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was the
lead ship The lead ship, name ship, or class leader is the first of a series or class of ships all constructed according to the same general design. The term is applicable to naval ships and large civilian vessels. Large ships are very complex and may ...
of her class of
battleship A battleship is a large armored warship with a main battery consisting of large caliber guns. It dominated naval warfare in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The term ''battleship'' came into use in the late 1880s to describe a type of ...
s built for the
Imperial Japanese Navy The Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN; Kyūjitai: Shinjitai: ' 'Navy of the Greater Japanese Empire', or ''Nippon Kaigun'', 'Japanese Navy') was the navy of the Empire of Japan from 1868 to 1945, when it was dissolved following Japan's surrender ...
(IJN) shortly before
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
. She and her
sister ship A sister ship is a ship of the same class or of virtually identical design to another ship. Such vessels share a nearly identical hull and superstructure layout, similar size, and roughly comparable features and equipment. They often share a ...
, , were the heaviest and most powerfully armed battleships ever constructed, displacing nearly at
full load The displacement or displacement tonnage of a ship is its weight. As the term indicates, it is measured indirectly, using Archimedes' principle, by first calculating the volume of water displaced by the ship, then converting that value into wei ...
and armed with nine Type 94 main guns, which were the largest guns ever mounted on a warship. They remained the largest warships constructed in Asia until the launch of the
Chinese aircraft carrier Fujian ''Fujian'' (18; ), named after Fujian province, is the first of the Type 003 class aircraft carrier (NATO/ OSD Fujian-class CV), and is currently fitting out. Built for the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN), ''Fujian'' was launched on 17 ...
in 2022. Named after the ancient Japanese
Yamato Province was a province of Japan, located in Kinai, corresponding to present-day Nara Prefecture in Honshū. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric (2005). "Yamato" in . It was also called . Yamato consists of two characters, 大 "great", and 和 " Wa". At first, th ...
, ''Yamato'' was designed to counter the numerically superior battleship fleet of the
United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
, Japan's main rival in the
Pacific The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the continen ...
. She was laid down in 1937 and formally commissioned a week after the
Pearl Harbor attack The attack on Pearl HarborAlso known as the Battle of Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike by the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service upon the United States against the naval base at Pearl Harbor in Honolulu, Territory of Hawaii, ...
in late 1941. Throughout 1942, she served as the
flagship A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of naval ships, characteristically a flag officer entitled by custom to fly a distinguishing flag. Used more loosely, it is the lead ship in a fleet of vessels, typically the fi ...
of the
Combined Fleet The was the main sea-going component of the Imperial Japanese Navy. Until 1933, the Combined Fleet was not a permanent organization, but a temporary force formed for the duration of a conflict or major naval maneuvers from various units norm ...
, and in June 1942 Admiral
Isoroku Yamamoto was a Marshal Admiral of the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) and the commander-in-chief of the Combined Fleet during World War II until he was killed. Yamamoto held several important posts in the IJN, and undertook many of its changes and reor ...
directed the fleet from her bridge during the
Battle of Midway The Battle of Midway was a major naval battle in the Pacific Theater of World War II that took place on 4–7 June 1942, six months after Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor and one month after the Battle of the Coral Sea. The U.S. Navy under ...
, a disastrous defeat for Japan. ''Musashi'' took over as the Combined Fleet flagship in early 1943, and ''Yamato'' spent the rest of the year moving between the major Japanese naval bases of Truk and
Kure is a port and major shipbuilding city situated on the Seto Inland Sea in Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan. With a strong industrial and naval heritage, Kure hosts the second-oldest naval dockyard in Japan and remains an important base for the Japan ...
in response to American threats. In December 1943, ''Yamato'' was torpedoed by an American submarine which necessitated repairs at Kure, where she would also be refitted with additional anti-aircraft guns and radar in early 1944. Although present at the
Battle of the Philippine Sea The Battle of the Philippine Sea (June 19–20, 1944) was a major naval battle of World War II that eliminated the Imperial Japanese Navy's ability to conduct large-scale carrier actions. It took place during the United States' amphibious invas ...
in June 1944, she played no part in the battle. The only time ''Yamato'' fired her main guns at enemy surface targets was in October 1944, when she was sent to engage American forces invading the Philippines during the Battle of Leyte Gulf. While threatening to sink American troop transports, they encountered a light
escort carrier The escort carrier or escort aircraft carrier (U.S. hull classification symbol CVE), also called a "jeep carrier" or "baby flattop" in the United States Navy (USN) or "Woolworth Carrier" by the Royal Navy, was a small and slow type of aircraft ...
group of the U.S. Navy's Task Force 77, "Taffy 3", in the
Battle off Samar The Battle off Samar was the centermost action of the Battle of Leyte Gulf, one of the largest naval battles in history, which took place in the Philippine Sea off Samar Island, in the Philippines on October 25, 1944. It was the only major a ...
. The Japanese turned back after American air attacks convinced them they were engaging a powerful US carrier fleet. During 1944, the balance of naval power in the Pacific decisively turned against Japan, and by early 1945, its fleet was much depleted and badly hobbled by critical fuel shortages in the home islands. In a desperate attempt to slow the Allied advance, ''Yamato'' was dispatched on a one-way mission to
Okinawa is a prefecture of Japan. Okinawa Prefecture is the southernmost and westernmost prefecture of Japan, has a population of 1,457,162 (as of 2 February 2020) and a geographic area of 2,281 km2 (880 sq mi). Naha is the capital and largest city ...
in April 1945, with orders to beach herself and fight until destroyed, thus protecting the island. The task force was spotted south of
Kyushu is the third-largest island of Japan's five main islands and the most southerly of the four largest islands ( i.e. excluding Okinawa). In the past, it has been known as , and . The historical regional name referred to Kyushu and its surroun ...
by US submarines and aircraft, and on 7 April 1945 she was sunk by American carrier-based bombers and torpedo bombers with the loss of most of her crew.


