The bow of the USS New Orleans, which was torn off by a Japanese torpedo in 1942, has been discovered on the seafloor of the Solomon Islands in the Pacific Ocean, the Ocean Exploration Trust (OET) announced Tuesday.
OET said it located the bow resting at 675 meters deep, during seafloor mapping operations in Iron Bottom Sound, a site of major World War II naval battles. The team used a remotely operated vehicle to identify the wreck.
“This imagery was viewed in real-time by hundreds of experts around the world, who all worked together to make a positive identification of the findings,” said OET chief scientist Daniel Wagner in a statement quoted by the National WWII Museum.
🚨 New wreck alert! We’re proud to share the first photos of the newly discovered bow blown off the #WorldWarII heavy cruiser #USSNewOrleans. pic.twitter.com/oeXtm9NwO5
— E/V Nautilus (@EVNautilus) July 8, 2025
On November 30, 1942, during the Battle of Tassafaronga, a “Long Lance” torpedo hit the USS New Orleans, killing 182 sailors. The explosion sheared off nearly a third of the ship, including its bow.
#OTD in 1942, USS New Orleans was hit by a torpedo and lost her entire bow during the Battle of Tassafaronga. The crew made quick repairs with coconut logs and then sailed the cruiser in reverse for 1,800 miles to reach Sydney, Australia. pic.twitter.com/s57AId3d4l
— U.S. Naval Institute (@NavalInstitute) December 1, 2022
U.S. Navy Lieutenant Commander Hubert M. Hayter, the New Orleans’s damage control officer, along with Lieutenant Richard A. Haines and Ensign Andrew L. Forman, stayed at their posts as the ship flooded and filled with toxic fumes. All three died from asphyxiation while working to save the vessel and were later awarded the Navy Cross posthumously.
Despite the ship’s catastrophic damage, the surviving crew crafted a makeshift bow from coconut logs at Tulagi Harbor and navigated the crippled vessel in reverse for 1,800 miles to Australia.
After receiving temporary repairs, the New Orleans was fully restored at Puget Sound Naval Yard and returned to combat.
The USS New Orleans earned 17 battle stars during its service, ranking among the highest awarded during World War II. It was decommissioned in 1947.
