{"id":29381920,"date":"2026-10-24T16:48:09","date_gmt":"2026-10-24T14:48:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/musashi-battleship-sinking-sibuyan-sea-1944-carrier-aircraft\/"},"modified":"2026-10-24T16:48:30","modified_gmt":"2026-10-24T14:48:30","slug":"musashi-battleship-sinking-sibuyan-sea-1944-carrier-aircraft","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/musashi-battleship-sinking-sibuyan-sea-1944-carrier-aircraft\/","title":{"rendered":"Musashi Sinking 1944: How Carrier Planes Killed a Super-Battleship"},"content":{"rendered":"<style>.et_pb_title_container h1.entry-title { padding-top: 40px !important; }<\/style>\r\n<!-- mfsh:top -->\r\n\r\n<style>\r\n.mfsh-trigger{display:inline-flex;align-items:center;gap:10px;height:44px;padding:0 18px;margin:0 0 26px;border:2px solid 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Below them steamed <em>Musashi<\/em>, one of the two heaviest battleships ever built, with nine 46-centimetre guns and armour designed to shrug off almost anything.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>Their first bomb hit the roof of her forward main turret and failed to penetrate. It was the most reassuring moment <em>Musashi<\/em> would have all day. By the time the sun set, wave after wave of American carrier aircraft had hit her with an estimated 19 torpedoes and 17 bombs, and at 19:36 she rolled over and sank.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>Eighty-two years ago today, the Battle of the Sibuyan Sea answered the last remaining doubt in a question navies had argued about for two decades. Aircraft had already sunk battleships at Taranto, Pearl Harbor and off Malaya. But could they sink the heaviest, best-armoured battleship ever built, under way and fighting back?<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<div style=\"background:#f4f6f9;border:1px solid #e2e7ee;padding:18px 22px;margin:22px 0 26px\"><p style=\"margin:0 0 8px;font-weight:700;color:#0d1117\">Quick Facts<\/p><ul style=\"margin:0;padding-left:18px\"><li style=\"margin:4px 0\"><strong>Ship:<\/strong> IJN <em>Musashi<\/em>, Yamato-class battleship<\/li><li style=\"margin:4px 0\"><strong>Size:<\/strong> Almost 72,000 long tons fully loaded; nine 46 cm (18.1 in) guns<\/li><li style=\"margin:4px 0\"><strong>Sunk:<\/strong> 24 October 1944, Battle of the Sibuyan Sea, part of the Battle of Leyte Gulf<\/li><li style=\"margin:4px 0\"><strong>Attackers:<\/strong> Aircraft of US Navy Task Force 38 from <em>Intrepid<\/em>, <em>Essex<\/em>, <em>Lexington<\/em>, <em>Enterprise<\/em>, <em>Franklin<\/em> and <em>Cabot<\/em><\/li><li style=\"margin:4px 0\"><strong>Hits:<\/strong> An estimated 19 torpedoes and 17 bombs<\/li><li style=\"margin:4px 0\"><strong>Capsized:<\/strong> 19:36 local time<\/li><li style=\"margin:4px 0\"><strong>Crew:<\/strong> 1,376 of 2,399 rescued; captain went down with the ship<\/li><li style=\"margin:4px 0\"><strong>Wreck:<\/strong> Found in March 2015 by Paul Allen&rsquo;s team, about 1 km deep<\/li><\/ul><\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">The super-battleship<\/h2>\r\n\r\n<p><em>Musashi<\/em> and her sister <em>Yamato<\/em> were the Imperial Japanese Navy&rsquo;s answer to American industrial weight. They displaced almost 72,000 long tons fully loaded, carried nine 460 mm main guns, and were the heaviest and most powerfully armed battleships ever constructed. <em>Musashi<\/em> was built at Nagasaki and commissioned in mid-1942.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>For two years she rarely fired her guns in anger. She served as flagship of the Combined Fleet, ferried troops and equipment, was torpedoed by an American submarine in early 1944, and came back from repairs bristling with extra anti-aircraft guns. At the Battle of the Philippine Sea in June 1944 she was not even attacked.