Design and construction

During the 1930s the Japanese government adopted an
ultranationalist Ultranationalism or extreme nationalism is an extreme form of nationalism in which a country asserts or maintains detrimental hegemony, supremacy, or other forms of control over other nations (usually through violent coercion) to pursue its sp ...
militancy with a view to greatly expand the
Japanese Empire The also known as the Japanese Empire or Imperial Japan, was a historical nation-state and great power that existed from the Meiji Restoration in 1868 until the enactment of the post-World War II 1947 constitution and subsequent forma ...
. Japan withdrew from the
League of Nations The League of Nations (french: link=no, Société des Nations ) was the first worldwide intergovernmental organisation whose principal mission was to maintain world peace. It was founded on 10 January 1920 by the Paris Peace Conference that ...
in 1934, renouncing its treaty obligations. After withdrawing from the
Washington Naval Treaty The Washington Naval Treaty, also known as the Five-Power Treaty, was a treaty signed during 1922 among the major Allies of World War I, which agreed to prevent an arms race by limiting naval construction. It was negotiated at the Washington Nav ...
, which limited the size and power of capital ships, the Imperial Japanese Navy began their design of the new ''Yamato'' class of heavy battleships. Their planners recognized Japan would be unable to compete with the output of U.S. naval shipyards should war break out, so the 70,000 tonJackson (2000), p. 74; Jentshura, Jung and Mickel (1977), p. 38. vessels of the ''Yamato'' class were designed to be capable of engaging multiple enemy battleships at the same time.Johnston and McAuley (2000), p. 122. The
keel The keel is the bottom-most longitudinal structural element on a vessel. On some sailboats, it may have a hydrodynamic and counterbalancing purpose, as well. As the laying down of the keel is the initial step in the construction of a ship, in Br ...
of ''Yamato'', the lead ship of the class, was
laid down Laying the keel or laying down is the formal recognition of the start of a ship's construction. It is often marked with a ceremony attended by dignitaries from the shipbuilding company and the ultimate owners of the ship. Keel laying is one o ...
at the
Kure Naval Arsenal was one of four principal naval shipyards owned and operated by the Imperial Japanese Navy. History The Kure Naval District was established at Kure, Hiroshima in 1889, as the second of the naval districts responsible for the defense of the Ja ...
,
Hiroshima is the capital of Hiroshima Prefecture in Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 1,199,391. The gross domestic product (GDP) in Greater Hiroshima, Hiroshima Urban Employment Area, was US$61.3 billion as of 2010. Kazumi Matsui h ...
, on 4 November 1937, in a dockyard that had to be adapted to accommodate her enormous hull. The dock was deepened by one meter, and gantry cranes capable of lifting up to 350 tonnes were installed.Johnston and McAuley (2000), p. 123. Extreme secrecy was maintained throughout construction,Hough, p. 205 a canopy even being erected over part of the
drydock A dry dock (sometimes drydock or dry-dock) is a narrow basin or vessel that can be flooded to allow a load to be floated in, then drained to allow that load to come to rest on a dry platform. Dry docks are used for the construction, maintenance, ...
to screen the ship from view. ''Yamato'' was launched on 8 August 1940, with Captain (later Vice-Admiral) Miyazato Shutoku in command.Garzke and Dulin (1985), p. 54. A great effort was made in Japan to ensure the ships were built in extreme secrecy to prevent American intelligence officials from learning of their existence and specifications.


