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Comment by masklinn | Hacker News Reader

> The Musashi is an important part of naval history.

There still is little to no benefit. The Yamato wreck was found 30 years ago and is significantly more accessible (under ~340m under the surface versus >1km)

> It was also a remarkable feat of engineering

Meh. Japan had actually planned for a Super-Yamato class (design A-150), but demand for carriers and cruisers diverted resources and the project was killed after Midway.

> I think there was only one other ship like it.

3-ish, Shinano was initially laid down as a Yamato-class battleship before being remodeled into an aircraft carrier.

And of course they weren't actually useful ships at that point (the US canceled the Montana class without laying a single keel)

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Even if it's never retrieved (which is likely, given how difficult it is to access), I think the mere fact that it was spotted, marked, and can be explored, is an important milestone. People ought to remember these things.

> I think the mere fact that it was spotted, marked, and can be explored, is an important milestone.

An important milestone of what? It's not like that wreck is likely to contain anything of interest, anything which would change our understanding of the pacific theatre let alone the war. And we have extensive traces of more or less the entire history of the Musashi (including a rough location of the sinking) so its eventual fate has never been in question.

> People ought to remember these things.

I'm reasonably certain the activities of one of the biggest navies of WWII is remembered reasonably clearly. By opposition to, say, the Porajmos.

> An important milestone of what? It's not like that wreck is likely to contain anything of interest, anything which would change our understanding of the pacific theatre let alone the war.

The battlefield at Agincourt also contains nothing of interest, and the famed forest isn't there today, either. And yet, there's still a plaque there that commemorates the event, just like there is on every memorial house. Even if it didn't add any information, the mere fact that the ship was found is important. A pile of metal on the bottom of the sea is a far stronger reminder.

> A pile of metal on the bottom of the sea is a far stronger reminder.

1. A pile of metal a kilometer under the surface is no reminder, an invisible reminder reminds nobody.

2. 30 ships and 500+ planes were lost during Leyte Gulf, it's not like one more wreck nobody can see unless they've bought themselves a $200m yacht and an ROV is going to change any reminding.

If you find rich people playing with their toys cool that's fine, but don't pretend they're doing anything other than playing with their toys.

> If you find rich people playing with their toys cool that's fine, but don't pretend they're doing anything other than playing with their toys.

If you want to be snarky, I'd say it at minimum means something to the ~1,000 families of the Japanese sailors who went down with the ship.

color me impressed when someone like him finds MH370 or other truly extraordinary disappearances. there are so many other things go searching for than the twin of another ship we already have found.

"Do you create anything or just criticize others and belittle their motivations?"

I used to agree with this sentiment, but this essay changed my view: http://gawker.com/on-smarm-1476594977

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