IJN Yamato

IJN Yamato Monogatari

Just as the KMS Bismarck went to the Atlantic theater, so did the IJN Yamato to the Pacific theater. Without a doubt the most powerful battleship ever built, the Yamato was a massive battleship design, armed with cannon and machine gun power, and backed by nearly 20 inches of armor.

The Yamato was originally intended to own the Pacific theater, which it may have done if the aircraft carrier didn't cement its position as the new king of the seas in the conflict.

With international treaties limiting the construction of new warships to a reasonable 35,000 tons, the Imperial Japanese Navy began building the 65,000-plus-ton Yamato and its sister ship IJN Musashi under the guise of secrecy to ensure disclosure was avoided. This type of development kept the Japanese public from being built, and the Yamato was revealed only to a few high-ranking Japanese officials.

Great attention has also been paid to the secrecy of the shipyard itself, which is partially covered in order to avoid detection.

The design of the Yamato is special - not only is she the heaviest armored battleship ever built, but her 18" main gun mounts are the largest caliber of their type. These elements require a massive base to operate, and an equally large superstructure to support a floating arsenal. While this may seem extreme to some, there is a guideline as the Imperial Navy knows that any American warship is designed to take on the big and frontal will come from the US East Coast.

To reach the Pacific in time, the new American ship had to pass through the Panama Canal to enter the Pacific. If the Americans tried to build a battleship to rival the Yamato, the sheer size of the new battleship would make the Panama Canal route extremely impassable.

Externally, the Yamato follows traditional design cues from pre-World War II battleships. The 18.1-inch main guns were mounted in three heavily armored turrets, two of which were located forward of the bridge and the third behind the bridge, with three guns on the turrets. Surprisingly, the Yamato is equipped with 12 x 6.1" and 12 x 5" guns to complement the main gun with very powerful fire capabilities.

Anti-aircraft defenses were also prioritized, with 24 x 25mm artillery systems and 4 x 13, left to 2mm machine guns. Inboard, she made extensive use of bow welds to ensure a strong seal, with extensive damage control sections below the waterline. She measures over 800 feet from bow to stern, ending at 120 feet on the beam.

Because of the secrecy involved in the development process, Yamato had to abandon all official launch ceremonies when it set off for the test on August 8, 1940.

As the flagship of Admiral Yamamoto, Yamato nearly participated in the Battle of Midway in 1942, but never came within range of her main guns. After this close combat, Yamato and her weapons were given a new look, with several of her 155mm turrets removed in favor of anti-aircraft systems. Again in progress, Yamato and her sister were called to action in the Battle of Leyte Gulf, and when the Musashi was routed by U.S.

Naval Air Forces in 1944, the Yamato was the first to use her main guns. However, the Yamato's toughness remained, and direct hits from bombs and torpedoes caused little lethal damage. There is no doubt that she has begun to adapt to the role of the invincible ship.

In April 1945, Imperial Japan made its final desperate plan. This included sacrificing the Yamato in a suicide mission, grounding the large battleship off Okinawa in order to establish a permanent, permanent defensive base at sea. U.S.

Navy planes already patrolling for the Japanese task force found the powerful ship and launched an attack. The Yamato was hit by conventional bombs, armor-piercing rounds, high-explosive rockets, and artillery dropped from low altitudes to ensure a direct hit. As expected, uncontrollable fires soon began to occupy parts of the deck and lower decks. More relentless attacks were carried out throughout the day, this time bombs and torpedoes.

The Yamato was virtually powerless as her anti-aircraft positions were disabled and her large ammunition proved useless against the aircraft. She began listing and fetching water, and ordered surrender. As the fire spread uncontrollably at this point, the ship was officially killed by a massive ordnance explosion (reportedly seen by herself in southern Japan, 120 miles away), leaving only 280 crew members rescued. The battleship was sealed by the airmen of a group of aircraft carriers located miles away - the aircraft carriers had arrived.

The Yamato sank just two hours after being hit by about 13 torpedoes and six direct bombs.

The IJN Yamato officially sank north of Okinawa on April 7, 1945. She was originally ordered in 1937 and put down the same year. The ship was launched in 1940 and officially commissioned the following year until it finally sank.

A museum was established in Kure, Japan in her honor, containing a 1:10 scale model of the giant ship.

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