Armament

''Yamato''s main battery consisted of nine 45-caliber Type 94 guns—the largest ever fitted to a warship,Jackson (2000), p. 75. although the shells were not as heavy as those fired by the British 18-inch naval guns of . Each gun was long, weighed , and was capable of firing high-explosive or armor-piercing shells . Her secondary battery comprised twelve guns mounted in four triple turrets (one forward, one aft, two midships), and twelve guns in six twin mounts (three on each side amidships). These turrets had been taken off the ''Mogami''-class cruisers when those vessels were converted to a main armament of guns. In addition, ''Yamato'' carried twenty-four anti-aircraft guns, primarily mounted amidships. When refitted in 1944 and 1945 for naval engagements in the South Pacific,Jackson (2000), p. 128. the secondary battery configuration was changed to six 155 mm guns and twenty-four 127 mm guns, and the number of 25 mm anti-aircraft guns was increased to 162.Johnston and McAuley (2000), p. 180.


Service


Trials and initial operations

During October or November 1941 ''Yamato'' underwent
sea trial A sea trial is the testing phase of a watercraft (including boats, ships, and submarines). It is also referred to as a " shakedown cruise" by many naval personnel. It is usually the last phase of construction and takes place on open water, and ...
s, reaching her maximum possible speed of . As war loomed, priority was given to accelerating military construction. On 16 December, months ahead of schedule, the battleship was formally commissioned at Kure, in a ceremony more austere than usual, as the Japanese were still intent on concealing the ship's characteristics. The same day, under Captain (later Vice-Admiral) Gihachi Takayanagi, she joined fellow battleships and in the 1st Battleship Division.Skulski (2004), p. 10. On 12 February 1942, ''Yamato'' became the flagship of Admiral
Isoroku Yamamoto was a Marshal Admiral of the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) and the commander-in-chief of the Combined Fleet during World War II until he was killed. Yamamoto held several important posts in the IJN, and undertook many of its changes and reor ...
's
Combined Fleet The was the main sea-going component of the Imperial Japanese Navy. Until 1933, the Combined Fleet was not a permanent organization, but a temporary force formed for the duration of a conflict or major naval maneuvers from various units norm ...
. A veteran of Japan's crushing victory over Russia at the Battle of Tsushima in the
Russo-Japanese War The Russo-Japanese War ( ja, 日露戦争, Nichiro sensō, Japanese-Russian War; russian: Ру́сско-япóнская войнá, Rússko-yapónskaya voyná) was fought between the Empire of Japan and the Russian Empire during 1904 and 1 ...
, the Pearl Harbor victor was planning a decisive engagement with the United States Navy at
Midway Island Midway Atoll (colloquial: Midway Islands; haw, Kauihelani, translation=the backbone of heaven; haw, Pihemanu, translation=the loud din of birds, label=none) is a atoll in the North Pacific Ocean. Midway Atoll is an insular area of the Unit ...
. After participating in
war games A wargame is a strategy game in which two or more players command opposing armed forces in a realistic simulation of an armed conflict. Wargaming may be played for recreation, to train military officers in the art of strategic thinking, or to s ...
''Yamato'' departed
Hiroshima Bay is a bay in the Inland Sea, Japan.Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "Hiroshima Wan" in . Administratively, the bay is divided between Hiroshima and Yamaguchi Prefectures. The bay's shore is a Ria. Its surface area is about 1,000 km², ...
on 27 May for duty with Yamamoto's main battleship group.Ballard (1999), p. 36. US codebreakers were aware of Yamamoto's intentions and the
Battle of Midway The Battle of Midway was a major naval battle in the Pacific Theater of World War II that took place on 4–7 June 1942, six months after Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor and one month after the Battle of the Coral Sea. The U.S. Navy under ...
proved disastrous for Japan's carrier force, with four fleet carriers and 332 aircraft lost. Yamamoto exercised overall command from ''Yamato''s bridge, but his battle plan had widely dispersed his forces to lure the Americans into a trap, and the battleship group was too far away to take part in the engagement. On 5 June, Yamamoto ordered the remaining ships to return to Japan, so ''Yamato'' withdrew with the main battleship force to Hashirajima, before making her way back to Kure. ''Yamato'' left Kure for Truk on 17 August 1942. After 11 days at sea, she was sighted by the American submarine , which fired four torpedoes, all of which missed; ''Yamato'' arrived safely at Truk later that day. She remained there throughout the
Guadalcanal campaign The Guadalcanal campaign, also known as the Battle of Guadalcanal and codenamed Operation Watchtower by American forces, was a military campaign fought between 7 August 1942 and 9 February 1943 on and around the island of Guadalcanal in th ...
because of a lack of 46 cm ammunition suitable for shore bombardment, uncharted seas around Guadalcanal, and her high fuel consumption. Before the year's end, Captain (later Rear Admiral)
Chiaki Matsuda ''Translated from the corresponding article in the Japanese Wikipedia'' Rear Admiral Matsuda Chiaki (Japanese: 松田千秋) (29 September 1896 – 6 November 1995) was an admiral in the Imperial Japanese Navy and the third captain of the ''Ya ...
was assigned to command ''Yamato''. On 11 February 1943, ''Yamato'' was replaced by her sister ship ''Musashi'' as flagship of the Combined Fleet. The battleship spent only a single day away from Truk between her arrival in August 1942 and her departure on 8 May 1943.Whitley (1998), p. 212. On that day, she set sail for Yokosuka and from there for Kure, arriving on 14 May. She spent nine days in
