In 1930, the London Naval Treaty extended the limitations imposed by the Washington Naval Treaty by further limiting the construction of large warships. Well-aware of the importance of such warships for operations in the Pacific, the U.S. Navy initiated the development of a new light cruiser design that would suit their needs, whilst remaining within the limitations of both treaties. The new design, that would become the Brooklyn-class light cruisers, was a compromise between heavy cruiser size and protection and light cruiser armament. In other words, the ship would remain within the 10,000 ton displacement limit, but would also offer the desired seaworthiness and autonomy at the same time. Initially, the ship was intended to carry only a dozen 6-inch main guns. However, with the appearance of the Japanese Mogami-class cruiser, a decision was hastily made to increase the number of main guns to 15, in order to match the armament of the Mogami-class. With this choice, the Brooklyn-class cruisers would become the most heavily armed light cruisers ever built for the USN. The first orders for four ships were issued in 1933, followed by an additional three in 1934. The lead ship of the class, USS Brooklyn (CL-40), was laid down in March 1935 and commissioned into service in September 1937. USS Brooklyn primarily served in the Mediterranean theater during WW2, participating in the North African campaign and later on in the Italian campaign. The ship mostly served as a support in landing operations and performed coastline bombardments, while also engaging in the occasional naval skirmish. Soon after the end of WW2, USS Brooklyn was decommissioned in 1947 and handed over to the Chilean Navy in 1951 under the new name of O’Higgins (CL-02). The ship would continue to serve on with the Chilean Navy for over 40 years, before being sold for scraps in 1992.