American billionaire claims to find a Japanese ship under the sea

Billionaire Paul Gardner Allen, co-founder of Microsoft, claims to locate a Japanese battleship from World War II under the seabed of the Philippines.

"Chrysanthemum" symbol on a bow.(Photo: Phil Star)

"The sinking of the battleship Musashi in World War II in 1944 was found by the Octopus in the Sibuyan Sea," Phil Star quoted Allen yesterday as saying. He said the nose of the wreck has a Japanese naval daisy symbol.

Musashi is the largest battleship in world naval history. She was hit by torpedoes and bombs and sank to the bottom of the sea with the ship's commander, Admiral Toshihira Inoguchi.

Allen said he and his team started searching for Musashi over 8 years ago. 71 years after the US aircraft sank the ship when fighting in Leyte Bay, they succeeded in locating it in the Philippine Sea on March 1. The search team has not yet determined the exact location of the ship, but has narrowed the search area.

"I am honored to be part of the search for an important ship in this naval history, and to honor those who fought bravely on the ship," Allen said. "I have long been interested in learning about World War II history, inspired by my father, a soldier in the US military."

Mr. Allen said many pieces of the ship were discovered by remote control device (ROV) on the Octopus yacht at a distance of one kilometer below sea level.

Octopus is one of the most expensive yachts in the world, equipped with submarines, ROV, swimming pools, helipad and many other modern equipment.

The wreck was discovered at the bottom of Sibuyan Sea.(Graphic: Philstar)