Yes, necessity really is the Mother of invention and other things.
I read the story of U-boat 124, the Edelweiss Boat, and one tight spot they found themselves. In the middle of the Atlantic they burned out a bearing in the diesel engine and although they had a machine shop on board they had nothing to use for the material.
Finally someone figured out that their cigarette packs contained a foil which was made of the same material as the bearings. After collecting every pack they had, they had just enough material to cast and then machine a bearing. They made it home on that makeshift part.
Wow!