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\" style=\"margin:0 0 24px;width:100%\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" width=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/10\/musashi-leaving-brunei-1944.jpg\" alt=\"The Japanese battleship Musashi in silhouette leaving Brunei, Borneo, in 1944\" style=\"width:100%;height:auto;max-width:100%;display:block\"><figcaption style=\"font-size:13px;color:#777;text-align:center;margin-top:6px;font-style:italic\"><em>Musashi<\/em> leaving Brunei, Borneo, in 1944, possibly on 22 October when Kurita&rsquo;s Centre Force sailed for Leyte. US Naval History and Heritage Command photo NH 63473 \/ public domain<\/figcaption><\/figure>\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>In October 1944 she joined Vice Admiral Takeo Kurita&rsquo;s Centre Force for Operation Sho-1, Japan&rsquo;s plan to smash the American landings at Leyte. Japanese carriers in the north would act as bait to lure the US carrier fleet away, while Kurita&rsquo;s battleships forced their way through to Leyte Gulf. The force left Brunei on 22 October. The next day, the submarine USS <em>Dace<\/em> sank the heavy cruiser <em>Maya<\/em>, and <em>Musashi<\/em> took on 769 of her survivors.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">Five waves over the Sibuyan Sea<\/h2>\r\n\r\n<p>On 24 October, a scout from <em>Intrepid<\/em> found Kurita&rsquo;s ships crossing the Sibuyan Sea. The first strike of <a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/aircraft\/sb2c-helldiver\/\">SB2C Helldivers<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/aircraft\/tbf-avenger\/\">TBF Avengers<\/a> arrived at 10:27. Two minutes after the bomb bounced off her turret, an Avenger&rsquo;s torpedo struck her starboard side amidships. She took on some 3,000 tonnes of water, and counter-flooding brought her level again.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<div style=\"position:relative;padding-bottom:56.25%;height:0;overflow:hidden;margin:24px 0 8px\"><iframe class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/hIrBqsn0WCY\" style=\"position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;border:0\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\r\n\r\n<p style=\"font-size:13px;color:#777;text-align:center;font-style:italic;margin:0 0 24px\">The Operations Room&rsquo;s animated account of the Battle of the Sibuyan Sea, showing how the strikes on Kurita&rsquo;s Centre Force unfolded.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>The second wave from <em>Intrepid<\/em> did more harm. A bomb penetrated two decks and burst above an engine room, cutting power to one propeller shaft. Nine Avengers then attacked from both sides and put three more torpedoes into her port side. Her speed fell to 22 knots.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>At 13:31, 29 aircraft from <em>Essex<\/em> and <em>Lexington<\/em> arrived. <a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/aircraft\/f6f-hellcat\/\">F6F Hellcats<\/a> strafed her decks to suppress the gunners, Helldivers scored four bomb hits near the forward turrets, and four more torpedoes struck home. Her bow settled four metres lower in the water.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\" style=\"margin:0 0 24px;width:100%\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" width=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/10\/musashi-under-attack-sibuyan-sea-1944.jpg\" alt=\"Bomb splashes and smoke around the Japanese battleship Musashi under attack by US Navy aircraft in the Sibuyan Sea\" style=\"width:100%;height:auto;max-width:100%;display:block\"><figcaption style=\"font-size:13px;color:#777;text-align:center;margin-top:6px;font-style:italic\"><em>Musashi<\/em> under intense attack by aircraft of US Navy Task Force 38 in the Sibuyan Sea on 24 October 1944, with the destroyer <em>Kiyoshimo<\/em> beyond her. US Navy photo 80-G-281764 \/ public domain<\/figcaption><\/figure>\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>Two hours later, Helldivers from <em>Enterprise<\/em> dropped 1,000-pound armour-piercing bombs and scored four hits, one of which wiped out the entire forward damage-control team. More Enterprise torpedoes followed. Then, at 15:25, 37 aircraft from <em>Intrepid<\/em>, <em>Franklin<\/em> and <em>Cabot<\/em> delivered the final blow: 13 bombs and 11 torpedoes. Speed fell to 6 knots, and for a time the rudder jammed.