A research team has found the submerged wreck of what was considered to be one of World War II’s most-advanced battleships, before it was sunk.  Australian and American forces defeated the Japanese and sunk the Battleship Musashi during the Battle of Leyte Gulf in 1944.

After eight years of searching, the private exploration team led by American billionaire Paul Allen used a robot submarine to locate the Musashi in the middle of the Philippine archipelago.  They found it at a depth of more than one kilometer on the floor of the Sibuyan Sea.

The Musashi and sister ship Yamato were the biggest, most-powerful battleships ever made.  It featured 18-inch armor plating and was armed with nine 18-inch guns, the largest ever mounted on a warship. 

“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,” said Allen, a co-founder of the tech giant Microsoft.  “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.”

Despite its formidable armament, the Musashi was mostly used to transfer forces and equipment between Japan and various occupied islands several times in 1944.  Surviving a torpedo attack and the Battle of the Philippine Sea, The Musashi’s number was up on 24 October 1944 during the Battle of Leyte Gulf, when an estimated 19 torpedo and 17 bombs from the American carrier USS Intrepid overwhelmed it.  More than 1,000 of the crew died.