruisers Phoenix (CL-46), Boise (CL-47) and Honolulu (CL-48) were funded by the 1934 Vinson-Teammell Act. As a class, these seven ships would fight throughout the war and would be found in the Allantic and Pacific. Together they would earn 49 battle stars Brooklyn 4, Philadelphia 5, Savannah 3, Nashville 10, Phoenix 9, Boise 10 and Honolulu 8. Although several of these cruisers were damaged by enemy action, none was lost in World War II.

• Cost $18.5 million each
• Overall length 608'
• Beam 70'
• Displacement 9,475 - 9,700 tons (wartime 13,000 tons)
• Draft 25'
• Maximun Speed 33 knots
• HP 100,788
• Fuel Capacity 2175 tons of oil
• Cruising radius 3,800 miles at 25 knots
• or 7,800 miles at 15 knots