Posted on 07/08/2025 9:49:27 AM PDT by Red Badger
A mysterious object spotted on the South Pacific seafloor has been identified as the bow of a torpedoed World War II ship that famously sailed thousands of miles backwards to avoid sinking, historians say.
The nearly 100-foot long section of the USS New Orleans was found Sunday, July 6, by the Ocean Exploration Trust as it searched the seafloor near Guadalcanal with a remotely operated vehicle.
A positive identification was made with the help of paint fragments still clinging to the hull, along with an engraved anchor, the trust reported.
The bow, which fell to a depth of 2,214 feet, had been unaccounted for since Nov. 30, 1942, when a Japanese torpedo detonated the ship’s forward magazines during the Battle of Tassafaronga, the National WWII Museum reports.
The impact killed 182 men and left the USS New Orleans struggling to stay afloat, but the crew refused to give up, the museum says.
What happened next counts as an “improbable story,” the trust says.
To avoid the ship sinking, sailors “jury-rigged a bow of coconut logs” brought from shore, then sailed “backward to the United States for permanent repairs,” the trust reports.
(Excerpt) Read more at military.com ...
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Thank you very much and God bless you.
...................!GNIP
Ping!..................
gnip..........good one. Thanks for the LOL!
Repairs?? Did it actually go back into service? Amazing story.
That’s what I’m talking about! 👍
If this would have happened today, the repairs would have taken 5 years and several billion $$
A time when all Americans were brave and resourceful...
Beat me to it! Good job.
Someone ping Fat Electrician. He’d love this story.
L
Amazing!
👍🇺🇸
This YouTube channel has an excellent series on the battles around Guadalcanal. More Sailors died in these battles than Marines on the island. It was a steep learning curve for the US Navy, being run by officers who were promoted more for their ability to hold their liquor than any war related abilities. These videos are well worth the time.
https://m.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLMK9a-vDE5zGRthqKrcdizbIrKc-9MQFk
We Legacy Americans need to get the World War II mentality back.
We are under assault From so many different directions.
Those Americans back then didn’t even think twice about trying to save that ship… it was second nature to do so if possible.
Those were Our People.
I read the Wikipedia article on USS New Orleans. That ship had a quite dramatic and impressive history outside of this.
The days of being able to improvise like this are long gone as everything is to advanced to operate using basic components.
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