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, named after the former Japanese province, was one of four planned s built for the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN), beginning in the late 1930s. The ''Yamato''-class ships were the heaviest and most powerfully armed battleships ever constructed, displacing almost fully loaded and armed with nine main guns. Their
secondary armament Secondary armament is a term used to refer to smaller, faster-firing weapons that were typically effective at a shorter range than the main (heavy) weapons on military systems, including battleship- and cruiser-type warships, tanks/armored p ...
consisted of four triple-
gun turret A gun turret (or simply turret) is a mounting platform from which weapons can be fired that affords protection, visibility and ability to turn and aim. A modern gun turret is generally a rotatable weapon mount that houses the crew or mechanism ...
s formerly used by the s. They were equipped with six or seven floatplanes to conduct reconnaissance. Commissioned in mid-1942, ''Musashi'' was modified to serve as the
flagship A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of naval ships, characteristically a flag officer entitled by custom to fly a distinguishing flag. Used more loosely, it is the lead ship in a fleet of vessels, typically the ...
of the
Combined Fleet The was the main sea-going component of the Imperial Japanese Navy. Until 1933, the Combined Fleet was not a permanent organization, but a temporary force formed for the duration of a conflict or major naval maneuvers from various units norm ...
, and spent the rest of the year working up. The ship was transferred to Truk, Japan's main wartime naval base in the South Pacific theatre, in early 1943 and sortied several times that year with the fleet in unsuccessful searches for
American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...
forces. She was used to transfer forces and equipment between Japan and various occupied islands several times in 1944.
Torpedoed A modern torpedo is an underwater ranged weapon launched above or below the water surface, self-propelled towards a target, and with an explosive warhead designed to detonate either on contact with or in proximity to the target. Historically, su ...
in early 1944 by an American submarine, ''Musashi'' was forced to return to Japan for repairs, during which the navy greatly augmented her anti-aircraft armament. She was present during the
Battle of the Philippine Sea The Battle of the Philippine Sea (June 19–20, 1944) was a major naval battle of World War II that eliminated the Imperial Japanese Navy's ability to conduct large-scale carrier actions. It took place during the United States' amphibious inva ...
in June, but did not come in contact with American surface forces. During the
Battle of Leyte Gulf The Battle of Leyte Gulf ( fil, Labanan sa golpo ng Leyte, lit=Battle of Leyte gulf; ) was the largest naval battle of World War II and by some criteria the largest naval battle in history, with over 200,000 naval personnel involved. It was f ...
, ''Musashi'' was sunk by an estimated 19 torpedo and 17 bomb hits from American
carrier-based aircraft Carrier-based aircraft, sometimes known as carrier-capable aircraft or carrier-borne aircraft, are naval aircraft designed for operations from aircraft carriers. They must be able to launch in a short distance and be sturdy enough to withstand ...
on 24 October 1944. Over half of her crew was rescued. Her wreck was located in March 2015 by a team of researchers employed by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen.


Design and description

Since the IJN anticipated it would be unable to produce as many ships as the United States, the ''Yamato''-class ships with their great size and heavy armament were designed to be individually superior to American battleships. ''Musashi'' had a length of
between perpendiculars Length between perpendiculars (often abbreviated as p/p, p.p., pp, LPP, LBP or Length BPP) is the length of a ship along the summer load line from the forward surface of the stem, or main bow perpendicular member, to the after surface of the stern ...
and
overall Overalls, also called bib-and-brace overalls or dungarees, are a type of garment usually used as protective clothing when working. The garments are commonly referred to as a "pair of overalls" by analogy with "pair of trousers". Overalls were ...
. She had a beam of Sturton, p. 178 and a draught of at deep load.Skulski, p. 10 She displaced at standard load and at deep load. Her crew consisted of 2,500 officers and ratings in 1942, and about 2,800 in 1944.Jentschura, Jung & Mickel, p. 38 The battleship had four sets of
Kampon The was the externally operating division of the Ministry of the Navy of Japan responsible for the administration of naval vessel construction. From 1923 onward, it took on the role of a research institution for the research and development of n ...
geared
steam turbine A steam turbine is a machine that extracts thermal energy from pressurized steam and uses it to do mechanical work on a rotating output shaft. Its modern manifestation was invented by Charles Parsons in 1884. Fabrication of a modern steam turbin ...
s, each of which drove one propeller shaft. The turbines were designed to produce a total of , using steam provided by 12 Kampon water-tube boilers, giving the ship a maximum speed of . She had a stowage capacity of of
fuel oil Fuel oil is any of various fractions obtained from the distillation of petroleum (crude oil). Such oils include distillates (the lighter fractions) and residues (the heavier fractions). Fuel oils include heavy fuel oil, marine fuel oil (MFO), bun ...
, giving a range of at a speed of .


