Overview
- Ocean Exploration Trust’s ROV located the bow on July 6 at a depth of 2,214 feet near Guadalcanal, revealing a nearly 100-foot section of the USS New Orleans.
- Positive identification was achieved using paint fragments and an engraved anchor, confirmed through live collaboration with hundreds of experts worldwide.
- The find is part of a 21-day non-invasive archaeological survey of Iron Bottom Sound funded by NOAA Ocean Exploration, which runs through July 23.
- Researchers have withheld precise coordinates to protect the site as a war grave honoring the 182 sailors lost when the bow was torn away in 1942.
- The wreckage now supports deep-sea corals, anemones and other marine life while collecting modern debris, highlighting ocean ecosystem interactions.