musashi yacht location

Sunken Japanese WWII Battleship Located in the Philippines

More than 70 years after it sank during World War II, the legendary Japanese battleship Musashi has been discovered off the coast of the Philippines.

Billionaire Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen has been leading an expedition to find the Musashi — one of the biggest battleships ever built — aboard his high-tech 414-foot-long (125 meters) yacht, the M/Y Octopus. The team announced this week that they finally located the shipwreck in the Sibuyan Sea.

"Mr. Allen has been searching for the Musashi for more than 8 years, and its discovery will not only help fill in the narrative of WWII's Pacific theater, but bring closure to the families of those lost," a statement on Allen's website said. [ See photos of the battleship Musashi's sunken remains ]

The Musashi and her sister ship, the Yamato, were considered the heaviest and most powerful battleships ever built, though neither survived World War II . 

The Yamato sank during a fierce battle for Okinawa on April, 7 1945. In the 1980s, shipwreck hunters found the Yamato 180 miles (290 kilometers) southwest of Kyushu, one of the main islands of Japan. The ship was split in two and was found resting at a depth of 1,120 feet (340 m).

American forces sank the 862-foot-long (263 m), 73,000-ton (66,225 metric tons) Musashi on Oct. 24, 1944, during the Battle of Leyte Gulf, killing more than 1,000 members of the ship's 2,399-person crew. The final resting place of the ship remained elusive for decades, despite eyewitness accounts of the sinking. 

Allen's team hasn't revealed too much information about exactly where and how they found the Musashi, but according to a news release, they drew from historical records from four different countries, topographical data and advanced technology aboard the M/Y Octopus. A tweet from Allen indicated that the wreck was discovered about 3,280 feet (1 km) below the water's surface.  

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The team released crisp underwater footage  taken by a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) that shows several parts of the ship, including a catapult system that was used to launch float planes, a wheel on a valve from an engineering area that had Japanese script, the turret from an 18-inch (46 centimeters) naval gun, a 15-ton anchor and the battleship's bow.

Allen has a history of bankrolling ambitious tech and exploration projects. He was an early backer of Scale Composites' suborbital spacecraft SpaceShipOne. He later founded his own spaceflight company, Stratolaunch Systems, with Scale Composites founder Burt Rutan. The company is trying to build the world's largest air-launched space rocket. In 2012, Allen lent his yacht to support filmmaker James Cameron's expedition to the bottom of the Mariana Trench , the ocean's deepest point.

Allen and his team said they plan to work with the Japanese government to ensure the wreck of the Musashi is treated "respectfully and in accordance with Japanese traditions."

Follow Megan Gannon on  Twitter .   Follow us @livescience ,  Facebook &  Google+ . Original article on  Live Science .

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87.78m  /  288' | feadship | 2011.

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The multi-award winning 87.78m/288' motor yacht 'Musashi' was built by Feadship in the Netherlands at their Makkum shipyard. Her interior is styled by Dutch designer design house Sinot Yacht Design and she was delivered to her owner in July 2011. This luxury vessel's exterior design is the work of De Voogt.

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Musashi has been designed to comfortably accommodate up to 18 guests in 10 suites comprising two VIP cabins. She is also capable of carrying up to 24 crew onboard to ensure a relaxed luxury yacht experience.

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Her features include a beauty salon, movie theatre, beauty salon, elevator, gym and air conditioning.

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Musashi is built with a steel hull and aluminium superstructure, with teak decks. Powered by twin diesel MTU (20V 4000 M93L) 20-cylinder 5,766hp engines running at 2100rpm, she comfortably cruises at 18 knots, reaches a maximum speed of 20 knots with a range of up to 6,000 nautical miles from her 335,000 litre fuel tanks at 12 knots. Musashi features at-anchor stabilizers providing exceptional comfort levels. Her water tanks store around 88,000 Litres of fresh water. She was built to Lloyds Register ✠100A1, SSC, Yacht (P). Mono, G6, ✠LMC, UMS classification society rules.