Armament

''Musashi''s main battery consisted of nine 45-
calibre In guns, particularly firearms, caliber (or calibre; sometimes abbreviated as "cal") is the specified nominal internal diameter of the gun barrel bore – regardless of how or where the bore is measured and whether the finished bore match ...
460-milliimetre Type 94 guns mounted in three triple gun turrets, numbered from front to rear. The guns had a rate of fire of 1.5 to 2 rounds per minute. The ship's secondary battery consisted of twelve 60-calibre 155-millimetre 3rd Year Type guns mounted in four triple turrets, one each fore and aft of the superstructure and one on each side
amidships This glossary of nautical terms is an alphabetical listing of terms and expressions connected with ships, shipping, seamanship and navigation on water (mostly though not necessarily on the sea). Some remain current, while many date from the 17t ...
. These had become available once the ''Mogami''-class cruisers were rearmed with guns. Heavy
anti-aircraft defence Anti-aircraft warfare, counter-air or air defence forces is the battlespace response to aerial warfare, defined by NATO as "all measures designed to nullify or reduce the effectiveness of hostile air action".AAP-6 It includes surface based, ...
was provided by a dozen 40-calibre 127-millimetre (5 in) Type 89
dual-purpose gun A dual-purpose gun is a naval artillery mounting designed to engage both surface and air targets. Description Second World War-era capital ships had four classes of artillery: the heavy main battery, intended to engage opposing battleships and ...
s in six twin turrets, three on each side of the superstructure. ''Musashi'' also carried thirty-six 25-millimetre (1 in) Type 96 light anti-aircraft (AA) guns in 12 triple-gun mounts, all mounted on the superstructure.Skulski, p. 20 The ship was also provided with two twin mounts for the licence-built Type 93 anti-aircraft machine guns, one on each side of the bridge. While the ship was under repair in April 1944, the two 155 mm wing turrets were removed and replaced with three triple 25 mm gun mounts each. A total of sixteen triple 25 mm mounts and twenty-five single mounts were added at that time, giving the ship a light AA armament of 115 guns.


Armour

The ship's waterline
armour belt Belt armor is a layer of heavy metal armor plated onto or within the outer hulls of warships, typically on battleships, battlecruisers and cruisers, and aircraft carriers. The belt armor is designed to prevent projectiles from penetrating to ...
was identical to the ''Yamatos at thick and angled outwards 20 degrees at the top. Below it was a strake of armour that ranged in thickness from over the magazines and machinery spaces, respectively; it tapered to a thickness of at its bottom edge. The deck armour ranged in thickness from . The turrets were protected with an armour plate thick on the face, on the sides, and 270 millimetres on the roof. The
barbette Barbettes are several types of gun emplacement in terrestrial fortifications or on naval ships. In recent naval usage, a barbette is a protective circular armour support for a heavy gun turret. This evolved from earlier forms of gun protectio ...
s of the turrets were protected by armour thick, and the turrets of the 155 mm guns were protected by armour plates. The sides of the
conning tower A conning tower is a raised platform on a ship or submarine, often armored, from which an officer in charge can conn the vessel, controlling movements of the ship by giving orders to those responsible for the ship's engine, rudder, lines, and grou ...
were thick and its roof was 200 millimetres thick. Underneath the magazines were armour plates to protect the ship from mine damage. ''Musashi'' contained 1147 watertight compartments (1065 underneath the armour deck, 82 above) to preserve
buoyancy Buoyancy (), or upthrust, is an upward force exerted by a fluid that opposes the weight of a partially or fully immersed object. In a column of fluid, pressure increases with depth as a result of the weight of the overlying fluid. Thus the pr ...
in the event of battle damage.