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<div style=\"max-width:550px;margin:0 auto 28px\"><iframe class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/embed\/Tweet.html?id=572445094298578944&theme=light\" style=\"width:100%;height:520px;border:none;overflow:hidden\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">&ldquo;Prepare to abandon ship&rdquo;<\/h2>\r\n\r\n<p>Kurita had no choice but to leave her behind with a small escort. Her crew fought for hours, flooding engine and boiler rooms to correct a list that kept growing. The engines stopped before she could be beached. At 19:15 the list reached 12 degrees and the crew was told to prepare to abandon ship; fifteen minutes later, at 30 degrees, they went over the side.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p><em>Musashi<\/em> capsized at 19:36. Her captain, Rear Admiral Toshihira Inoguchi, chose to go down with her. Destroyers rescued 1,376 of her 2,399 crew. Her gunners did not go down quietly: the attack-by-attack record lists at least ten American Avengers and Helldivers shot down during the strikes on her.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<div style=\"background:#f8f9fa;border-left:4px solid #d32f2f;padding:20px 22px;margin:18px 0 24px;font-size:16px;line-height:1.7\"><div><em>&ldquo;The discovery of the Musashi was really a nice surprise. It was as if the spirits of her crew members who sank with her were telling us to remember them for the 70th anniversary.&rdquo;<\/em><div style=\"margin-top:10px;font-size:14px;color:#555\"><strong>Shizuhiko Haraguchi<\/strong> &mdash; Former <em>Musashi<\/em> gunnery officer, speaking to the Associated Press in 2015<\/div><\/div><\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>The sinking did not end the battle, but it shaped it. Kurita&rsquo;s force turned back for a time, and Admiral William Halsey, believing it beaten, took his carriers north after the Japanese decoy force. That decision set up the desperate Battle off Samar the next morning, one of the most famous stands in US Navy history.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\" style=\"margin:0 0 24px;width:100%\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" width=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/10\/sb2c-helldiver-vb-18-uss-intrepid-leyte-1944.jpg\" alt=\"A US Navy SB2C-3 Helldiver of Bombing Squadron 18 being moved on the deck of USS Intrepid during the Battle of Leyte Gulf\" style=\"width:100%;height:auto;max-width:100%;display:block\"><figcaption style=\"font-size:13px;color:#777;text-align:center;margin-top:6px;font-style:italic\">An SB2C-3 Helldiver of Bombing Squadron 18 is moved into position on USS <em>Intrepid<\/em> after a combat mission during the Battle of Leyte Gulf. <em>Intrepid<\/em>&rsquo;s Helldivers opened the attack on <em>Musashi<\/em>. US Navy photo \/ public domain<\/figcaption><\/figure>\r\n\r\n\r\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">Found a kilometre down<\/h2>\r\n\r\n<p>For seven decades nobody knew exactly where <em>Musashi<\/em> lay. In March 2015, Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen announced that his team aboard the yacht <em>Octopus<\/em> had found the wreck in the Sibuyan Sea, about a kilometre down, after eight years of research using records from four countries.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<div style=\"background:#f8f9fa;border-left:4px solid #1565c0;padding:20px 22px;margin:18px 0 24px;font-size:16px;line-height:1.7\"><div><em>&ldquo;Since my youth I have been fascinated with Second World War history.&rdquo;<\/em><div style=\"margin-top:10px;font-size:14px;color:#555\"><strong>Paul Allen<\/strong> &mdash; Microsoft co-founder, on why he searched for the wreck (via RNZ, March 2015)<\/div><\/div><\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>The footage showed that she had not gone down in one piece. The ship had blown apart underwater, scattering debris across the sea floor: the bow upright, the stern upside down, the superstructure lying separately on its side. On the bow, a round mount marked where the imperial chrysanthemum crest had been.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<div style=\"max-width:550px;margin:0 auto 28px\"><iframe class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/embed\/Tweet.html?id=572431062522982400&theme=light\" style=\"width:100%;height:560px;border:none;overflow:hidden\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>Six months after the Sibuyan Sea, in April 1945, <em>Yamato<\/em> died the same way, sunk by American carrier aircraft during Operation Ten-Go. The two greatest battleships ever built never got the gunnery duel they were designed for. They were beaten by single-engine aircraft flown by young men from flight decks they could not see.