W-201 IJN BATTLESHIP MUSASHI 1944 (BATTLE OF LEYTE GULF)

Musashi was a Japanese battleship laid under the keel in 1938, launched in October 1940, and commissioned in the Imperial Japanese Navy in August 1942. The total length of the ship was 263 meters, width 36.9 meters, and a full displacement of 65,000 tons. The maximum speed of battleship Yamato was around 27-28 knots. The main armament at the time of the launch was 9 460 mm guns in three turrets of three guns each, and the secondary armament was mainly 6 155 mm guns. Musashi was the second Yamato-class battleship. The genesis of this type of battleships dates back to the early 1930s, when the command of the Japanese Navy, hoping for the Washington Treaty to expire soon (from 1922) and preparing for the war in the Pacific, decided to create the most powerful and best battleship in history, which would outclass their counterparts in the US Navy or Royal Navy, and keep its construction completely secret. As a result, when it entered service in 1942, Musashi - along with the twin Yamato - was a battleship with the most powerful armament (the 460 mm cannon had a shot range of 42,000 meters!) And was the best armored ship of this type in the world! Musashi became the flagship of the entire Japanese Navy in 1943, but took a limited part in combat operations during the year. At the beginning of 1944, it was torpedoed by an American submarine, which resulted in serious damage and the need for repair. In its course, the anti-aircraft armament of the battleship was also strengthened. Musashi took an active part in the Battle of the Philippine Sea (June 1944), but did not enter into a firefight with American units. In October 1944, during the Battle of Leyte, it was sunk as a result of being hit by as many as 19 torpedoes and 17 bombs.