Aircraft

''Musashi'' was fitted with two
catapults A catapult is a ballistic device used to launch a projectile a great distance without the aid of gunpowder or other propellants – particularly various types of ancient and medieval siege engines. A catapult uses the sudden release of stored ...
on her quarterdeck and could stow up to seven floatplanes in her below-decks hangar. The ship operated
Mitsubishi F1M The Mitsubishi F1M ( Allied reporting name "Pete") was a Japanese reconnaissance floatplane of World War II. It was the last biplane type of the Imperial Japanese Navy, with 944 built between 1936 and 1944. The Navy designation was "Type Zero Obs ...
biplane A biplane is a fixed-wing aircraft with two main wings stacked one above the other. The first powered, controlled aeroplane to fly, the Wright Flyer, used a biplane wing arrangement, as did many aircraft in the early years of aviation. While a ...
s and
Aichi E13A The Aichi E13A ( Allied reporting name: "Jake") was a long-range reconnaissance seaplane used by the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) from 1941 to 1945. Numerically the most important floatplane of the IJN, it could carry a crew of three and a bomblo ...
1 monoplanes and used a , stern-mounted crane for recovery.


Fire control and sensors

The ship was equipped with four
rangefinder A rangefinder (also rangefinding telemeter, depending on the context) is a device used to measure distances to remote objects. Originally optical devices used in surveying, they soon found applications in other fields, such as photography an ...
s, one atop her forward superstructure and one in each of her main gun turrets, and another unit atop her rear superstructure. Each gun turret was equipped with an rangefinder. Low-angle fire was controlled by two Type 98
fire-control director A fire-control system (FCS) is a number of components working together, usually a gun data computer, a Director (military), director, and radar, which is designed to assist a ranged weapon system to target, track, and hit a target. It performs ...
s mounted above the rangefinders on the superstructure. Type 94 high-angle directors controlled the 127 mm AA guns, with Type 95 short-range directors for the 25 mm AA guns. ''Musashi'' was built with a Type 0 hydrophone system in her bow, usable only while stationary or at low speed. In September 1942, a Type 21 air-search radar was installed on the roof of the 15-metre rangefinder at the top of the forward superstructure. Two Type 22 surface-search radars were installed on the forward superstructure in July 1943. During repairs in April 1944, the Type 21 radar was replaced by a more modern version, and a Type 13 early-warning radar was also fitted.Hackett & Kingsepp


Construction

To cope with ''Musashi''s great size and weight, the construction slipway was reinforced, nearby workshops were expanded, and two floating cranes were built. The ship's
keel The keel is the bottom-most longitudinal structural element on a vessel. On some sailboats, it may have a hydrodynamic and counterbalancing purpose, as well. As the laying down of the keel is the initial step in the construction of a ship, in Br ...
was laid down on 29 March 1938 at Mitsubishi's Nagasaki shipyard, and was designated "Battleship No. 2". Throughout construction, a large curtain made of hemp rope weighing prevented outsiders from viewing construction.Yoshimura, p. 29 Launching the ''Musashi'' also presented challenges. The ship's thick launch platform, made of nine Douglas fir planks bolted together, took two years to assemble (from keel-laying in March 1938) because of the difficulty in drilling perfectly straight bolt holes through 4m of fresh timber. The problem of slowing and stopping the massive hull once inside the narrow Nagasaki Harbour was met by attaching of heavy chains on both sides of the hull to create dragging resistance in the water. The launch was concealed by measures that included a citywide air-raid drill staged on launch day to keep people inside their homes. ''Musashi'' was launched on 1 November 1940, coming to a stop only further than the hull's expected travel distance across the harbour. The entry of such a large mass into the water caused a wave, which swept the harbour and local rivers, flooding homes and capsizing small fishing boats. ''Musashi'' was fitted out at nearby Sasebo, with
Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...
Kaoru Arima assigned as her commanding officer. Towards the end of fitting out, the ship's flagship facilities, including those on the bridge and in the admiral's cabins, were modified to satisfy Combined Fleet's desire to have the ship equipped as the primary flagship of the commander-in-chief, as her sister ship ''Yamato'' was too far along for such changes. These alterations, along with improvements in the secondary battery armour, pushed back completion and pre-handover testing of ''Musashi'' by two months, to August 1942.


