Raising the Japanese battleship Musashi?

[Zeus]

Raising Musashi could harm environment



By Maila Ager
INQUIRER.net
First Posted 19:35:00 10/22/2008



MANILA, Philippines—Opposition Senator Loren Legarda is against a plan to bring to surface the Japanese warship Musashi, which sank off Romblon province 64 years ago during the Battle of the Sibuyan Sea.
Legarda said raising Musashi, among the largest and most heavily-armed battleships ever built, could imperil the marine ecosystem in the area.
“Surely, the warship is now home to marine life off the island of Romblon. Refloating it now would invite damage to the marine ecosystem there," she said in a statement on Wednesday.
Legarda’s warning came after a group of Japanese, headed by a government representative Kiyoshi Goto, offered to refloat the shipwreck found 4,430 feet under water at 13 degrees 07'01" North, 122 degrees 31'59" East, off the Bondoc Peninsula.
Musashi sank during intense air attacks by American forces on October 24, 1944.
The Japanese group said “refloating the warship is in honor of the friendship between the Japanese and the Filipino people."
Legarda insisted that the environmental concerns should be addressed first, even as she acknowledged the historical significance of bringing the battleship to surface.
"If this ship will ever be raised from the bottom of the sea, it should serve as a memorial to those who risked and sacrificed their lives for freedom and love of country," she said.
"Like any war relic, it must serve as a reminder to the present and future generations of the senselessness of war,” she further said.
The Musashi was the second and final Yamato class battleship of the Imperial Japanese Navy, with the legendary Yamato as its sister ship.
Attacked by American dive bombers, the Musashi capsized to port, bringing down with her about 1,000 of her 2,299 crew.

Wow, buo pa kaya ito?

[StraightSix]

Wow, buo pa kaya ito?

Of course, not.
Kaya nga lumubog ... sinira ng mga kano.

[ghosthunter]

Visions of "this" comes to mind...



But regarding the issue, I would let the Japanese raise and refloat the ship if it's still possible. In the long run, the country would benefit more from friendly relations with Japan than the battleship sitting on the sea-floor acting as an artificial reef.

[vito corleone]

may point si loren. . .

[ghosthunter]

may point si loren. . .

Here's the arguement, is Loren a marine ecological system expert? In the news report, is she speaking as an "expert" or just as an ordinary citizen with street level knowledge of marine ecosystems?

At any rate, sunlight barely penetrates to the depth of 4,430 feet.

Taken from: http://www.scienceclarified.com/Mu-Oi/Ocean-Zones.html

From 660 to 3,000 feet (200 to 900 meters), only about 1 percent of sunlight penetrates. This layer is known as the dysphotic zone (meaning "bad light"). Below this layer, down to the deepest parts of the ocean, it is perpetual night. This last layer is called the aphotic zone (meaning "without light").

I think its probable that any side-effect done by raising the ship will be shortlived. Hence it would be safe for the marine environment.

[vito corleone]

Legarda insisted that the environmental concerns should be addressed first, even as she acknowledged the historical significance of bringing the battleship to surface.

i hope it's not a case of musashi mitsuketa! hikiageyou! (we've found musashi! let's raise it up!). . .did those japanese people even consider what loren pointed out? . . .i wonder if they would have the same initial enthusiastic reaction if it was found lying on a japanese seabed. . .i think that ship belongs to the ocean and the creatures that inhabit it now more than it belongs to anybody above the sea level. . .don't we have enough war relics and monuments already?. . .

the side effects by raising the ship could be shortlived, but it's not worth disaturbing those creatures' lives now just to have a show and remind the world how grand a toy they once had. . .

just my 2 cents. . .nice picture, reminds me of my tv-viewing days in the olden times. . .hehhe

[valvura]

I-refloat, if the Japanese really have the technology and money, of course. It'll be a spectacular event and since it's in Philippines territory, it's ours to keep for the advantage of our tourism industry. Mas concern ako sa safety, 'coz we know that a lot of vintage bombs are still capable of exploding and I think the ship still has them kung relatively buo pa siya.

[Zeus]

Of course, not.
Kaya nga lumubog ... sinira ng mga kano.

Ibig kong sabihin kung buo pa sya sa ilalim, hindi kaya pira piraso na ito sa ilalim?