dry dock A dry dock (sometimes drydock or dry-dock) is a narrow basin or vessel that can be flooded to allow a load to be floated in, then drained to allow that load to come to rest on a dry platform. Dry docks are used for the construction, maintenance, ...
for inspection and general repairs, and after sailing to Japan's western Inland Sea she was again dry-docked in late July for significant refitting and upgrades. On 16 August, ''Yamato'' began her return to Truk, where she joined a large task force formed in response to American raids on the Tarawa and Makin atolls. She sortied in late September with ''Nagato'', three carriers, and smaller warships to intercept US Task Force 15, and again a month later with six battleships, three carriers, and eleven cruisers. Intelligence had reported that the United States Naval Base at
Pearl Harbor Pearl Harbor is an American lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. It was often visited by the Naval fleet of the United States, before it was acquired from the Hawaiian Kingdom by the U.S. with the signing of the Re ...
was nearly empty of ships, which the Japanese interpreted to mean that an American naval force would strike at
Wake Island Wake Island ( mh, Ānen Kio, translation=island of the kio flower; also known as Wake Atoll) is a coral atoll in the western Pacific Ocean in the northeastern area of the Micronesia subregion, east of Guam, west of Honolulu, southeast of To ...
. But there were no radar contacts for six days, and the fleet returned to Truk, arriving on 26 October. ''Yamato'' escorted Transport Operation BO-1 from Truk to Yokosuka during 12–17 December. Subsequently, because of their extensive storage capacity and thick armor protection, ''Yamato'' and ''Musashi'' were pressed into service as transport vessels. On 25 December, while ferrying troops and equipment—which were wanted as reinforcements for the garrisons at
Kavieng Kavieng is the capital of the Papua New Guinean province of New Ireland and the largest town on the island of the same name. The town is located at Balgai Bay, on the northern tip of the island. As of 2009, it had a population of 17,248. Kavi ...
and the
Admiralty Islands The Admiralty Islands are an archipelago group of 18 islands in the Bismarck Archipelago, to the north of New Guinea in the South Pacific Ocean. These are also sometimes called the Manus Islands, after the largest island. These rainforest-co ...
—from Yokosuka to Truk, ''Yamato'' and her task group were intercepted by the American submarine about out at sea.Whitley (1998), p. 213. ''Skate'' fired a spread of four torpedoes at ''Yamato''; one struck the battleship's starboard side toward the stern. A hole below the top of her
anti-torpedo bulge The anti-torpedo bulge (also known as an anti-torpedo blister) is a form of defence against naval torpedoes occasionally employed in warship construction in the period between the First and Second World Wars. It involved fitting (or retrofittin ...
and measuring some across was ripped open in the hull, and a joint between the upper and lower armored belts failed, causing the rear turret's upper magazine to flood. ''Yamato'' took on about 3,000 tons of water, but reached Truk later that day. The repair ship effected temporary repairs, and ''Yamato'' departed on 10 January for Kure. On 16 January 1944, ''Yamato'' arrived at Kure for repairs of the torpedo damage and was dry-docked until 3 February. During this time, armor plate sloped at ° was fitted in the area of damage to her hull. It had been proposed that of steel be used to bolster the ship's defense against flooding from torpedo hits outside the armored citadel, but this was rejected out of hand because the additional weight would have increased ''Yamato''s displacement and
draft Draft, The Draft, or Draught may refer to: Watercraft dimensions * Draft (hull), the distance from waterline to keel of a vessel * Draft (sail), degree of curvature in a sail * Air draft, distance from waterline to the highest point on a vesse ...
too much. While ''Yamato'' was dry-docked, Captain Nobuei Morishita—former captain of the battleship —assumed command. On 25 February, ''Yamato'' and ''Musashi'' were reassigned from the 1st Battleship Division to the Second Fleet. ''Yamato'' was again dry-docked at Kure for further upgrades to all her radar and anti-aircraft systems from 25 February to 18 March 1944. Each of the two beam-mounted 6.1 inch (155-mm) triple turrets was removed and replaced by three pairs of 5-inch (127-mm) AA guns in double mounts. In addition, 8 triple and 26 single 25mm AA mounts were added, increasing the total number of 127 mm and 25 mm anti-aircraft guns to 24 and 162, respectively. Shelters were also added on the upper deck for the increased AA crews. A Type 13 air search and Type 22, Mod 4, surface search/gunnery control radar were installed, and the main mast was altered. Her radar suite was also upgraded to include infrared identification systems and aircraft search and gunnery control radars. She left the dry dock on 18 March and went through several trials beginning on 11 April. ''Yamato'' left Kure on 21 April and embarked soldiers and materiel the following day at Okinoshima for a mission to Manila, reaching the Philippines on 28 April. She then moved on to Malaya to join Vice-Admiral Jisaburo Ozawa's Mobile Fleet at Lingga; this force arrived at
Tawi Tawi Tawi-Tawi, officially the Province of Tawi-Tawi ( tl, Lalawigan ng Tawi-Tawi; Tausug: ''Wilaya' sin Tawi-Tawi''; Sinama: ''Jawi Jawi/Jauih Jauih''), is an island province in the Philippines located in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim ...
on 14 May.