Service

''Musashi'' was commissioned at Nagasaki on 5 August 1942, and assigned to the 1st Battleship Division, together with ''Yamato'', and . Beginning five days later, the ship conducted machinery and aircraft-handling trials near
Hashirajima is an island in southern Hiroshima Bay of the Inland Sea, Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan. Located southeast of Iwakuni, it is part of the Kutsuna Islands within the Bōyo Islands group. The island covers and as of 2013 had a population of 184 r ...
. Her secondary armament of twelve 127 mm guns, 12 triple 25 mm gun mounts, and four anti-aircraft machine guns was fitted 3–28 September 1942 at Kure, as well as a Type 21 radar. The ship was working up for the rest of the year. Arima was promoted to
rear admiral Rear admiral is a senior naval flag officer rank, equivalent to a major general and air vice marshal and above that of a commodore and captain, but below that of a vice admiral. It is regarded as a two star "admiral" rank. It is often regard ...
on 1 November. ''Musashi'' was assigned to the
Combined Fleet The was the main sea-going component of the Imperial Japanese Navy. Until 1933, the Combined Fleet was not a permanent organization, but a temporary force formed for the duration of a conflict or major naval maneuvers from various units norm ...
, commanded by Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto, on 15 January 1943Whitley, p. 216 and sailed for Truk three days later, arriving on 22 January. On 11 February, she replaced her sister ship ''Yamato'' as the fleet's flagship. On 3 April, Yamamoto left ''Musashi'' and flew to Rabaul,
New Britain New Britain ( tpi, Niu Briten) is the largest island in the Bismarck Archipelago, part of the Islands Region of Papua New Guinea. It is separated from New Guinea by a northwest corner of the Solomon Sea (or with an island hop of Umboi the D ...
to personally direct "Operation ''I-Go''", a Japanese aerial offensive in the Solomon Islands. His orders were intercepted and deciphered by
Magic Magic or Magick most commonly refers to: * Magic (supernatural), beliefs and actions employed to influence supernatural beings and forces * Ceremonial magic, encompasses a wide variety of rituals of magic * Magical thinking, the belief that unrel ...
, and American Lockheed P-38 Lightning fighters shot down his transport aircraft and killed him in
Operation Vengeance Operation Vengeance was the American military operation to kill Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto of the Imperial Japanese Navy on April 18, 1943, during the Solomon Islands campaign in the Pacific Theater of World War II. Yamamoto, commander of the Com ...
while he was en route from New Britain to Ballale, Bougainville. On 23 April, his
cremated Cremation is a method of final disposition of a dead body through burning. Cremation may serve as a funeral or post-funeral rite and as an alternative to burial. In some countries, including India and Nepal, cremation on an open-air pyre ...
remains were flown back to Truk and placed in his cabin on board ''Musashi''. On 17 May, in response to American attacks on Attu Island, ''Musashi''—together with the carrier , two heavy cruisers, and nine destroyers— sortied to the northern Pacific. When no contact was made with American forces, the ships sailed to Kure on 23 May, where Yamamoto's ashes were taken from the vessel in preparation for a formal
state funeral A state funeral is a public funeral ceremony, observing the strict rules of protocol, held to honour people of national significance. State funerals usually include much pomp and ceremony as well as religious overtones and distinctive elements o ...
. Immediately afterwards, ''Musashi''s task force was significantly reinforced to counterattack American naval forces off Attu, but the island was captured before the force could intervene. On 9 June, Arima was relieved by Captain
Keizō Komura was a Rear Admiral in the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II. Biography Komura was born in Nakanojo, Gunma prefecture. He graduated from the 45th class of the Imperial Japanese Naval Academy in 1917, ranked 10th in his class of 89 cadet ...
. On 24 June, while being overhauled at
Yokosuka Naval Arsenal was one of four principal naval shipyards owned and operated by the Imperial Japanese Navy, and was located at Yokosuka, Kanagawa prefecture on Tokyo Bay, south of Yokohama. History In 1866, the Tokugawa shogunate government established the ...
, ''Musashi'' was visited by
Emperor Hirohito Emperor , commonly known in English-speaking countries by his personal name , was the 124th emperor of Japan, ruling from 25 December 1926 until his death in 1989. Hirohito and his wife, Empress Kōjun, had two sons and five daughters; he was ...
