World War II Database

In the dead of night on 30 Nov 1942, USS New Orleans engaged in the Battle of Tassafaronga north of Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands. She was struck by a Japanese torpedo on the port side, detonating the forward magazine and gasoline storage tanks, breaking off 150 feet of her bow. 178 officers and men were killed. Skillful seamanship kept her afloat, and a temporary bow made of coconut logs allowed her to sail out of the theater for repairs. She would return to combat by the fall of 1943.

On 7 Jul 2025, her bow that was broken off in Nov 1942 was found by a remotely controlled underwater vehicle of research vessel Nautilus at the depth of 675 meters (2,214 feet) on the floor of the Savo Sound, known to the Americans as Iron Bottom Sound for the many ships, Japanese and American, that were sunk during WW2 in that body of water.

For more information:
NPR: Historic World War II ship found in the Pacific Ocean
WW2DB: USS New Orleans
WW2DB: Guadalcanal Campaign