Battle of the Philippine Sea

In early June, ''Yamato'' and ''Musashi'' were again requisitioned as troop transports, this time to reinforce the garrison and naval defenses of the island of
Biak Biak is an island located in Cenderawasih Bay near the northern coast of Papua (province), Papua, an Indonesian province, and is just northwest of New Guinea. Biak is the largest island in its small archipelago, and has many atolls, reefs, and c ...
as part of
Operation Kon Operation or Operations may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * Operation (game), ''Operation'' (game), a battery-operated board game that challenges dexterity * Operation (music), a term used in musical set theory * Operations (magazine ...
.Steinberg (1978), p. 147.Garzke and Dulin (1985), p. 56. The mission was cancelled when word reached Ozawa's headquarters of American carrier attacks on the Mariana Islands. Instead, the Imperial Japanese Navy reorganized, concentrating the majority of its remaining fighting strength in the hope of achieving a decisive success against the Americans. By this time though, the entire Japanese navy was inferior in numbers and experience to the
U.S. Pacific Fleet The United States Pacific Fleet (USPACFLT) is a theater-level component command of the United States Navy, located in the Pacific Ocean. It provides naval forces to the Indo-Pacific Command. Fleet headquarters is at Joint Base Pearl Harbor ...
. From 19 to 23 June 1944, ''Yamato'' escorted forces of Ozawa's Mobile Fleet during the
Battle of the Philippine Sea The Battle of the Philippine Sea (June 19–20, 1944) was a major naval battle of World War II that eliminated the Imperial Japanese Navy's ability to conduct large-scale carrier actions. It took place during the United States' amphibious invas ...
, dubbed by American pilots "The Great Marianas Turkey Shoot". The Japanese lost three aircraft carriers and 426 aircraft; ''Yamato''s only significant contribution was mistakenly opening fire on returning Japanese aircraft. Following the battle, ''Yamato'' withdrew with the Mobile Fleet to the Hashirajima staging area near Kure to refuel and rearm. With ''Musashi'' she left the fleet on 24 June for the short journey to Kure, where she received five more triple 25 mm anti-aircraft mounts. The opportunity was taken to put in place "emergency buoyancy keeping procedures". These resulted in the removal of almost every flammable item from the battleship, including
linoleum Linoleum, sometimes shortened to lino, is a floor covering made from materials such as solidified linseed oil (linoxyn), Pine Resin, pine resin, ground Cork (material), cork dust, sawdust, and mineral fillers such as calcium carbonate, most com ...
, bedding, and mattresses. In place of the latter, men slept on planks which could be used to repair damage. Flammable paints received a new silicone based overcoat, and additional portable pumps and fire fighting apparatus were installed. Leaving Japan on 8 July, ''Yamato''—accompanied by the battleships ''Musashi'', , ''Nagato'', and 11 cruisers and destroyers—sailed south. ''Yamato'' and ''Musashi'' headed for the
Lingga Islands The Lingga Regency ( id, Kabupaten Lingga) is a group of islands in Indonesia, located south of Singapore, along both sides of the equator, off the eastern coast of Riau Province on Sumatra island. They are south of the populated Riau Archipela ...
, arriving on 16–17 July. By this stage of the war, Japan's tanker fleet had been much reduced by marauding American submarines, so major fleet units were stationed in the East Indies to be near the source of their fuel supply. The battleships remained at the islands for the next three months.