and high-ranking naval officers. From 1 to 8 July, the ship was fitted with a pair of Type 22 radars at Kure. She sailed for Truk on 30 July and arrived there six days later, where she resumed her position as fleet flagship for Admiral Mineichi Koga. In mid-October, in response to suspicions of planned American raids on Wake Island, ''Musashi'' led a large fleet—three carriers, six battleships, and 11 cruisers—to intercept American forces, but failed to make contact and returned to Truk on 26 October. She spent the remainder of 1943 in Truk Lagoon. Komura was promoted to rear admiral on 1 November and transferred to the 3rd Fleet on 7 December as
Chief of Staff The title chief of staff (or head of staff) identifies the leader of a complex organization such as the armed forces, institution, or body of persons and it also may identify a principal staff officer (PSO), who is the coordinator of the supporti ...
; Captain Bunji Asakura assumed command of ''Musashi''. The ship remained in Truk Lagoon until 10 February 1944, when she returned to Yokosuka. On 24 February, ''Musashi'' sailed for Palau, carrying one Imperial Japanese Army
battalion A battalion is a military unit, typically consisting of 300 to 1,200 soldiers commanded by a lieutenant colonel, and subdivided into a number of companies (usually each commanded by a major or a captain). In some countries, battalions are ...
and another of Special Naval Landing Forces and their equipment. After losing most of her deck cargo in a
typhoon A typhoon is a mature tropical cyclone that develops between 180° and 100°E in the Northern Hemisphere. This region is referred to as the Northwestern Pacific Basin, and is the most active tropical cyclone basin on Earth, accounting for a ...
, she arrived at Palau on 29 February and remained there for the next month. On 29 March, ''Musashi'' departed Palau under cover of darkness to avoid an expected air raid, and encountered the submarine , which fired six torpedoes at the battleship; five of them missed, but the sixth blew a hole in diameter near the bow, flooding her with 3000 tonnes of water.Stille, p. 42 The torpedo hit killed seven crewmen and wounded another eleven. After temporary repairs, ''Musashi'' sailed for Japan later that night and arrived at Kure Naval Arsenal on 3 April. From 10 to 22 April, she was repaired, while her anti-aircraft armament was substantially increased in the space freed up by removal of the beam-mounted 6.1 inch (155-mm) triple turrets. When she undocked on 22 April, the ship's secondary battery comprised six 15.5 cm guns, twenty-four 12.7 cm guns, one hundred and thirty 25 mm guns, and four 13.2 mm machine guns. She also received new radars (which were still primitive compared to American equipment) and
depth-charge A depth charge is an anti-submarine warfare (ASW) weapon. It is intended to destroy a submarine by being dropped into the water nearby and detonating, subjecting the target to a powerful and destructive hydraulic shock. Most depth charges use h ...
rails on her fantail. In May 1944, Asakura was promoted to rear admiral; ''Musashi'' departed Kure for Okinawa on 10 May, then for Tawi-Tawi on 12 May. She was assigned to the 1st Mobile Fleet, under the command of Vice Admiral
Jisaburō Ozawa was an admiral in the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II. He was the last Commander-in-Chief of the Combined Fleet The was the main sea-going component of the Imperial Japanese Navy. Until 1933, the Combined Fleet was not a ...
, with her sister ship. On 10 June, the battleships departed Tawi-Tawi for Batjan under the command of Vice Admiral
Matome Ugaki was an admiral in the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II, remembered for his extensive and revealing war diary, role at the Battle of Leyte Gulf, and kamikaze suicide hours after the announced surrender of Japan at the end of the war ...
, in preparation for Operation Kon, a planned counterattack against the American invasion of Biak. Two days later, when word reached Ugaki of American attacks on
Saipan Saipan ( ch, Sa’ipan, cal, Seipél, formerly in es, Saipán, and in ja, 彩帆島, Saipan-tō) is the largest island of the Northern Mariana Islands, a commonwealth of the United States in the western Pacific Ocean. According to 2020 es ...
, his force was diverted to the Mariana Islands. After they rendezvoused with Ozawa's main force on 16 June, the battleships were assigned to Vice Admiral Takeo Kurita's 2nd Fleet. During the
Battle of the Philippine Sea The Battle of the Philippine Sea (June 19–20, 1944) was a major naval battle of World War II that eliminated the Imperial Japanese Navy's ability to conduct large-scale carrier actions. It took place during the United States' amphibious inva ...
, ''Musashi'' was not attacked. Following Japan's disastrous defeat in the battle (also known as the "Great Marianas Turkey Shoot"), the Second Fleet returned to Japan. On 8 July, ''Musashi'' and her sister embarked 3,522 men and equipment of the Army's
106th Infantry Regiment 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. I ...
of the 49th Infantry Division and sailed for
Lingga Island Lingga Island is the largest and most populated of the Lingga Islands, Indonesia. It has an area of . It is located south of the Riau Islands off the east coast of Sumatra. The other major island of the archipelago is Singkep Singkep is an isla ...
, where they arrived on 17 July.


