BY ERIC RIBEIRO
Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen has found the remains of a Japanese battleship which was lost for more than 70 years.
Mr Allen announced on Twitter that he had found the WWII battleship Musashi while on his superyacht named ‘My Octopus’.
He tweeted: “WW2 Battleship Musashi sank 1944 is found”. The Microsoft co-founder said he found the wreck in the Sibuyan Sea in the Philippines in the waters less than 1km deep.
WW2 Battleship Musashi sank 1944 is FOUND > 1K M deep by MY Octopus Sibuyan sea, bow Chrysanthemum, huge anchor. pic.twitter.com/b9ZMA0icI8
— Paul Allen (@PaulGAllen) March 2, 2015
Holding nine 46cm 45-calibre guns, the Musashi was the second ship of the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II. It was considered the heaviest and most armed battle ship ever built. More than 1000 crew members were believed to be on the battleship when it sank during the battle of Leyte in the Philippines in October 1944.
A Marine Museum Director Kazushige Todaka said he was 90 per cent sure that it was the Musashi. The Marine Museum are in contact with Allen’s team to obtain the information of the ship’s location and possibly conduct an expedition to explore the wreck.
Learn more about Paul Allen’s expedition.
Featured image: Japanese Emperoro Hirohito and his staff aboard Musashi, June 24, 1943. Photo: “島村信政5″ by せたがやアバント – Own work. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
