AS was discussed a short bit ago, USS NEW ORLEANS was one of the cruisrs
hit by torpedoes at the Battle of Tassafaronga, 30 November 1942.
sister MINNEAPOLIS lost her bow forward of #1 Turret; NEW ORLEANS took a
torpedo which detonated the magazine of her #1 8 inch turret and the
aviation gasoline stowage. The result blew off the bow forward of # 2
turret, and the sinking bow floated along the portside aft damaging the
outboard propellor.
We were trying to figure out how a spare turret was procured.
Thanks to OUR NAVY Magazine, Vol XXXVIII, no 21, First April, 1944, I
now have the answer. (OUR NAVY was twice monthly, hence the date).
John B. Penfold, “They Wouldn’t Stay Sunk”, pp 12-14)
…”Meanwhile, manufacturers and (Puget Sound) Navy Yard workers had
prepared the operating table and were ready to go to work. Ninety
percent of the new bow had been prefabricated, since most of the
structural steel and steel plate had been in stock or readily procured
from mills. The new bow was fabricated in dry dock and the ship was
floated into position to be joined.
“Procurement of the new auxiliary machinery to be installed in the new
bow had begun prior to the cruiser’s arrival; this involved the
assemblies for the pumps, fans, motors, ventilatng systems, auxiliary
turbines, anchors and anchor chains. Most difficult to obtain was a new
anchor windlass. The Navy Dept. had a contract with the Lidgerwood Mfg.
Co., New Jersey, for a new anchor windlass which was intended for battle
damage repair,. Work had not yet started and the windlass was not
scheduled for completion for two years; in response to the emergency
the company completed and shhipped the windlass in jig time. In
addition to the auxiliary machinery lost, the ship had lost
considerable spare parts; in order to supply her with a normal stock the
BuShips was obliged to assemble the equipment from its new construction
program wherever equipment could be spared.
Of the three major repair jobs listed, installation of the new turret
was most difficult. At that timn the BuORd and BuShips had under
construction at Mare Island a spare turret for cruisers of the NEW
ORLEANS class; it was intended for battle damage repair. However, that
turret could nnot, despite all speed up, be completed in time, and
waiting for this turret would have delayed the ship’s return to combat.
A sister of NEW ORLEANS was due back in the United States for overhaul;
further, it was scheduled for a longer holdover than the damaged
dcruiser. The Navy proceeded to shift the turret from the second
crusier and installed it on the battle scarred veteran of the Solomons,
The second cruiser was given another turret finished at a later date,
thus enabling the sleek southern lady to keep her date on the high
seas Somewher in Direct Contact With the Enemy.”
Although not specified in this article, looking at the history of the
vessels in Terzibaschitsch’s CRUISERS OF TEH US NAVY 1922-1946, it
appears that only MINNEAPOIS fits. Despite taking less damage than
NEW ORLEANS she was out of action longer, presumably because she needed
a larger general overhaul as well as the battle damage repair. Also,
I had suggested that one of the vessels damaged at Tassafaronga had
been repaired wholly at Pearl Harbor. This turns out to have been the
PENSACOLA which spent January to November 1943 under epair at PHNY.
Brooks