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<div style=\"position:relative;padding-bottom:56.25%;height:0;overflow:hidden;margin:24px 0 8px\"><iframe class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/qNMmqagTt90\" style=\"position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;border:0\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\r\n\r\n<p style=\"font-size:13px;color:#777;text-align:center;font-style:italic;margin:0 0 24px\">Footage from Paul Allen&rsquo;s 2015 expedition to the wreck of <em>Musashi<\/em> on the floor of the Sibuyan Sea.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>Billy Mitchell had argued it in the 1920s, bombing old battleships at anchor. On 24 October 1944, US Navy aircrews proved it against the most heavily armoured warship ever to put to sea. If the battleship era needed a final verdict, it was delivered in the Sibuyan Sea.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p><em>Sources: Wikipedia (Japanese battleship Musashi; Battle of Leyte Gulf), US Naval History and Heritage Command, Associated Press, NPR, RNZ<\/em><\/p>\r\n<!-- mfsh:bottom -->\r\n\r\n<button type=\"button\" class=\"mfsh-trigger mfsh-bottom\" data-mfsh-placement=\"bottom\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\"><svg><use href=\"#mfsh-i-share\"\/><\/svg>Share this story<\/button>\r\n\r\n<!-- \/mfsh:bottom -->\r\n\r\n\r\n<style>.mfq{margin:34px 0 8px}.mfq h2{font:26px\/1.3 \"Gilroy semiBold\",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;color:#0d1117;padding-top:22px;margin:0 0 6px}.mfq .qa details{border-top:1px solid #5C91FF;margin:0;padding:0}.mfq .qa details:last-of-type{border-bottom:1px solid #e2e7ee}.mfq .qa summary{cursor:pointer;list-style:none;display:flex;justify-content:space-between;align-items:center;gap:16px;padding:22px 26px;font:18px\/1.7 \"Gilroy semiBold\",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;color:#0d1117}.mfq .qa summary::-webkit-details-marker{display:none}.mfq .qa summary::after{content:\"+\";font:24px Helvetica,sans-serif;color:#3568e0;flex:0 0 auto}.mfq .qa details[open] summary::after{content:\"\\2013\"}.mfq .qa details:hover summary{color:#3568e0}.mfq .qa .a{font:16px\/1.7 \"Gilroy regular\",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;color:#454e5e;padding:0 26px 24px}.mfq .qa .a a{color:#3568e0}@media(max-width:680px){.mfq .qa summary{padding:18px 14px;font-size:17px}.mfq .qa .a{padding:0 14px 20px}}<\/style>\r\n\r\n\r\n<section class=\"mfq\"><h2>Frequently Asked Questions<\/h2><div class=\"qa\"><details open><summary>How was the battleship Musashi sunk?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">The Japanese battleship Musashi was sunk by US Navy carrier aircraft on 24 October 1944 in the Battle of the Sibuyan Sea. Five waves of Helldiver dive bombers, Avenger torpedo bombers and Hellcat fighters hit her with an estimated 19 torpedoes and 17 bombs before she capsized at 19:36.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>How many torpedoes hit Musashi?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">Musashi was struck by an estimated 19 torpedoes and 17 bombs during the American air attacks of 24 October 1944. The heaviest single blow came in the last wave, when 37 aircraft from Intrepid, Franklin and Cabot scored 13 bomb and 11 torpedo hits.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>Which US carriers attacked Musashi?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">Aircraft from the US Navy fleet carriers Intrepid, Essex, Lexington, Enterprise and Franklin and the light carrier Cabot attacked Musashi in the Sibuyan Sea on 24 October 1944. A scout plane from Intrepid found the Japanese Centre Force, and Intrepid&rsquo;s Helldivers opened the attack.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>How many crew died on Musashi?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">Musashi carried 2,399 men when she sank on 24 October 1944, and Japanese destroyers rescued 1,376 of them, meaning about 1,023 were lost. Her captain, Rear Admiral Toshihira Inoguchi, chose to go down with the ship.