I know it feels like a Paul Allen day of worship but this guy is on something of a hot streak at the moment. Then again, having $17,5 billion to play with does make pursuing your hobbies a little easier.

History buffs out there may recognise the name ‘Musashi’, the famed Japanese warship sunk during what many regard as the greatest naval battle of all time. Paul’s underwater exploratory vessel, the M/Y Octopus, has found the wreck off the coast of the Philippines and brought back a few pics with it to the surface.

Why was the ‘Musashi’ so revered? This from The Guardian:

Launched in November 1940, it measured 263m (863 feet) overall, weighed 73,000 tonnes fully laden, carried a crew of 2,500, and could travel at speeds of up to 27 knots (50 kph)…which included the largest-calibre guns ever fitted to a warship: nine 46cm cannon mounted in three triple turrets, each capable of firing up to two 1,460kg armour-piercing shells a minute over a maximum range of 26 miles [42 km].

The ship was sunk on October 18, 1944 after an estimated 37 torpedo and bomb hits caused the crew of 2 399 to go down, with just 1 376 making it out alive. The Guardian describes the battle as follows:

Pitting combined American and Australian forces against the Japanese navy, the Battle of Leyte Gulf is widely considered to be the largest naval battle of World War II and is thought by some naval historians to be the largest in history.

Allen has been searching for the vessel for more than eight years so we hope he popped a few bottles of very expensive bubbly. We don’t think he’s the kind to go all ‘Wolf of Wall Street’ but everyone needs to let loose once in a while.

Whether you want to find sunken warships (you rebel) or spend your days lounging on a tropical island sipping cocktails the best way to get started is to buy yourself a EuroMillions lottery ticket for tomorrow’s R1,3 billion jackpot. We know which one we’d prefer but it’s your money, go wild.

[source:guardian]