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• The ShowBoats Design Awards 2012 Interior Design Award: Displacement Motor Yachts 200′+ Winner
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About Musashi

Named after a legendary samurai warrior, Musashi offers an inspirational synthesis of Japanese design and art deco-style elements. Her exceptionally elegant profile features clear lines and an optimal use of light and space. This striking exterior flows seamlessly into an interior where each space is conceived with optimum efficiency in mind and crafted to perfection. A wealth of built-in and loose furniture ensures that Musashi displays a remarkable sense of unity, both inside and out. The fun the owners experienced in the build has certainly been matched by the enjoyment they now share with up to eighteen guests on board.

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How Microsoft billionaire found largest sunken battleship

High-tech tools, including an undersea "mountain goat," and years of research led to the discovery of the WWII-era Musashi in the Pacific.

After years of meticulous historical research and seafloor terrain analysis, it was an underwater "mountain goat" that ultimately found the wreck of one of history's most impressive battleships, the Musashi.

Researchers led by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen, aboard Allen's motor yacht, the M.Y. Octopus, announced that they had located the imperial Japanese Navy battleship at a depth of approximately 3,280 feet (one kilometer) in Philippine waters on March 2, 2015. Japanese naval historian Kazushige Todaka confirmed its identification.

The 73,000-ton (66,224 metric tons) Musashi and sister ship Yamato were the largest battleships the world has ever known. Allied forces sunk the Musashi on October 24, 1944, during the Battle of Leyte Gulf, considered the largest naval battle of World War II and quite possibly the largest naval battle in history. Almost half of the Musashi' s 2,399-man crew perished.

Work to determine the search area for the wreck began more than 11 years ago with an analysis of primary sources, which list four different sinking positions in the Sibuyan Sea: the "official" Japanese and U.S. Navy positions, one recorded in the log of a Japanese destroyer standing by to rescue the Musashi' s crew, and a drawing by a Japanese survivor of the battle indicating where the ship sank in relation to Sibuyan Island.

By augmenting these accounts with dozens of other navigational clues, the team was able to identify an overall search area of 360 square nautical miles (477 square miles, or 1,236 square kilometers), according to David Mearns of Bluewater Recoveries , who assisted with research and determining the final search area.

Side-scan sonar, which can detect features or objects rising from the seafloor, is commonly used to identify potential shipwrecks. The sonar sensor is usually towed behind a survey vessel at a consistent depth, but an early attempt was hampered by long fishing lines entangling the sensor.

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Allen's team then switched to a multibeam echosounder (MBES), which revealed the bathymetry of the search area and could also potentially detect sonar targets. ( See how scientists map water depths .)

A 73,000-ton sinking ship is probably going to slide, right? Will O'Halloran , Bluefin Robotics

A large volcanic ridge dominated the search area, causing depths to vary between approximately 500 feet (150 meters) and 6,560 feet (2,000 meters) or more within a very small distance. This made both MBES and traditional towed side-scan sonar impractical, so Allen's team turned to their next technological solution: an autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV), which does not require tethering and can conduct a consistent sonar survey across large, deep areas of irregular terrain.

Even then, the search for the Musashi proved a challenge.

Underwater "Mountain Goat"

"Your baseline AUV is typically doing work in the oil and gas sector, like the Gulf of Mexico, for example. Usually pretty flat terrain with maybe some hills, but nothing really crazy," explains Will O'Halloran, marine operations manager of Bluefin Robotics , the company that worked with the search team to design and build the AUV to their specifications and supervised its operations.

But the extreme topography was also an advantage in the search, explains O'Halloran, who was not present during the AUV survey but has had communication with the team. Allen's team could zero in on specific areas to deploy the AUV by ruling out the higher elevations of the steep undersea slopes and focusing more on the "spill" areas at their base.

"It's reasonable to expect that something [as heavy as the Musashi] is not going to just sit on a peak," he observes. "A 73,000-ton sinking ship is probably going to slide, right?"

