Lost WW II IJN BB found by Billionaire
Moderators: wdolson, MOD_War-in-the-Pacific-Admirals-Edition
Lost WW II IJN BB found by Billionaire
from PM:
"With the discovery of the Japanese battleship Musashi, sunk in the Sibuyan Sea off the Philippines in October 1944, one of the lost legends of World War II—and one of the biggest warships ever constructed—has been found.
"The search was funded by Paul Allen, the Microsoft co-founder. It took eight years. Last year, Allen's team closely sonar-mapped the Subuyan seafloor. This year, they sent an autonomous underwater vehicle to investigate sites of interest the survey had revealed. Musashi loomed out of the blackness at a depth of more than half a mile.
"Why spend most of a decade, and millions of dollars, to find a wreck? Because 'since my youth I have been fascinated with Second World War history,' Allen told CNBC...."
Well, aren't we all.
http://www.popularmechanics.com/militar ... ce=twitter
According to PM, the rationale for Japan's super BBs was that the IJN could never build more ships than the US, so it built a handful of ships designed to engage multiple enemies simultaneously.
"With the discovery of the Japanese battleship Musashi, sunk in the Sibuyan Sea off the Philippines in October 1944, one of the lost legends of World War II—and one of the biggest warships ever constructed—has been found.
"The search was funded by Paul Allen, the Microsoft co-founder. It took eight years. Last year, Allen's team closely sonar-mapped the Subuyan seafloor. This year, they sent an autonomous underwater vehicle to investigate sites of interest the survey had revealed. Musashi loomed out of the blackness at a depth of more than half a mile.
"Why spend most of a decade, and millions of dollars, to find a wreck? Because 'since my youth I have been fascinated with Second World War history,' Allen told CNBC...."
Well, aren't we all.
http://www.popularmechanics.com/militar ... ce=twitter
According to PM, the rationale for Japan's super BBs was that the IJN could never build more ships than the US, so it built a handful of ships designed to engage multiple enemies simultaneously.
Stratford, Connecticut, U.S.A.[center][/center]
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[center]"The Angel of Okinawa"[/center]
Home of the Chance-Vought Corsair, F4U
The best fighter-bomber of World War II
RE: Lost WW II IJN BB found by Billionaire
A number of years ago, I bought a book thru the Military Book Club called "I Boat Captain"..
It's author claimed the Musashi sunk itself while experimenting with a fantastic near nuclear type shell, which if successful was to be able to "sink entire fleets with one shot".
The shell was to be fired from one of its' main guns.
The author claimed it was so secret that when the thing was fired and killed perhaps the entire crew, that the Japanese navy put a lid on the whole affair.
Maybe this riddle will now be solved, one way or another..
It's author claimed the Musashi sunk itself while experimenting with a fantastic near nuclear type shell, which if successful was to be able to "sink entire fleets with one shot".
The shell was to be fired from one of its' main guns.
The author claimed it was so secret that when the thing was fired and killed perhaps the entire crew, that the Japanese navy put a lid on the whole affair.
Maybe this riddle will now be solved, one way or another..
RE: Lost WW II IJN BB found by Billionaire
ORIGINAL: m10bob
A number of years ago, I bought a book thru the Military Book Club called "I Boat Captain"..
It's author claimed the Musashi sunk itself while experimenting with a fantastic near nuclear type shell, which if successful was to be able to "sink entire fleets with one shot".
The shell was to be fired from one of its' main guns.
The author claimed it was so secret that when the thing was fired and killed perhaps the entire crew, that the Japanese navy put a lid on the whole affair.
Maybe this riddle will now be solved, one way or another..
Doesn't seem like much of a riddle to me, considering the eye accounts of all the USN aviators that did sink Musashi vs. one guy's really odd yarn.
But how was the rest of that book? I honestly want to know. There are plenty of USN Silent Service books, but I've never been referred to books about/by their IJN counterparts.
RE: Lost WW II IJN BB found by Billionaire
I read it approx 1977 or so..Recent DEROS from my army..I can only remember the most outlandish things about it other than basic info..I too am always curious about how "the other side" saw things..
As expected, I'm sure he criticized his leaders and their decisions,(as all revisionists must do)..
I strongly recommend "Jap Destroyer Captain" by Tameicha Hara..
As expected, I'm sure he criticized his leaders and their decisions,(as all revisionists must do)..
I strongly recommend "Jap Destroyer Captain" by Tameicha Hara..
RE: Lost WW II IJN BB found by Billionaire
ORIGINAL: Mundy
Maybe he'll get the itch to go up near Midway.