Battle of Leyte Gulf

Captain
Toshihira Inoguchi was a Japanese Vice-Admiral and served as the commander of the Yamato-Class Battleship The were two battleships of the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN), and , laid down leading up to World War II and completed as designed. A third hull la ...
relieved Asakura in command of ''Musashi'' on 12 August 1944 and was promoted to rear admiral on 15 October. Three days later, the ship sailed for
Brunei Bay Brunei Bay ( ms, Teluk Brunei) is on the northwestern coast of Borneo island, in Brunei and Malaysia. Brunei Bay is located 5°00'43.44", 115°17'26.66"; east of Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei. It is the ocean gateway to the isolated Temburong Di ...
, Borneo to join the main Japanese fleet in preparation for "Operation ''Sho''-1", the planned counterattack against the American landings at Leyte. The Japanese plan called for Ozawa's carrier forces to lure the American carrier fleets north of Leyte so that Kurita's 1st Diversion Force (also known as the Central Force) could enter
Leyte Gulf Leyte Gulf is a gulf in the Eastern Visayan region in the Philippines. The bay is part of the Philippine Sea of the Pacific Ocean, and is bounded by two islands; Samar in the north and Leyte in the west. On the south of the bay is Mindana ...
and destroy American forces landing on the island. ''Musashi'', together with the rest of Kurita's force, departed Brunei for the Philippines on 22 October. The following day, the submarine torpedoed and sank the heavy cruiser near Palawan. The destroyer rescued 769 survivors and transferred them to ''Musashi'' later in the day.


