The wreckage of the Japanese battleship Musashi has been found 70 years after it was sunk off the Philippines.

The warship, one of the largest ever built, was discovered after eight years of searching by a research team led by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen.

The ship was comissioned in 1942 and sunk two years later during the battle of Leyte in the Sibuyan Sea.

According to Sky News, Allen and his team were aboard his $200m super yacht the Octopus when footage from an unmanned submersible revealed the Musashi's hull.

Allen said: "The Musashi is truly an engineering marvel and as an engineer at heart, I have a deep appreciation for the technology and effort that went into its construction."

His interest in the war was inspired by his father's involvement, and he said he was "honoured" to help in the discovery.

He plans to work with the Japanese government to mark the area as a grave.