The USS Astoria (CA-34) was an American heavy cruiser the keel of which was laid in 1930, launched in December 1933, and commissioned in the US Navy in April 1934. The length of the ship was 179 m, width 18.8 m, and her standard displacement - at the time of launching - 10,100 tons. The top speed of the USS Astoria was up to 32.7 knots. The main armament at the time of the launch was 9 203 mm guns in three turrets of three guns each, and the secondary armament was mainly 8 127 mm guns.
The USS Astoria was the second of seven ordered and the second of five New Orleans class ships (originally: Astoria class) launched. These types of ships were still built in accordance with the tonnage limit imposed by the Washington Treaty, but marked a decisive step forward compared to the previous classes of American cruisers. First of all, the armor and the overall strength of the structure were significantly improved, which proved its great advantages during the fights in the Pacific. In addition, for the first time in the US Navy, 203 mm main artillery was used in real turrets. The maximum possible speed was also taken care of. Undoubtedly, ships of this class were very successful units, able to compete with their Japanese counterparts without any problems. USS Astoria (CA-34) was stationed in Pearl Harbor at the outbreak of World War II, but on the day of the Japanese air attack on the base (December 7, 1941) it was approximately 1,000 kilometers west of Hawaii. She very quickly returned to her home base and carried out patrol missions from there until the end of 1941. In February 1942, it was directed to the South Pacific as part of the cover of the USS Yorktown aircraft carrier. In the same year (in May), she took part in the Battle of the Coral Sea. After this battle, she returned to the Central Pacific to take part in the Battle of Midway in June 1942. In August of the same year, it was redirected to the South Pacific to support American operations in the Gudalcanal area. There, on August 9, 1942, she took part in the naval battle near the island of Savo, during which she was sunk.