Musashi

Musashi, the Imperial Japanese Navy's second-in-command Yamato-class battleship, is one of the largest and most powerful ships ever built. It was sunk by the American air force during the Battle of Leyte Gulf on October 24, 1944.

Built in secret, the Musashi was launched in November 1940, then completed after eighteen months of completion. Commissioned in August 1942, she became the flagship of Isoroku Yamamoto. Torpedoed in March 1944, she underwent repairs and armament modifications, but some were not implemented.

Engaged in the Battle of Leyte Gulf under Vice Admiral Takeo Kurita, the Musashi was attacked by American planes which inflicted 17 heavy bombs and 19 torpedoes. Sinks in the Sibuyan Sea, more than half of her crew of 2,900 men are killed.

In 2015, the wreck of the Musashi was found 1,000 meters deep by billionaire Paul Allen, thanks to an autonomous underwater robot. Debris scattered over an area of 880m x 500m indicates that the ship disintegrated before reaching the seabed.