March 29, 1938-The Musashi’s keel is laid down in the Nagasaki yard.
November 1, 1940-The Musashi is launched.
August 5, 1942-The Musashi is commissioned. It then joins Battleship Division 1 and began training.
January 22, 1943-The Musashi joins the battleship Yamato at Truk.
February 11, 1943-The Musashi becomes the fleet flagship.
April 18, 1943-The Musashi and the Yamato are ordered to return to Japan after the death of Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto and the loss of Guadalcanal. Admiral Yamamoto’s ashes were carried upon the Musashi, and once the battleships arrive in Japan, Emporer Hirohito makes his first and only visit to the battleship Musashi. Upon arrival, the Musashi is then drydocked at Kure for minor repairs.
Mid-1943-The Musashi and the Yamato are ordered to the Marshall Islands and to Gilbert Island, but neither saw action against the enemy in this operation, but instead spent much of the time docked at Truk.
February 10, 1944-The Musashi is given the order to retreat from Truk. The ship then headed for Palau.
March 29, 1944-The Musashi leaves Palau to avoid possible air attacks. That night, the Musashi is attacked by the USS Tunny and is hit with one torpedo, on the bow, out of a total of three fired.
April 3, 1944-The Musashi arrives in Kure for repairs and an armament upgrade.
April 1944-The Musashi’s upgrades are completed, and it is ordered Tawitawi.
May 16, 1944-The Musashi arrives in Tawitawi, along with Battleship Division 1. The Musashi and the remainder of the division would provide support for the Japanese carrier force, including the Shokaku, Zuikaku, and the Zuiho, throughout the allied invasion of Biak Island (West New Guinea) in late May, the Musashi and the Yamato were used as the basis for a counterattack on the force. This action was recalled due to the impending invasion of Saipan.
June 19, 1944-After the Battle of the Philippines Sea, the Musashi and Yamato, neither of which had suffered any damage during the battle, returned to Japan. There they then prepared to defend Formosa, Okinawa, and the Philippines, as well as the homeland.
July 9, 1944-The two battleships left for the Lingga anchorage (arrived July 16) to undergo training to prepare for upcoming battles.
October 18, 1944-After a scout on Suluan Island flashed a report of enemy ships in Leyte gulf, the Yamato and Musashi left, stopping at Brunei (arrived October 20 and departing October 22) for refueling before moving on to Leyte Gulf.
October 24, 1944-The Musashi was the focus of an attack by a large group of carrier aircraft while in the Sibuyan Sea. The Musashi was severely damaged, having sustained around 17 bomb hits, 20 torpedo hits, and 15 near misses. That evening, with the bow sitting so low in the water that the Musashi could only safely make 6 knots, the Musashi sank with the loss of nearly half of the crew.
Statistics
Armament:
See a list of sources involved in the making of this report
