Japanese Battleship Musashi

Musashi (武蔵) was the second vessel of the Yamato class, the most powerful battleships ever constructed by any navy. Her keel was laid down on 29 March 1938 at Mitsubishi Heavy Industries' Nagasaki Shipyard under conditions of strict secrecy — the slipway was screened by an enormous hemp-rope curtain to conceal the construction from outside observers. She was launched on 1 November 1940 and commissioned on 5 August 1942, about eight months after her sister Yamato.

At standard displacement of 64,000 long tons (rising to nearly 72,000 fully loaded), Musashi carried nine 460mm (18.1-inch) main guns in three triple turrets — the largest naval guns ever fitted to a warship. Her secondary battery included twelve 155mm guns, twelve 127mm dual-purpose guns, and an extensive anti-aircraft suite of 25mm guns that was repeatedly augmented during the war.

Towards the end of her fitting-out, Musashi's bridge and flag facilities were modified so that she could serve as the flagship of Admiral Yamamoto Isoroku's Combined Fleet, which delayed her completion to August 1942. She relieved Yamato as Combined Fleet flagship on 11 February 1943 at Truk Lagoon (Caroline Islands), Japan's main advance base in the South Pacific. In this capacity she carried Yamamoto's ashes back to Japan in May 1943 after his death over Bougainville. She was damaged by a torpedo from the submarine USS Tunny on 29 March 1944 while leaving Palau and underwent repairs at Kure.

In October 1944, Musashi joined Vice Admiral Kurita Takeo's powerful Centre Force at Brunei Bay, Borneo, as part of Operation Sho-1, Japan's desperate plan to destroy the Allied invasion fleet at Leyte Gulf. On 24 October 1944, while transiting the Sibuyan Sea, Centre Force was subjected to sustained attack by five waves of American carrier aircraft from Task Force 38. Musashi, the largest ship in the formation, became the primary target. She absorbed an estimated 19 torpedo hits and 17 direct bomb hits over several hours before finally capsizing and sinking at approximately 19:36 local time. Of her crew of approximately 2,399 men present on that day, around 1,023 were lost.

The wreck of Musashi rested undiscovered for over 70 years. In March 2015, an expedition led by Paul Allen aboard his vessel Octopus located the wreck in the Sibuyan Sea at a depth of roughly 1,000 metres (reported figures range from about 900 to 1,350 metres), confirming the precise coordinates of her final resting place.