What you need to know: After years of analysis, Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen’s team discovered the wreckage of the Japanese battleship Musashi in 2015, at a depth of 3,280 feet in the Philippine Sibuyan Sea. Alongside her sister ship Yamato, Musashi was one of the largest and most heavily armed battleships ever built, boasting 18.1-inch guns unrivaled in short-range power.

-Despite its imposing design, Musashi had limited impact due to inadequate air cover, meeting its end during the Battle of Leyte Gulf in 1944 after suffering 19 torpedoes and 17 bombs.

-This event highlighted the decisive power of air superiority over traditional battleships.

The End of Musashi: How air power doomed Japan’s most powerful battleship

In March 2015, after years of meticulous historical research and analysis of seabed terrain, a team led by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen announced that they had discovered one of the most impressive battleships ever built, the ship of the Imperial Japanese Navy. Musashi.

The sister ship of Yamato was discovered by Allen’s team aboard his motor yacht, the MY Octopusat a depth of approximately 3,280 feet (one kilometer) in Philippine waters. Japanese naval historian Kazushige Todaka confirmed his identification.

The 73,000 tons (66,224 metric tons) Musashi and sister ship Yamato were the largest battleships the world has ever known. Allied forces sank the Musashi on October 24, 1944, during the Battle of Leyte Gulf, considered the largest naval battle of World War II and possibly the largest naval battle in history. Nearly half of MusashiThe crew of 2,399 was lost.

Efforts to find the wreck site had begun 11 years earlier and were based on four different shipwreck positions in the Sibuyan Sea, including both the “official” Japanese and American positions.

The battleship Musashi, a powerful warship

Named after the ancient Japanese province of Musashi, it was one of three Yamato-class battleships built for the Imperial Japanese Navy beginning in the late 1930s.

These would be the most heavily armored warships ever built, while each would also be armed with 46 cm (18.1 in) naval guns. These were the most powerful guns ever installed on a battleship, and although they could match the U.S. Navy’s 16-inch 50-caliber Mark 7 guns at long range, in close-range engagement, the penetrating power Japanese cannons were supposed to be unrivaled.

Dull career

When it was put into service in 1942, Musashi was modified to serve as the flagship of the Combined Fleet, but the IJN never fully utilized it nor Yamato. The tide was turning for the IJN, which simply lacked air cover to adequately protect it.

Although it flew several sorties in 1943 in unsuccessful searches for American forces, it was primarily used to assist in the transfer of forces and equipment between Japan and various occupied islands. She was hit by a torpedo launched by a United States Navy submarine in early 1944 and was forced to return to Japan for repairs. During this time, she received additional anti-aircraft armament, but it was not enough to save the warship.

Musashi had failed to make contact with the American surface fleet during the Battle of the Philippine Sea in June 1944, but it has been suggested that this might have been for the best. Less than five months later, she participated in the Battle of Leyte Gulf, the largest naval battle of World War II and perhaps in naval history. Musashi was sunk after suffering approximately 19 torpedoes and 17 bombs from US Navy carrier-based aircraft.

As The diplomat reported, “the sinking of the Musashi was the final answer to Billy Mitchell’s challenge to the usefulness of warships in the early 1920s.” However, he also noted that no air force in the world was capable of inflicting such damage on a moving target and well defended before the middle of the decade. -1944, when the US Navy was able to amass a fleet of pilots, attack aircraft and aircraft carriers of a size and lethality that had not even been considered in 1942, and even less in 1921.

With hindsight, it would be easy to suggest that the construction of Musashi and her sister ship was a waste, the argument continues. Yet it took the majestic battleship four hours to sink, and only after suffering damage that would certainly have crippled any aircraft carrier of the time. With better air coverage, Musashi would have posed a serious threat – and certainly one of the most powerful battleships ever built.

About the author

Peter Suciu is a Michigan-based writer who has contributed to more than four dozen magazines, newspapers and websites. He writes regularly on military hardware and is the author of several books on military headgear, including A gallery of military hairstylesavailable on Amazon.com. Peter is also a Contributing writer for Forbes.

All images are Creative Commons photos of Yamato-class battleships.