The shattered wreck of a Japanese World War II battleship was shown lying on a Philippine seabed in startling detail on Friday, as the first images emerged from the historic discovery by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen.

US billionaire and explorer Allen announced the find of the Musashi - one of the most sophisticated battleships in history - in the Sibuyan Sea in the central Philippines eight days ago, after a high-tech mission lasting eight years.

It was the latest of many searches for the ship, with its discovery coming 70 years after it was sunk by US forces.