To ensure that nothing was missed, however, the autonomous vehicle was programmed to sweep the sonar sensor along the undersea slopes from top to bottom and back again. "[The AUV] was a little bit of a mountain goat," O'Halloran jokes. "It was stubborn and tenacious."

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On average, each AUV dive lasted 24 hours and covered a maximum of 150 square miles (388 square kilometers), after which the vehicle returned to the Octopus. There the sonar data were downloaded and analyzed for anomalies that might indicate the presence of a shipwreck. The vessel's remotely operated vehicle, Octo ROV, then investigated promising anomalies with its high-definition camera.

It took only three AUV dives to locate the target that the Octo ROV subsequently confirmed as the wreckage of the Musashi . Since then, Allen has been tweeting images and videos of the Musashi captured by the Octo ROV, including footage of its enormous 36-by-20-foot (11-by-6-meter) main rudder.

Years of Work Lead to Fast Find

While it may sound like a quick success, O'Halloran emphasizes the years of effort it took for the research team to narrow down the search area.

"[Allen's team] had a really strong, sustained process of research that they used to derive where they would start searching, and you can really see that in the results, in how quickly they came up with the target," he says.

The Bluefin 12D AUV used in the discovery of the Musashi is very similar to a Bluefin AUV employed in the search for missing Malaysia Airlines Flight 370, which disappeared in March 2014. ( Learn more about tools used to search for Flight 370 .)

The M.Y. Octopus has served as the staging vessel for several scientific research projects, including the 2012 National Geographic DEEPSEA CHALLENGE expedition , which saw James Cameron make a record-breaking solo dive to the Mariana Trench. ( Explore the DEEPSEA CHALLENGE expedition .)

In a statement, Allen, the son of a World War II veteran, said he hoped the discovery would not only help fill in significant gaps in our understanding of the Battle of Leyte Gulf, but also bring closure to the families of those lost in the battle.

A former Musashi crew member, who recognized the vessel from the images and videos that Allen is sending around the world, agrees, telling the Associated Press that it is as if the 1,023 men who went down with the battleship were asking to be remembered on the 70th anniversary of its sinking.

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Beneath the Waves: Wreckage of the Illustrious WWII Battleship Musashi Found by Tech Magnate Paul Allen

Posted: May 29, 2024 | Last updated: May 29, 2024

On March 2, 2015, a remarkable chapter of World War II naval history was unearthed from the depths of the Sibuyan Sea.

In a momentous discovery that intersects technological prowess with a poignant homage to naval history, the wreckage of the Imperial Japanese Navy's behemoth battleship Musashi was located by the late Microsoft co-founder and philanthropist, Paul Allen.

With the demise of Musashi during the Battle of Leyte Gulf on October 24, 1944, a significant chapter in naval warfare was submerged beneath the waves, along with nearly half of its 2,399-man crew.

The Musashi, along with her sister ship Yamato, stood as the pinnacle of battleship design, each displacing a staggering 73,000 tons and armed with the largest-calibre guns ever mounted on a warship.

Allen's quest to find the Musashi was driven by a personal connection to WWII, as his father served during the war. The endeavor, which incorporated years of meticulous historical research and seafloor terrain analysis, is remembered as a testament to his passion for exploration and the preservation of historical memory.

As quoted by marine scientist David Mearns, "Paul’s interest in marine exploration and shipwrecks was very personal… His important discoveries and illumination of naval history have ensured that the sacrifice of those who served is not forgotten."

Navigating a labyrinth of historical records, the research team commenced their search by identifying four different sinking positions listed by primary sources.

This initiative was translated into a targeted search area spanning 360 square nautical miles in the Sibuyan Sea. Despite the challenges presented by the undulating seabed and the sheer enormity of the search grid, technological innovations enabled the team to carry out their mission with precise efficiency.

The researchers, aboard Allen's research vessel, the M.Y. Octopus, used an autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) dubbed by the team as the "underwater mountain goat" to traverse the treacherous underwater terrain. The AUV's programming allowed it to meticulously scan the slopes of a large volcanic ridge, where the Musashi was hypothesized to have settled.

