Legendary Japanese Battleship Musashi Found in Sibuyan Sea by Paul Allen - Photos
Microsoft's co-founder has used his own submarine to find the wreck of the Japanese Navy's biggest warship - which has lain undiscovered at the bottom of the ocean for the past 70 years.
Paul Allen revealed his amazing discovery to the world on Tuesday, by posting a photo to Twitter of the World War II battleship Musashi's rusty bow, which bore the Japanese empire's Chrysanthemum seal.
The Musashi - which, along with its sister ship Yamato, was the heaviest and most powerfully armed battleship ever constructed - was sunk by the U.S. Navy in 1944, taking with it more than 1,000 crew members.
The discovery brings to an end Allen's eight year search for the Musashi - and is a discovery he hopes will 'bring closure' to those who lost relatives aboard the ship, according to his website.
Billionaire Allen said the M/Y Octopus, his luxury yacht and exploration ship, found the long-lost ship on the floor of the Sibuyan Sea - 1.6 miles under the surface.
The Octopus' remote operated probe Octo ROV located the Musashi on Monday, according to Allen's website. The Octopus is also outfitted with an exploration submarine.
Allen and his research team had used the historical records of four different countries in order to pinpoint the location of the ship.
On Tuesday, Allen posted a photo of a valve from the wreckage, which he described as the 'first confirmation' that it was of Japanese origin.
'RIP (rest in peace) crew of Musashi, approximately 1,023 (lives) lost,' Allen said in another tweet.
He said on Twitter he would soon post video of the ship's catapult and valve areas.
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