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>Where is the wreck of Musashi?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">The wreck of Musashi lies on the floor of the Sibuyan Sea in the Philippines, about a kilometre down. Paul Allen&rsquo;s team found it in March 2015 after eight years of research. The ship broke apart underwater, with the bow upright and the stern upside down.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>Were Musashi and Yamato the largest battleships ever built?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">Yes. Musashi and her sister Yamato were the heaviest and most powerfully armed battleships ever built, displacing almost 72,000 long tons fully loaded with nine 46 cm guns. Both were sunk by US carrier aircraft, Musashi in October 1944 and Yamato in April 1945.<\/div><\/details><\/div><\/section>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@type\":\"FAQPage\",\"mainEntity\":[{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"How was the battleship Musashi sunk?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"The Japanese battleship Musashi was sunk by US Navy carrier aircraft on 24 October 1944 in the Battle of the Sibuyan Sea. Five waves of Helldiver dive bombers, Avenger torpedo bombers and Hellcat fighters hit her with an estimated 19 torpedoes and 17 bombs before she capsized at 19:36.\"}},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"How many torpedoes hit Musashi?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"Musashi was struck by an estimated 19 torpedoes and 17 bombs during the American air attacks of 24 October 1944. The heaviest single blow came in the last wave, when 37 aircraft from Intrepid, Franklin and Cabot scored 13 bomb and 11 torpedo hits.\"}},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"Which US carriers attacked Musashi?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"Aircraft from the US Navy fleet carriers Intrepid, Essex, Lexington, Enterprise and Franklin and the light carrier Cabot attacked Musashi in the Sibuyan Sea on 24 October 1944. A scout plane from Intrepid found the Japanese Centre Force, and Intrepid\u2019s Helldivers opened the attack.\"}},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"How many crew died on Musashi?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"Musashi carried 2,399 men when she sank on 24 October 1944, and Japanese destroyers rescued 1,376 of them, meaning about 1,023 were lost. Her captain, Rear Admiral Toshihira Inoguchi, chose to go down with the ship.\"}},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"Where is the wreck of Musashi?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"The wreck of Musashi lies on the floor of the Sibuyan Sea in the Philippines, about a kilometre down. Paul Allen\u2019s team found it in March 2015 after eight years of research. The ship broke apart underwater, with the bow upright and the stern upside down.\"}},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"Were Musashi and Yamato the largest battleships ever built?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"Yes. Musashi and her sister Yamato were the heaviest and most powerfully armed battleships ever built, displacing almost 72,000 long tons fully loaded with nine 46 cm guns. Both were sunk by US carrier aircraft, Musashi in October 1944 and Yamato in April 1945.\"}}]}<\/script><div style=\"background:#f0f4ff;border-left:4px solid #5C91FF;padding:16px 20px;margin:32px 0 8px\"><p style=\"margin:0 0 8px;font-weight:600;color:#333\">Related Posts<\/p><p style=\"margin:4px 0\"><a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/great-marianas-turkey-shoot-philippine-sea-1944\/\">The Great Marianas Turkey Shoot: The Day Japan&rsquo;s Carrier Air Arm Died<\/a><\/p><p style=\"margin:4px 0\"><a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/sb2c-helldiver-big-tailed-beast-dive-bomber\/\">The Big-Tailed Beast the Navy Loved to Hate<\/a><\/p><p style=\"margin:4px 0\"><a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/billy-mitchell-he-proved-bombers-could-sink-battleships-and-was-court-martialed-for-it\/\">Billy Mitchell: He Proved Bombers Could Sink Battleships, and Was Court-Martialed for It<\/a><\/p><p style=\"margin:4px 0\"><a 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