IJN Musashi Wreck Located

[Gun Boat]

Tullys Port at CombinedFleet.com • View topic - MUSASHI WRECK FOUND!!!!

There's some talk on this at CombinedFleet.com, Parshall and Tully's site. Their feeling is that reports of an explosion are shaky, at best.

Either way, she's probably beat up a bit after such a long drop. Some of the weaker parts probably broke off on the way down. The turrets would have been dumped when she capsized. They're hoping for some good shots of the AA layout, as they aren't well documented for this part of the war.

No doubt she would have gathered some speed on her trip to the sea floor. I suppose the hope would be she had similar trip to Bismarck in that she righted herself and plonked onto the floor squarely bottom first.

I think most of the discussion regarding the underwater explosions are based on her TROM over at combined fleet which don't really discuss the magnitude.

From the TROM:

"1930: After her list reaches 30 degrees to port, MUSASHI slowly starts to turn over. Captain Kato gives the order to abandon ship. He orders the Emperor's portrait removed. SHIMAKAZE removes 635 of 796 of MAYA's survivors taken aboard MUSASHI earlier.

At 1936, MUSASHI capsizes to port and sinks by the bow in 4,430 feet of water in the Visayan Sea at 13-07N, 122-32E. Two underwater explosions are heard."

In the video there is a short glimpse of what the narrator suggests is a 46cm gun turret but the text says a 'mount'. I can't help but think that they were meant to say 'barbette'. If it's a barbette which are usually pretty well fixed to the hull then I'm thinking she either blew apart or fell apart. Dislodging a Barbette would take some serious force which could only come from an explosion in my opinion. I hope I'm wrong.

Even if upright I'm not sure much could be told about her AA layout as the chance of it having survived the bombs and then the capsizing in a state that reflected what it actually looked like would be pretty slim.
Nothing anywhere seems to be said about what Paul's plans are regarding surveying of the wreck site are. Will the Japanese government complain and limit the survey detail? Exploration to the degree of what the Titanic site has been explored is what we want.

Standing on the deck of the New Jersey and taking in her massiveness is one thing but then thinking that the Yamato's were another 20000tons bigger nearly boggles the mind.

[zraver]

No doubt she would have gathered some speed on her trip to the sea floor. I suppose the hope would be she had similar trip to Bismarck in that she righted herself and plonked onto the floor squarely bottom first.

I think most of the discussion regarding the underwater explosions are based on her TROM over at combined fleet which don't really discuss the magnitude.

From the TROM:

"1930: After her list reaches 30 degrees to port, MUSASHI slowly starts to turn over. Captain Kato gives the order to abandon ship. He orders the Emperor's portrait removed. SHIMAKAZE removes 635 of 796 of MAYA's survivors taken aboard MUSASHI earlier.

At 1936, MUSASHI capsizes to port and sinks by the bow in 4,430 feet of water in the Visayan Sea at 13-07N, 122-32E. Two underwater explosions are heard."

In the video there is a short glimpse of what the narrator suggests is a 46cm gun turret but the text says a 'mount'. I can't help but think that they were meant to say 'barbette'. If it's a barbette which are usually pretty well fixed to the hull then I'm thinking she either blew apart or fell apart. Dislodging a Barbette would take some serious force which could only come from an explosion in my opinion. I hope I'm wrong.

Even if upright I'm not sure much could be told about her AA layout as the chance of it having survived the bombs and then the capsizing in a state that reflected what it actually looked like would be pretty slim.
Nothing anywhere seems to be said about what Paul's plans are regarding surveying of the wreck site are. Will the Japanese government complain and limit the survey detail? Exploration to the degree of what the Titanic site has been explored is what we want.

Standing on the deck of the New Jersey and taking in her massiveness is one thing but then thinking that the Yamato's were another 20000tons bigger nearly boggles the mind.

The Costa class of cruise ships dwarfs them, as do carriers and the bigger tankers. Its amazing to see how far naval building has come since the late 1930's when the big super battleships dwarfed all comers.