Will O'Halloran of Bluefin Robotics, responsible for designing the AUV, highlighted the innovative approach, stating, "It's reasonable to expect that something [as heavy as the Musashi] is not going to just sit on a peak… A 73,000-ton sinking ship is probably going to slide, right?"

In just three dives, the AUV detected an anomaly that the vessel's remotely operated vehicle, Octo ROV, confirmed to be the Musashi, resting at a depth of approximately 3,280 feet.

This marked a swift culmination to a quest that had been more than a decade in the making. The Octo ROV documented haunting images of the ship, including its massive 36-by-20-foot main rudder, which Allen later shared with the world.

The discovery of the Musashi did more than shed light on the technical marvels of WWII battleships; it provided a poignant reminder of the human cost of war.

A former crew member, upon recognizing the vessel in the images, remarked that it was as if the 1,023 men who went down with the battleship were asking to be remembered. Allen hoped that the discovery would not only contribute to our understanding of the Battle of Leyte Gulf but also offer closure to the families of the brave souls who perished.

In reflection, the Musashi's unearthing underscores the enduring interest in World War II and the ongoing dedication to uncovering its submerged secrets. As Allen's legacy in historical preservation endures, so too does the memory of the Musashi and the countless individuals who served with valor upon its decks.

Relevant articles: - How Paul Allen discovered the world's largest sunken battleship, the Musashi  National Geographic, Oct 16, 2018 - How Paul Allen discovered the world's largest sunken battleship the Musashi  National Geographic - US billionaire Paul Allen discovers wreck of Japan's biggest warship Musashi  The Guardian - More on Paul Allen’s Discovery of the Musashi  Warfare History Network

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Built at Nagasaki, Japan, Musashi was commissioned in August 1942. The sister ship to Yamato was 862 feet long and had a crew of 2,500 sailors. Initially assigned to the Central Pacific to thwart an American offensive, she later participated against the Allied landings of the Marshall Islands . On March 29, 1944, she was torpedoed by USS Tunny (SS-282). Repaired in Japan, her anti-aircraft was increased. In June 1944, Musashi took part in the Battle of the Philippine Sea. During the Battle of the Sibuyan Sea , part of the Battle of the Leyte Gulf, she was attacked by U.S. Navy carrier aircraft on October 24. Hit by approximately 19 torpedoes and 17 bombs, she sank about four hours after the last hit. Paul Allen’s expedition team found  Musashi in March 2015 under the Sibuyan Sea.

Image: NH 63473 : Japanese battleship Musashi , 1944. Leaving Brunei, Borneo, possibly on October 22, 1944 before leaving for Leyte Gulf.

A model of Musashi was on display at the exhibit  In Harm’s Way: Pacific  at the National Museum of the U.S. Navy in Bldg. 76., until 2022.

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The current position of MUSASHI is at West Mediterranean reported 1 min ago by AIS. The vessel arrived at the port of La Spezia, Italy on Jun 3, 13:49 UTC. The vessel MUSASHI (IMO 1010131, MMSI 319032600) is a Yacht built in 2011 (13 years old) and currently sailing under the flag of Cayman Islands .

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The Japanese Battleship Musashi

The Japanese battleship Musashi, one of the largest and most heavily armed battleships ever constructed, served as a symbol of Imperial Japan’s naval power during World War II.

Despite her formidable design, featuring the largest caliber naval guns ever mounted on a warship and extensive armor, Musashi was sunk in the Battle of Leyte Gulf in 1944.

Design of the Musashi

Operational history, sinking of the musashi.

The design and construction of the Japanese battleship Musashi were monumental undertakings that pushed the boundaries of naval architecture and engineering of the time. Musashi, alongside her sister ship Yamato, was conceived in the context of an escalating arms race leading up to World War II.

