You found my battleship: Paul Allen’s unlikely hit

Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen says he has found one of Japan’s biggest and most famous battleships on a Philippine seabed, some 70 years after American forces sank it during World War II. Excited historians likened the discovery, if verified, to finding the Titanic, as they hailed the American billionaire for his hi-tech mission that apparently succeeded after so many failed search attempts by others. Allen posted photos and video online of parts of what he said was the battleship Musashi, found by his M/Y Octopus exploration vessel 3,280 feet below the water, on the floor of the Sibuyan Sea.

I am honored to play a part in finding this key vessel in naval history and honoring the memory of the incredible bravery of the men who served aboard her.

Paul Allen, Microsoft co-founder

American warplanes sank the Musashi on October 24, 1944, at the height of the Battle of Leyte Gulf, regarded as the largest naval encounter of the war. Undersea footage on Allen’s website showed what were described as a valve, a catapult for planes, a gun turret and a starboard anchor. It also showed the space on the bow for the Japanese empire’s Chrysanthemum seal. This is a unique feature of the three biggest warships that Japan built during World War II, according to Kazushige Todaka, director of the Kure Maritime Museum in Japan.

There have been so many efforts over the years to locate Musashi, but they all failed. I feel like the warship might have been destined to show itself this year – the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II.

Kazushige Todaka, director of the Kure Maritime Museum in Japan

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