[scharnhorst]

Pag inangat yan, humingi tayo ng 18-inch shell para sa new year

[Eagle82]

I do not know who found the Musashi, or if anyone has done any underwater surveys of the ship. But we do know that the Musashi did not blow up or break into pieces when she sank. We also know that warships ( specially battleships ) are tough creatures, and as long as they do not blow up, they survive the trip to the bottom without breaking into pieces ( the Bismarck is a classic example ). So there is a very good chance that she is still in one piece.

If this project goes through ( and I hope it does ), i am sure there would be thousands of battleship enthusiasts around the world that would visit the ship. I just hope that the 18.1 inch gun turrets are still intact so we could see the actual size of the guns. Each of the gun turrets alone weighed as much as a destroyer.

[ghosthunter]

If this project goes through ( and I hope it does ), i am sure there would be thousands of battleship enthusiasts around the world that would visit the ship. I just hope that the 18.1 inch gun turrets are still intact so we could see the actual size of the guns. Each of the gun turrets alone weighed as much as a destroyer.

Chances are the main guns would have fallen out of their "holes" when the ship went down. Usually battleships usually roll as they plunge to the bottom. So if that happened, the raising of the main guns would be a separate salvage operation due to the weight of the turrents and guns.

[Zeus]

Paano kaya nila iaahon ito? Sa lalim na 4000 plus feet, wala na sigurong diver kayang umabot dun, puro mga maliliit na submarine na siguro ang gagamitin nila, at kung nagkatuluyan, siguradong icover iyan ng mga sikat ng media tulad ng Discovery Chanel, National Geographic, CNN etc.

[Jun aka Pekto]

Don't forget the unexploded ordnance and fuel. They're still aboard and have lost none of their lethality.

Add:
It did take at least 17 torpedoes plus a lot of bombs to sink the Musashi. It was one tough battleship.

[coiter]

Don't forget the unexploded ordnance and fuel. They're still aboard and have lost none of their lethality.

Add:
It did take at least 17 torpedoes plus a lot of bombs to sink the Musashi. It was one tough battleship.

oo nga. imagine if one 18 inch, 3,000 lb round fell during its raising....

14"-16" of armor, more than 70,000 tons dsiplacement...amazing.

wala na atang mga battleships ngayon no?

[ghosthunter]

oo nga. imagine if one 18 inch, 3,000 lb round fell during its raising....

14"-16" of armor, more than 70,000 tons dsiplacement...amazing.

wala na atang mga battleships ngayon no?

Meron but mostly with the US Navy. They still are keeping a few of the WWII heavy boats in active duty with some hardware updates.

[Monseratto]

This is more or less just another story used by the senator to gain media mileage. A ship sitting at the bottom for more than fifty is a nothing more than a pile of rust. It is dishonorable to disturb the final resting place of the war dead...

[Gerbo]

Why Musashi? What can be derived from raising the ship? Just confirm how many hits ( a widely debated topic among war historians) she took before sinking?

Personally, just leave it there.

I think the most powerful battleship of the Japanese Navy in those times is the Battleship Yamato commanded by no less than Admiral Yamamoto himself...the flagship of the Japanese fleet at the Battle of Leyte Gulf.

The Japanese would be better served to find it as it sank near Okinawa.

BTW, the sinking of Musashi and Yamato proved the dominance of air power (and hence, the aircraft carrier) and the demise of the mighty battleship as an instrument of war.

Question. Why wouldn't the Japanese not raise the Yamato when in fact,its close to their shores and the lead ship of the genre?

[ghosthunter]

Question. Why wouldn't the Japanese not raise the Yamato when in fact,its close to their shores and the lead ship of the genre?

The Musashi might be "shallower" waters making it easier to salvage/refloat.

[number001]

What's the point of wasting resources trying to raise a wrecked ship?

[ghosthunter]

I think the most powerful battleship of the Japanese Navy in those times is the Battleship Yamato commanded by no less than Admiral Yamamoto himself...the flagship of the Japanese fleet at the Battle of Leyte Gulf.

Actually I think the Yamato is not the most powerful, it was simply the biggest battleship the japanese navy had built. Ironically, the Yamato never really saw any major action until the closing part of the Japanese involvement in the Pacific theater of WWII.

I think the title as most powerful should go to the Bismarck with it's advanced target system, higher top speed and massive cruising range.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_battleship_Bismarck
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_battleship_Yamato