Read More Japan’s Surrender was Signed on Board the USS Missouri

Japan sought to counter the naval capabilities of potential adversaries, particularly the United States, with battleships that combined superior firepower, armor, and speed in unprecedented proportions. This ambition was encapsulated in the Musashi, whose design and construction were shrouded in secrecy to prevent intelligence leaks to foreign powers.

The strategic doctrine of the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) in the interwar period emphasized the decisive engagement of enemy fleets with superior battleship forces. This doctrine was rooted in the belief that a decisive naval battle in the Pacific would determine the outcome of any future conflict with the United States. Consequently, the IJN focused on creating battleships that could outgun and outlast their American counterparts.

The Washington Naval Treaty and the subsequent London Naval Treaty imposed limitations on naval armaments, but Japan eventually withdrew from these treaties, freeing itself from any restrictions and paving the way for the construction of the Musashi and Yamato.

Musashi’s design was a masterpiece of naval engineering, embodying the zenith of battleship technology. The ship’s design team, led by naval architects at the Mitsubishi Nagasaki shipyards, faced the challenge of creating a battleship that could carry the largest guns ever mounted on a warship, while also providing enough armor to protect against similar weapons.

The solution was a ship of immense proportions: Musashi had a length of 263 meters (862 feet), a beam of 38.9 meters (127 feet), and a full load displacement of approximately 72,800 tons, making her one of the largest battleships ever built.

The centerpiece of Musashi’s design was her main battery of nine 46 cm (18.1 inch) Type 94 naval guns, the largest caliber guns ever fitted to a warship. These guns were capable of firing shells weighing over 1.5 tons at a range of up to 42 kilometers (26 miles), giving Musashi the ability to strike targets far beyond the reach of most naval artillery of the era.

Her secondary armament included a complement of 155 mm guns, numerous anti-aircraft guns of various calibers, and later modifications for improved air defense.

Musashi’s armor scheme was equally impressive. Her side armor belt, up to 410 mm (16.1 inches) thick, was designed to withstand hits from heavy caliber naval guns. The armor extended well below the waterline to protect against underwater explosions and torpedoes.

Her deck armor was also substantial, designed to fend off aerial bombs and plunging fire from long-range engagements. The protection extended to vital areas such as the ammunition magazines and the propulsion system, with intricate compartmentalization to enhance survivability in the event of damage.

The construction of Musashi began in 1938 in utmost secrecy. The shipyard was shielded from aerial observation, and workers were sworn to secrecy to prevent espionage. The construction process involved innovative techniques and the mobilization of vast resources, reflecting Japan’s industrial capabilities at the time. Musashi’s keel was laid down in a specially constructed drydock, and her assembly involved thousands of workers over several years.

Read More 3 Sailors Were Trapped in the West Virginia for 16 Days After the Pearl Harbor Attack

Musashi’s launch on November 1, 1940, was a significant event, attended by high-ranking naval officers and government officials. Her fitting-out period involved the installation of her massive guns, armor plates, and the complex machinery required to operate such a large vessel.

The operational history of the Japanese battleship Musashi, though relatively short-lived, was a significant chapter in the annals of naval warfare during World War II. Commissioned in August 1942, Musashi entered service at a critical juncture in the Pacific War, when the balance of naval power was increasingly shifting away from battleships to air power and aircraft carriers. Despite this, Musashi, as one of the two largest and most powerful battleships ever constructed, was a symbol of Imperial Japan’s naval might and a key asset in its strategic operations.

Initially, Musashi served as a strategic deterrent, anchoring the Combined Fleet’s striking power. Her first year of service was marked by training exercises and a few sorties in response to American naval movements, but she saw no combat. The immense resources required to operate such a large battleship, including fuel consumption, limited her operational deployment, especially as Japan began to experience shortages.

Read More Halsey’s Typhoon – The Storm That Nearly Crippled the Third Fleet

In early 1943, Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto, commander of the Combined Fleet, chose Musashi as his flagship. From her bridge, Yamamoto directed fleet movements and strategy. However, Musashi’s tenure as the flagship was marred by tragedy when Yamamoto was killed in April 1943, while on a tour via aircraft, an event that led to her replacement as the flagship but underscored her importance within the IJN hierarchy.