Loss at Sibuyan Sea

On 24 October, while transiting the
Sibuyan Sea The Sibuyan Sea is a small sea in the Philippines that separates the Visayas from the northern Philippine island of Luzon. It is bounded by the island of Panay to the south, Mindoro to the west, Masbate to the east, and to the north Marinduque a ...
, Kurita's ships were spotted by a reconnaissance aircraft from the fleet carrier . Just over two hours later, the battleship was attacked by eight
Curtiss SB2C Helldiver The Curtiss SB2C Helldiver is a dive bomber developed by Curtiss-Wright during World War II. As a carrier-based bomber with the United States Navy (USN), in Pacific theaters, it supplemented and replaced the Douglas SBD Dauntless. A few surv ...
dive bomber A dive bomber is a bomber aircraft that dives directly at its targets in order to provide greater accuracy for the bomb it drops. Diving towards the target simplifies the bomb's trajectory and allows the pilot to keep visual contact througho ...
s from ''Intrepid'' at 10:27. One bomb struck the roof of Turret No. 1, failing to penetrate. Two minutes later, ''Musashi'' was struck starboard amidships by a torpedo from a Grumman TBF Avenger, also from ''Intrepid''. The ship took on of water and a 5.5-degree
list A ''list'' is any set of items in a row. List or lists may also refer to: People * List (surname) Organizations * List College, an undergraduate division of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America * SC Germania List, German rugby union ...
to starboard that was later reduced to 1 degree by counterflooding compartments on the opposite side. During this attack, two Avengers were shot down. An hour and a half later, another eight Helldivers from ''Intrepid'' attacked ''Musashi'' again. One bomb hit the upper deck and failed to detonate; another hit the port side of the deck and penetrated two decks before exploding above one of the engine rooms. Fragments broke a steam pipe in the engine room and forced its abandonment, as well as that of the adjacent boiler room. Power was lost to the port inboard propeller shaft and the ship's speed dropped to . Anti-aircraft fire shot down two Helldivers during this attack. Three minutes later, nine Avengers attacked from both sides of the ship, scoring three torpedo hits on the port side. One hit abreast Turret No. 1, the second flooded a hydraulic machinery room, forcing the main turrets to switch over to auxiliary hydraulic pumps, and the third flooded another engine room. More counterflooding reduced the list to one degree to port, but the amount of flooding reduced the ship's forward
freeboard In sailing and boating, a vessel's freeboard is the distance from the waterline to the upper deck level, measured at the lowest point of sheer where water can enter the boat or ship. In commercial vessels, the latter criterion measured relativ ...
by . During this attack, ''Musashi'' fired '' sanshikidan'' anti-aircraft shells from her main armament; one shell detonated in the middle gun of Turret No. 1, possibly because of a bomb fragment in the barrel, and wrecked the turret's elevating machinery. At 13:31, the ship was attacked by 29 aircraft from fleet carriers and . Two
Grumman F6F Hellcat The Grumman F6F Hellcat is an American Carrier-based aircraft, carrier-based fighter aircraft of World War II. Designed to replace the earlier Grumman F4F Wildcat, F4F Wildcat and to counter the Japanese Mitsubishi A6M Zero, it was the United St ...
fighters strafed the ship's deck and Helldivers scored four more bomb hits near her forward turrets. ''Musashi'' was hit by four more torpedoes, three of which were forward of Turret No. 1, causing extensive flooding. The ship was now listing one degree to starboard, and had taken on so much water that her bow was now down and her speed had been reduced to . Two hours later, nine Helldivers from attacked with armour-piercing bombs, scoring four hits. The ship was hit by three more torpedoes, opening up her starboard bow and reducing her speed to . At 15:25, ''Musashi'' was attacked by 37 aircraft from ''Intrepid'', fleet carrier and
light carrier A light aircraft carrier, or light fleet carrier, is an aircraft carrier that is smaller than the standard carriers of a navy. The precise definition of the type varies by country; light carriers typically have a complement of aircraft only one-h ...
. The ship was hit by 13 bombs and 11 more torpedoes during this attack, for a loss of three Avengers and three Helldivers. Her speed was reduced to , her main
steering engine A steering engine is a power steering device for ships. History The first steering engine with feedback was installed on Isambard Kingdom Brunel's ''Great Eastern'' in 1866. Designed by Scottish engineer John McFarlane Gray and built by George ...
was temporarily knocked out and her
rudder A rudder is a primary control surface used to steer a ship, boat, submarine, hovercraft, aircraft, or other vehicle that moves through a fluid medium (generally air or water). On an aircraft the rudder is used primarily to counter adverse ya ...
was briefly jammed 15 degrees to port. Counterflooding reduced her list to six degrees to port from its previous maximum of ten degrees. ''Musashi'' had been struck by an estimated total of 19 torpedoes and 17 bombs. Kurita left ''Musashi'' to fend for herself at 15:30, and encountered her again at 16:21 after reversing course. The ship was headed north, with a list of 10 degrees to port, down at the bow with her forecastle awash. He detailed a heavy cruiser and two destroyers to escort her while frantic efforts were made to correct her list, including flooding another engine room and some boiler rooms. Her engines stopped before she could be beached. At 19:15, her list reached 12 degrees and her crew was ordered to prepare to abandon ship, which they did fifteen minutes later when the list reached 30 degrees. ''Musashi'' capsized at 19:36 and sank in at . Inoguchi chose to go down with his ship; 1,376 of her 2,399-man crew were rescued. About half of her survivors were evacuated to Japan, and the rest took part in the defence of the Philippines. The destroyer rescued 635 of ''Maya''s survivors from ''Musashi''.