Someone else searched Midway a few years back. They found the Yorktown, but I don't believe they found any of the Japanese ships, though they searched for them.
Bill
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RE: Lost WW II IJN BB found by Billionaire
ORIGINAL: wdolson
ORIGINAL: Mundy
Maybe he'll get the itch to go up near Midway.
Someone else searched Midway a few years back. They found the Yorktown, but I don't believe they found any of the Japanese ships, though they searched for them.
Bill
I remember reading something a few years ago that surmised that the fires that destroyed the IJN carriers was so hot that the hulls were weakened and might have broken up before reaching bottom and have been dispersed over the years. And I also remember reading that the water where the carriers are assumed to have been lost is between 1900-2300 meters deep.
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RE: Lost WW II IJN BB found by Billionaire
I think that someone found a part of the Kaga. I want to say it was a gun platform, but am not positive.
RE: Lost WW II IJN BB found by Billionaire
ORIGINAL: rockmedic109
I think that someone found a part of the Kaga. I want to say it was a gun platform, but am not positive.
Yep.
Combined Fleet
Yorktown's actually in fairly good shape. Most of the paint intact.
RE: Lost WW II IJN BB found by Billionaire
My father gave me a coffee table book called "Return to Midway" or something like that. I think it was a National Geographic book. I don't recall all the details, but they searched for the Japanese carriers, but eventually concluded that the recorded spots for the sinkings was off by many miles and they ran out of time to comb the seabed. The Yorktown on the other hand was relatively close to where they thought she should be.
There is another book out there that has the same approach to Iron Bottom Sound. I think they found one of the Kongos that was sunk as well as some of the other ships.
The Yorktown is in relatively cold water without a lot of animal life. The ships in Iron Bottom Sound are in warm water teeming with life and are fairly shallow, so they have become artificial reefs.
Bill
There is another book out there that has the same approach to Iron Bottom Sound. I think they found one of the Kongos that was sunk as well as some of the other ships.
The Yorktown is in relatively cold water without a lot of animal life. The ships in Iron Bottom Sound are in warm water teeming with life and are fairly shallow, so they have become artificial reefs.
Bill
WitP AE - Test team lead, programmer
RE: Lost WW II IJN BB found by Billionaire
An interesting article based on the Kirishima find.
http://www.navweaps.com/index_lundgren/Kirishima_Damage_Analysis.pdf
I think I read that for Kaga, they were using Nautilus' logs to get the true locations narrowed down.
http://www.navweaps.com/index_lundgren/Kirishima_Damage_Analysis.pdf
I think I read that for Kaga, they were using Nautilus' logs to get the true locations narrowed down.
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RE: Lost WW II IJN BB found by Billionaire
The captain was the man who sank the U.S.S Indianapolis.He was brought in during the post war
investigation of the sinking.The fact that the indy wasn't zigzagging at the time made no difference.
He would have sank it anyway,according to his testimony.
investigation of the sinking.The fact that the indy wasn't zigzagging at the time made no difference.
He would have sank it anyway,according to his testimony.
RE: Lost WW II IJN BB found by Billionaire
ORIGINAL: m10bob
I strongly recommend "Jap Destroyer Captain" by Tameicha Hara..
Me, too. One particular point intrigued me in his book. On several occasions in the end, just before he left with the Yamato flotilla, he mentions homing
torpedoes - that his ship, the light cruiser Yahagi, actually carried such. He also refers to them while describing the story of the sinking of Yahagi.
Fred
River Wide, Ocean Deep - a book on Operation Sea Lion - www.fredleander.com
Saving MacArthur - a book series on how The Philippines were saved - in 1942! https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07D3 ... rw_dp_labf
Saving MacArthur - a book series on how The Philippines were saved - in 1942! https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07D3 ... rw_dp_labf
RE: Lost WW II IJN BB found by Billionaire
Fuso and Yamashiro aren't that far away from the Musashi.[;)]ORIGINAL: Mundy
Maybe he'll get the itch to go up near Midway.
This is one Czech that doesn't bounce.
RE: Lost WW II IJN BB found by Billionaire
Fuso and Yamashiro sank in fairly shallow water. I believe Yamashiro has been dived on, it's about 600 feet down. The Fuso pretty much disintegrated, so finding her would be more difficult. There is probably a lot of debris scattered across many miles of sea bed.
Bill
Bill
WitP AE - Test team lead, programmer
RE: Lost WW II IJN BB found by Billionaire
Still would be good to see. Maybe the main guns are about.
This is one Czech that doesn't bounce.
RE: Lost WW II IJN BB found by Billionaire
Still would be good to see. Maybe the main guns are about.
This is one Czech that doesn't bounce.