Sunken Battleship found

[Rodney Mills]

Thought this might be of interest to WW ll naval buffs.

Microsoft co-founder says he found sunken Japan WWII warship





Mar 4, 10:13 AM (ET)

By MARI YAMAGUCHI


TOKYO (AP) — Microsoft co-founder and philanthropist Paul Allen and his research team have found the wreckage of a massive Japanese World War II battleship off the Philippines near where it sank more than 70 years ago, he said Wednesday.

The apparent discovery of the Musashi, one of the largest battleships in history, comes as the world marks the 70th anniversary of the war's end.

Allen and the team aboard his superyacht M/Y Octopus found the ship on Sunday, more than eight years after their search began, Allen said in a statement issued by his publicity agency, Edelman.

Detailed images captured by a high-definition camera mounted on an underwater probe confirmed the wreckage as that of the Musashi, it said. Allen said on his website that the video and still images showed a valve wheel with Japanese letters saying "main valve handle" which used to be in a lower engineering area, a catapult system used to launch planes, a large gun turret, and one of the ship's two 15-ton anchors. He said the team also found the ship's bow.


(AP) This Sunday March 1, 2015, image provided by Microsoft co-founder and philanthropist...
Full Image


Japanese experts said they were eager to study the images to try to confirm the ship's identity.

Kazushige Todaka, head of a private museum specializing in the battleship Yamato, Musashi's sister vessel, said the details in the images matched those of the Musashi, which was the only battleship that sank in the area.

"Judging from the location, it must be the Musashi," Todaka told NHK public television.

The Musashi, commissioned in 1942, sank in October 1944 in the Sibuyan Sea during the Battle of Leyte Gulf, losing about half of its 2,400 crew members. The ship was repeatedly hit by torpedoes and bombs dropped by planes from Allied aircraft carriers.

The naval battle, considered the largest of World War II, crippled the imperial fleet, cut off Japanese oil supplies and allowed the U.S. invasion of the Japanese-held Philippines.


(AP) This Sunday March 1, 2015, image provided by Microsoft co-founder and philanthropist...
Full Image


Allen's team found the battleship at a depth of 1 kilometer (3,280 feet) in the Sibuyan Sea using the autonomous underwater vehicle on its third dive after narrowing the search area with detailed undersea topographical data and other locator devices, the statement said.

"The Musashi is truly an engineering marvel and as an engineer at heart, I have a deep appreciation for the technology and effort that went into its construction," Allen said.

He said he is fascinated with World War II history after being inspired by his father's service in the U.S. Army, and that he was "honored" to play a part in finding a key vessel in naval history, and in honoring the memory of those who served aboard the ship.

Allen said he respects the wreckage as a war grave and plans to work with Japan's government to make sure the site is treated properly in line with Japanese traditions. Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga told reporters that he had no immediate comment.

Suikokai, an organization that supports Japanese navy veterans and conducts research in maritime defense, said that if the discovery is confirmed, a memorial service could be held at the site.

Todaka at the Yamato Museum said the findings, especially during the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II, were a "great achievement" that could inspire many Japanese to revisit the history of the war, whose memory has faded over the past decades.

Cheers Rodney

[Rodney Mills]

A follow-up article to yesterday's announcement of the discovery of the sunken Japanese Battleship Musashi:


Mar 5, 10:29 AM (ET)

By MARI YAMAGUCHI


TOKYO (AP) — A former crewmember on a Japanese battleship that sank during World War II said Thursday he recognized photos of wreckage discovered this week off the Philippines by a team led by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen.

Shizuhiko Haraguchi served as a gunnery officer on the Musashi, one of the largest battleships in history, when it was being fitted in Japan before it departed for the Pacific in 1943.

He said he recognized underwater photos taken by Allen's team of a large gun turret and a catapult system used to launch planes.

"I recognized that main turret, which I was assigned to," Haraguchi, 93, said in a telephone interview from his home in Nagasaki in southern Japan where the ship was built, fitted and tested. "I felt very nostalgic when I saw that."

(AP) In this Dec. 13, 2011 photo, Microsoft co-founder and philanthropist Paul...
Full Image

The Musashi had nine 46-centimeter (20-inch) guns, which were each 20 meters (66 feet) long, he said.

Haraguchi said other details released by Allen convinced him that the wreckage was that of the Musashi. He said a round base shown in a photo of the bow was where a chrysanthemum decoration used to be, an Imperial seal that only battleships were allowed to carry.

Allen said his team found the battleship at a depth of 1 kilometer (3,280 feet) in the Sibuyan Sea using an autonomous underwater vehicle following more than eight years of study.

Allen called the Musashi an "engineering marvel" and said he was honored to have found a key ship in naval history.

Historians and military experts praised the apparent discovery of the legendary battleship after 70 years, saying it would help promote interest in World War II studies. A group supporting navy veterans said survivors would want to hold a memorial service at the site.

Haraguchi left the ship just before its departure because he was transferred to an aviation unit in eastern Japan.

The apparent discovery on Sunday of the battleship comes as the world marks the 70th anniversary of the war's end.

The Musashi, commissioned in 1942, sank in October 1944 in the Sibuyan Sea during the Battle of Leyte Gulf, losing about half of its 2,400 crew members. Only a few hundred eventually returned home alive. The ship was repeatedly hit by torpedoes and bombs dropped by planes from Allied aircraft carriers.

The naval battle, considered the largest of World War II, crippled the Imperial fleet, cut off Japanese oil supplies and allowed the U.S. invasion of the Japanese-held Philippines.

"The discovery of the Musashi was really a nice surprise," Haraguchi said. "It was as if the spirits of her crewmembers who sank with her were telling us to remember them for the 70th anniversary."

Cheers, Rodney

[Frederick Lacey]

Japanese battleship musashi - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia