Severed Bow of WWII Ship Found, 8 Decades Later

Lost for more than 80 years, the severed bow of the legendary USS New Orleans—torn away by a torpedo in one of World War II's fiercest battles—has finally been discovered deep beneath the Pacific, CBS News reports. Researchers with the Ocean Exploration Trust discovered the wreckage about 675 meters deep in Iron Bottom Sound, a site known for several major naval battles near the Solomon Islands. The team used seafloor mapping and spent four hours imaging the site, with experts from former combatant nations joining in real-time to confirm the bow's identity through distinctive features like its structure, paint, and anchor.

The bow, now home to a variety of deep-sea creatures, had been missing since November 1942. During the WWII Battle of Tassafaronga at Guadalcanal, a Japanese torpedo hit the USS New Orleans, blowing off almost a third of the ship and killing more than 180 crew members. Despite catastrophic damage, the crew managed to keep the ship afloat and sailed to Australia for temporary repairs. It later received a new bow at Puget Sound Navy Yard.

Samuel J. Cox, director of the Naval History and Heritage Command, called it remarkable that the USS New Orleans survived, given the extent of the damage. "To find the bow of this ship is an opportunity to remember the sacrifice of this valiant crew, even on one of the worst nights in US Navy history," he said. The operation was part of an ongoing mission to conduct surveys of the sound, where 111 naval vessels were lost during WWII, the Military Times reports. Just 30 have been located to date.