Battle of Leyte Gulf

Between 22 and 25 October 1944, as part of Admiral
Takeo Kurita was a vice admiral in the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) during World War II. Kurita commanded IJN 2nd Fleet, the main Japanese attack force during the Battle of Leyte Gulf, the largest naval battle in history. Biography Early life Takeo Kurita ...
's Center Force (also known as Force A or First Striking Force), ''Yamato'' took part in one of the largest naval engagements in history—the Battle of Leyte Gulf. In response to the American invasion of the Philippines, Operation Shō-Gō called for a number of Japanese groups to converge on the island of Leyte, where American troops were landing. On 18 October, ''Yamato'' was given a coating of black camouflage in preparation for her nighttime transit of the
San Bernardino Strait The San Bernardino Strait ( fil, Kipot ng San Bernardino) is a strait in the Philippines, connecting the Samar Sea with the Philippine Sea. It separates the Bicol Peninsula of Luzon island from the island of Samar in the south. History During th ...
; the main ingredient was
soot Soot ( ) is a mass of impure carbon particles resulting from the incomplete combustion of hydrocarbons. It is more properly restricted to the product of the gas-phase combustion process but is commonly extended to include the residual pyrolysed ...
taken from her smokestack. While en route to Leyte, the force was attacked in Palawan Passage on 23 October by the submarines and , which sank two ''Takao''-class
heavy cruiser The heavy cruiser was a type of cruiser, a naval warship designed for long range and high speed, armed generally with naval guns of roughly 203 mm (8 inches) in caliber, whose design parameters were dictated by the Washington Naval Tr ...
s including Kurita's flagship, , and damaged a third.Garzke and Dulin (1985), p. 57. Kurita survived the loss of ''Atago'' and transferred his flag to ''Yamato''.


Battle of the Sibuyan Sea

The following day the
Battle of the Sibuyan Sea The Battle of Leyte Gulf ( fil, Labanan sa golpo ng Leyte, lit=Battle of Leyte gulf; ) was the largest naval battle of World War II and by some criteria the largest naval battle in history, with over 200,000 naval personnel involved. It was fou ...
hurt the Center Force badly with the loss of one more heavy cruiser, eliminating a substantial part of the fleet's anti-aircraft defence. During the course of the day, American carrier aircraft sortied a total of 259 times. Aircraft from the struck ''Yamato'' with two armor-piercing bombs and scored one near miss; ''Yamato'' suffered moderate damage and took on about of water, but remained battleworthy.Garzke and Dulin (1985), p. 58. However, her sister ship ''Musashi'' became the focus of the American attacks and eventually sank after being hit with 17 bombs and 19 torpedoes.


