construction they were substantially up-armored. The ships were completed with belt armor thick over the magazines and elsewhere. Armored bulkheads were between and , deck armor was , the barbettes were , the gunhouses were , and the conning tower was . Additionally, the Portland-class cruisers were designed with space to be outfitted as fleet flagships, with space for a flag officer and his staff to operate. The class also featured an aircraft catapult amidships. They could carry four aircraft. The total crew complement varied, with a regular designed crew complement of 807, a wartime complement of 952, which could increase to 1,229 when the cruiser was operating as a fleet flagship. Comparison with previous cruiser designs The Portland class was generally longer than the Northampton class by about and featured a revised bow shape. They were otherwise generally similar to the Northampton class, with an extended forecastle to improve sea-keeping abilities. Their masts were reduced as compared to the Northampton class in order to reduce top weight. When completed, the Pensacola class displaced less than expected, at , which was less than expected, and were found to be greatly deficient in their protection. For the following Northampton class, the armor protection was increased to with of armor along the main belt. Still, these ships only displaced between and While the Portland-class cruisers were more heavily armored than the preceding classes, this problem was found to be so significant that in fiscal year 1929, an entirely different design was formulated for a new class of cruisers, the New Orleans class. Several of the Portland hulls were then converted to New Orleans hulls during construction. The Portland class were also designed with more advanced armament in mind. Their main guns were the first to be specially designed to fire long-point projectiles with a streamlined shape, which increased the guns' range when compared with older cruiser guns. Such projectiles were in use by ships of the Imperial Japanese Navy, which until that point out-ranged U.S. cruisers with their firepower. The New Orleans class was designed with these lessons in mind, intended to create a better balance between protection, armament and speed. Construction Five ships were ordered in fiscal year 1930, to be constructed by three builders. In 1931, CA-32, CA-34, and CA-36, all ordered with Westinghouse machinery, were converted to the New Orleans class. Portland was laid down by Bethlehem Steel at