Despite her formidable capabilities, Musashi’s opportunities to engage in the kind of decisive naval gun battles for which she was designed were limited by the nature of the Pacific War, which increasingly favored aircraft carriers and air power over traditional battleship engagements. Her role in the Battle of the Philippine Sea in June 1944 was indicative of this shift.

Musashi participated in this battle, one of the largest carrier battles in history, but her role was peripheral. The battle was dominated by aircraft, and the Japanese fleet suffered heavy losses, particularly in planes and carriers, without Musashi being able to bring her main guns to bear in a significant way.

The Battle of Leyte Gulf, spanning from October 23 to 26, 1944, stands as one of the largest naval battles in history and a pivotal engagement of World War II. It was within this colossal conflict that the Japanese battleship Musashi met her demise. This battle, involving hundreds of ships and thousands of aircraft from both the Allied and Japanese forces, was part of the United States’ efforts to recapture the Philippines, a strategic move that aimed to cut off Japan from its occupied territories in Southeast Asia and the Pacific.

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Musashi, as part of Admiral Takeo Kurita’s powerful Center Force, was tasked with attacking the Allied invasion forces in Leyte Gulf. This force, which included the Musashi’s sister ship, Yamato, and several other capital ships, aimed to deliver a crippling blow to the Allied naval and amphibious forces, hoping to turn the tide of the war in the Pacific in favor of Japan. The Center Force passed through the Sibuyan Sea to reach its objective, a move that exposed it to American submarine and aerial attacks.

On October 24, 1944, as Kurita’s force made its way through the Sibuyan Sea, it was spotted by American submarines and reconnaissance aircraft. The presence of such a formidable force in the Sibuyan Sea triggered a massive response from the U.S. Third Fleet, commanded by Admiral William F. Halsey. American carrier-based aircraft were dispatched in waves to attack the Japanese fleet, with the Musashi quickly becoming one of the primary targets due to her size and the symbolic value of sinking one of Japan’s mightiest battleships.

Throughout the day, Musashi was subjected to relentless attacks from American aircraft. The ship’s anti-aircraft defenses fought desperately to repel the attackers, but the sheer volume of incoming torpedoes and bombs overwhelmed these defenses. Musashi’s armor, the thickest of any battleship ever built, was penetrated multiple times by torpedoes and bombs. The damage inflicted was severe; Musashi suffered from extensive flooding, fires, and the loss of propulsion, which greatly reduced her maneuverability and made her an even easier target for subsequent attacks.

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Despite the valiant efforts of her crew to save the ship, including counter-flooding to correct a dangerous list and attempting to shoot down incoming aircraft, the damage was irreparable. The final blow came in the late afternoon when it became clear that Musashi could no longer be saved. Admiral Kurita gave the order to abandon ship, prioritizing the rescue of the crew.

At approximately 19:36 on October 24, 1944, Musashi sank into the depths of the Sibuyan Sea. Of her crew of nearly 2,400 men, 1,023 were lost with the ship.

Musashi’s wreckage, lying deep in the Sibuyan Sea, was rediscovered in 2015.

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The climate of Perm ( Russia ) Perm is located in the western part of Russia on the banks of the river Kama situated in the European part of the country. Perm is situated on the Trans-Siberian Railway and is the capital of the Perm Krai (region). Perm is the most easterly situated inland port in Europe. Perm has been inhabited since the history of mankind. However, the city as we know it today was founded in the 17th century. Perm has a moderate continental climate with cold winters and cool summers. During the winter large amounts of snow may fall, more than a meter on an annual basis. Rainfall is quite evenly spread out over the year with a peak during the summer. Perm gets about 650 millimeters of rain per year. Perm has an average humidity figure of 75%. However, during the summer a humidity figure of more than 80% may be recorded.

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