A US Navy warship held together with coconut logs after a Japanese torpedo strike once sailed hundreds of miles in reverse to reach safe harbor

• Over 80 years ago, a US warship was badly damaged by a Japanese torpedo during the Battle of Tassafaronga.
• The crew temporarily repaired the USS New Orleans with coconut logs. 
• To return to port, the ship then sailed backwards in order to avoid sinking. 

81 years ago, a US Navy warship was badly damaged during an intense World War II naval battle, forcing its crew to make some rather unconventional repairs to get the ship back to a safe harbor.

The ship, the cruiser USS New Orleans, was equipped with a jury-rigged bow made of coconut logs, which helped it stay afloat as it sailed roughly 1,800 miles in reverse to port in Sydney, Australia, the US Naval Institute highlighted in a social media post.

The New Orleans was damaged on November 30, 1942, in the Battle of Tassafaronga, a nighttime World War II naval battle between the US Navy and Imperial Japanese Navy in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, in Ironbottom Sound off Guadalcanal. The US naval forces included five cruisers and four destroyers, among them the cruiser USS New Orleans. 

The battle was a loss for the Americans and resulted in one cruiser completely sunk and three others severely damaged, including the New Orleans. The Japanese lost just one destroyer in the fight. 

As shown in the US Naval Institute's post, a photo from the aftermath of the battle shows the total loss of the bow of the ship caused by a Japanese torpedo that effectively tore it off, leaving it to puncture parts of the ship's port side, per Naval History and Heritage Command.

The torpedo wrecked the New Orleans' forward magazines and gas tanks and damaged its hull, but the ship didn't fully sink. The Navy says that even with a fifth of the ship destroyed, "individual acts of heroism and self-sacrifice along with skillful seamanship kept her afloat."

With limited resources or friendly ports out near Tassafaronga Point on Guadalcanal, the New Orleans crew had to improvise. They quickly sailed to Tulagi Harbor the next day, camouflaged the ship to hide it from Japanese aircraft, and, to get the ship in the best condition possible, made a jury-rigged bow of coconut logs, attaching the tropical plants to the ship.

That allowed the New Orleans to set sail, but in order to avoid taking on more water, the crew had to sail stern first, covering 1,800 miles of ocean in reverse to reach Sydney, Australia, where more permanent and proper repairs could be made. 

It took 11 days to get the wounded ship ready to sail to Sydney. The journey, however perilous or abnormal, was ultimately successful. The New Orleans arrived in Sydney on December 24 and later received a new bow, among other repairs. The ship, which had previously participated in battles like Coral Sea and Midway, continued to serve in other naval battles, including the Battle of the Philippine Sea, the last major carrier fight Japan was able to mount. By the end of the war, the New Orleans received 17 battle stars for its service.