[Zad Fnark]

Hell, I always liked watching the 1000' lake boats when I lived in Superior. They were pretty massive.

[Gun Boat]

I saw the carriers at Newport News and some big Liners in Florida and yeah they're big. But seeing the New Jersey was a much bigger event. The BBs are just serious looking bits of 'I'm gonna break stuff'. So considering the New Jersey's impact on me and then adding another 20000tons - yeah I wanna see that.

The missus and I are heading to Hawaii the start of April. I'll be dragging her along to the Missouri. She has zero interest in battleships but I bet when she lays eyes on one she'll have a little gasp. My brothers wife had zero interest in BBs and she said she couldn't help but say 'Jesus' when she saw the Missouri but thought that the carrier was just a cargo ship. They just have that effect.

[tbm3fan]

I saw the carriers at Newport News and some big Liners in Florida and yeah they're big. But seeing the New Jersey was a much bigger event. The BBs are just serious looking bits of 'I'm gonna break stuff'. So considering the New Jersey's impact on me and then adding another 20000tons - yeah I wanna see that.

The missus and I are heading to Hawaii the start of April. I'll be dragging her along to the Missouri. She has zero interest in battleships but I bet when she lays eyes on one she'll have a little gasp. My brothers wife had zero interest in BBs and she said she couldn't help but say 'Jesus' when she saw the Missouri but thought that the carrier was just a cargo ship. They just have that effect.

Yes, guns, big guns, lots of big guns tend to have that affect on people. I have walked the flight deck of the Hornet for going on 17 years, but for two years in 2009-2010 I got to walk across the deck of the Iowa. Not the same and when I got away from the escort I made my way over to the Iowa and climb over every inch of that ship both horizontal and vertical. Made sure not to do it facing the Marad office and any eyes that would have a shit fit. Sorry, Rusty, couldn't help it but at the time you and I didn't know each other and I had the ship all to myself. Who could pass that up?

[TopHatter]

This is the Yamato Wharf outside the Kure Maritime Museum. The wooden portion is an outline of the deck of a Yamato-class battleship. It looks like you're standing next to the bridge, but the forward part of the ship seems to go on forever...and that's only half the ship, in both length and beam!

[Gun Boat]

It seems Musashi maybe in the same shape as her sister.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9qQDLfQpqdQ

[Gun Boat]

This should interesting with hopefully the layout of the wreck shown. She's in a lot of bit though.

Musashi Live Media Alert - Paul Allen

[blidgepump]

If I were a billionaire ....

What would I pursue as a hobby is I were a billionaire /////

Microsoft co-founder shows WWII's largest battleship, 70 years after its sinking - CNN.com


Interesting ..... ;)

[desertswo]

What would I pursue as a hobby is I were a billionaire /////

Microsoft co-founder shows WWII's largest battleship, 70 years after its sinking - CNN.com


Interesting ..... ;)

If I were a billionaire, I'd give a bunch of it to all the battleship and CV museums. I mean, we won Mr. Allen.

[Gun Boat]

Anybody watch the telecast?

It would seem that the reports of two underwater explosions were correct. She is in pretty much the same condition as the Yamato, if not worse from the greater depth it travelled to. The damage to her bow is huge, and entire mid section seems to have been destroyed. Speculation is that the armoured citadel remained relatively water free and that maybe there was a lot of implosion damage.

The bow showed damage from a near miss which buckled a huge length of it. There was no footage of her main guns but a side scan sonar image of the wreck layout had a '46cm gun turret' marked on it.

The US navy really gave it to those two ships. Not only sinking the Yamato and Musashi but also blowing them to bits - completely and utterly destroyed.

[tbm3fan]

If I were a billionaire, I'd give a bunch of it to all the battleship and CV museums. I mean, we won Mr. Allen.

I'd do the same thing except I would have some strings attached for sure

[blidgepump]

Paul Allen video ...

I will be waiting for the Imax version of the Paul Allen's video.
With side scan sonar, three-D imagining, color re enactment and the actual video obtain this is something that I pay the $10 to view.
Hopefully the staff and editors will keep the historical perspective :pop: