Paul Allen, the co-founder of Microsoft, says his team of researchers has located the wreck of a long-lost Japanese battleship of World War II after an 8-year search.
The wreck of the battleship Musashi, one of the largest warships ever to sail the world's oceans, was found near the Philippines by an unmanned submersible deployed from Allen's research ship, the Octopus, the research team reported.
Allen posted images on Twitter showing the wreck on the ocean bottom at a depth of around 3,200 feet.
One image showed the bow of the ship with a distinctive chrysanthemum, the symbol of Japan's royal family, and a massive anchor.
The Musashi was one of two Yamato-class battleships built in World War II by the Japanese Imperial Navy, the largest warships in the world at the time.
Torpedo planes from U.S. aircraft carriers attacked and sank it in October 1944 during the Battle of Leyte Gulf, with the loss of more than 1,000 of its crew.
About 1,300 of her crew survived the sinking.
"The Musashi is truly an engineering marvel and, as an engineer at heart, I have a deep appreciation for the technology and effort that went into its construction," Allen said. "I am honored to play a part in finding this key vessel in naval history and honoring the memory of the incredible bravery of the men who served aboard her."
After viewing the images posted by Allen, the head of the Kure Maritime Museum in Japan said he was 90 percent sure the wreck was the Musashi, but more images would be needed to confirm it.
"I was really surprised because the location of the sunken ship has never been identified since it went down," said Kazushige Todaka. "I have heard countless stories in the past that the ship was discovered, but they all turned out not to be true."
Allen's research team said it combined historical information with advanced technology to narrow the potential search area before deploying an autonomous underwater vehicle.
The researchers are "mindful of the responsibility related to the wreckage of the Musashi as a war grave and intend to work with the Japanese government to ensure the site is treated respectfully and in accordance with Japanese traditions," a statement from Allen's company Vulcan said.
Since his 2000 retirement from the board of Microsoft, which he co-founded with Bill Gates in 1975, Allen has been involved in a number of commercial and charitable activities.
"Since my youth, I have been fascinated with World War II history, inspired by my father's service in the U.S. Army," he said.
Forbes magazine has put his net worth at $17.5 billion.
