In 1925, while the Hallettsville destroyers were taking to the water on the Sabine River, Gray's Iron Works launched two light cruisers into Galveston harbor after two years on the stocks:
The Nueces Class represented a series of both firsts and lasts. She was the first ship designed from the keel up to support floatplane spotters and scouting aircraft, anti-torpedo bulkheads and centralized main battery fire control. They were the last capital ships built without turrets, and the last to use hammocks in crew berthing. They were also the last capital ships built by Gray's until their slips were enlarged to take on ships of up to 10,000 tons displacement.
They stretched the limits of what could be accomplished on 4000 tons without turrets or other consolidating measures, and were slow at only 25 knots maximum speed. Their decks were extremely congested. Only two were built to these specifications...subsequent light cruisers were longer (for increased speed and better use of deck space) and utilized multi-gun turrets, though they used many of the same design principles for internal arrangement and survivability.