Wreck


Discovery

For over 70 years after her sinking, various attempts were made by
shipwreck A shipwreck is the wreckage of a ship that is located either beached on land or sunken to the bottom of a body of water. Shipwrecking may be intentional or unintentional. Angela Croome reported in January 1999 that there were approximately ...
hunters to locate the wreck of the Japanese battleship, but none succeeded. ''Musashi'', like other Japanese warships, did not have its name on its sides, making it more difficult for divers and shipwreck hunters to find her. A research team sponsored by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen eventually found her after eight years of searching for the wreck, going through various historical records in different countries, and deploying the high-tech yacht and a
remotely operated vehicle A remotely operated underwater vehicle (technically ROUV or just ROV) is a tethered underwater mobile device, commonly called ''underwater robot''. Definition This meaning is different from remote control vehicles operating on land or in the a ...
to aid in their search. In March 2015, Allen announced that the team had found ''Musashi'' under the Sibuyan Sea in the Philippines, some beneath the surface. The ship had been thought to have sunk in one piece; in reality, it exploded underwater, scattering debris across the ocean floor. The bow section from the number one barbette forward is upright on the sea floor, while the stern is upside down. The forward superstructure and funnel is detached from the rest of the ship and lies on its port side.Archived a
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In the live streaming video tour conducted by the expedition team, a mount for the seal of the Imperial Japanese Navy—a
chrysanthemum Chrysanthemums (), sometimes called mums or chrysanths, are flowering plants of the genus ''Chrysanthemum'' in the family Asteraceae. They are native to East Asia and northeastern Europe. Most species originate from East Asia and the center o ...
made out of
teak Teak (''Tectona grandis'') is a tropical hardwood tree species in the family Lamiaceae. It is a large, deciduous tree that occurs in mixed hardwood forests. ''Tectona grandis'' has small, fragrant white flowers arranged in dense clusters (panicl ...
, long rotted away—can be seen amid the debris. The video also showed damage made by U.S. torpedoes, including a warped bow and hits under the ship's main gun. Other items found in the area of the wreck, as well as other features found inside, led maritime experts to claim with 90% certainty that the wreck was ''Musashi''. To further confirm the identity of the wreck, Shigeru Nakajima, an electrical technician on ''Musashi'' who claimed to have survived by jumping overboard after the order to abandon ship was given, told the Associated Press that he was "certain" that the wreck was ''Musashi'' upon seeing its anchor and the imperial seal mount. He also expressed his gratitude to the expedition team for having located the shipwreck.


Preservation and protection

The discovery of the wreck beneath the surface of the Sibuyan Sea raised issues in the Philippines because Romblon (the local government with jurisdiction over the shipwreck site), as well as the
provincial Provincial may refer to: Government & Administration * Provincial capitals, an administrative sub-national capital of a country * Provincial city (disambiguation) * Provincial minister (disambiguation) * Provincial Secretary, a position in Can ...
government and even the
Philippine Coast Guard The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) ( fil, Tanod Baybayin ng Pilipinas) is recognized as the third armed uniformed service of the country attached to the Philippines' Department of Transportation, tasked primarily with enforcing laws within P ...
, had been unaware that Allen and his team had an ongoing expedition in the area, though Governor Eduardo Firmalo publicly welcomed discovery of the ship. In response to the find, the Philippine Coast Guard stated that foreign-owned vessels need clearance from the Philippine Foreign Affairs Department, the Customs Bureau, and the Immigration Bureau before entering Philippine waters. Although discovering the shipwreck was very important to the Japanese people because of the presence aboard of over 1,000 Japanese sailors' remains, the National Museum of the Philippines stated that "any further activity ertaining to the shipwreck wouldbe governed by established rules and regulations." The Museum pointed out that the wreck site of ''Musashi'', as stated by the law, is considered an archaeological site under Romblon's jurisdiction, and was "giving priority to verifying the discovery, obtaining and sharing key information, facilitating the protection and preservation of the site, and formulating appropriate next steps."


Footnotes


References


Sources

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External links

*
Maritimequest.com: ''Musashi'' photo gallery

WW2DB: Musashi
{{DEFAULTSORT:Musashi 1940 ships Battleships sunk by aircraft Battle of Leyte Gulf Ships built by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Yamato-class battleships World War II battleships of Japan World War II shipwrecks in the Sibuyan Sea Shipwrecks of the Philippines Maritime incidents in October 1944 Ships sunk by US aircraft Shipwreck discoveries by Paul Allen 2015 archaeological discoveries Ships sunk by aircraft during the Battle of Leyte Gulf