Battle off Samar

Unknown to the Japanese admiral, the main American battle group under the command of Admiral
William Halsey Jr. William Frederick "Bull" Halsey Jr. (October 30, 1882 – August 16, 1959) was an American Navy admiral during World War II. He is one of four officers to have attained the rank of five-star fleet admiral of the United States Navy, the others ...
, departed the Leyte Gulf area on the evening of 24 October. Convinced that Kurita's Center Force had been turned back, Halsey took his powerful
Task Force 38 The Fast Carrier Task Force (TF 38 when assigned to Third Fleet, TF 58 when assigned to Fifth Fleet), was the main striking force of the United States Navy in the Pacific War from January 1944 through the end of the war in August 1945. The tas ...
in pursuit of the Japanese Northern Force, a decoy group composed of one fleet aircraft carrier (), three light carriers, two ''Ise''-class hybrid battleship-carriers, and their escorts. The deception was a success, drawing away five fleet carriers and five light carriers with more than 600 aircraft among them, six fast battleships, eight cruisers, and over 40 destroyers. During the hours of darkness, Kurita's force navigated the San Bernardino Strait and shortly after dawn, in the Battle off Samar, attacked an American formation that had remained in the area to provide close support for the invading troops. Known as "Taffy 3", this small group comprised six
escort carrier The escort carrier or escort aircraft carrier (U.S. hull classification symbol CVE), also called a "jeep carrier" or "baby flattop" in the United States Navy (USN) or "Woolworth Carrier" by the Royal Navy, was a small and slow type of aircraft ...
s, three destroyers, and four
destroyer escort Destroyer escort (DE) was the United States Navy mid-20th-century classification for a warship designed with the endurance necessary to escort mid-ocean convoys of merchant marine ships. Development of the destroyer escort was promoted by th ...
s.Reynolds (1982), p. 156. In the initial stages of this battle, ''Yamato'' engaged enemy surface targets for the only time in her career, hitting several American ships.Garzke and Dulin (1985), p. 59. After ''Yamato'' confirmed primary battery hits on the escort carrier , a spread of torpedoes heading for ''Yamato'' was spotted; the battleship was forced to steer away from the fighting to avoid them and was unable to rejoin the battle. Although armed only with torpedoes and 5 inch guns and under attack by large caliber cannons, the light American
surface combatant Surface combatants (or surface ships or surface vessels) are a subset of naval warships which are designed for warfare on the surface of the water, with their own weapons and armed forces. They are generally ships built to fight other ships, subma ...
s, supported by FM-2 Wildcats and TBM Avengers from Taffy 3's escort carriers, attacked so ferociously that Kurita believed his ships were engaging a full American task force of fleet carriers. A mistaken report that he was facing six fleet carriers, three cruisers, and two destroyers led Kurita to order his task force to turn and disengage. ''Yamato'' emerged from the battle without serious damage; only three near misses from bombs and 17 casualties from
strafing Strafing is the military practice of attacking ground targets from low-flying aircraft using aircraft-mounted automatic weapons. Less commonly, the term is used by extension to describe high-speed firing runs by any land or naval craft such ...
were suffered during the battle itself, while carrier strikes during the retreat caused light damage to the ship and injured or killed 21 crewmen. Three more heavy cruisers and one light cruiser were subsequently lost. The Centre Force sank one American escort carrier (CVE), two destroyers, and a destroyer escort. A second CVE was lost by
kamikaze , officially , were a part of the Japanese Special Attack Units of military aviators who flew suicide attacks for the Empire of Japan against Allied naval vessels in the closing stages of the Pacific campaign of World War II, intending to d ...
attack after the surface engagement. Following the engagement, ''Yamato'' and the remnants of Kurita's force returned to Brunei. On 15 November 1944, the 1st Battleship Division was disbanded and ''Yamato'' became the flagship of the Second Fleet. On 21 November, while transiting the
East China Sea The East China Sea is an arm of the Western Pacific Ocean, located directly offshore from East China. It covers an area of roughly . The sea’s northern extension between mainland China and the Korean Peninsula is the Yellow Sea, separated b ...
in a withdrawal to Kure Naval Base, ''Yamato''s battle group was attacked by the submarine . The battleship ''Kongō'' and destroyer were lost. ''Yamato'' was immediately drydocked for repairs and anti-aircraft upgrades on reaching Kure, where several of the battleship's older anti-aircraft guns were replaced. On 25 November, Captain Aruga Kōsaku was named ''Yamato''s commander.


Operation Ten-Go

On 1 January 1945, ''Yamato'', ''Haruna'' and ''Nagato'' were transferred to the newly reactivated 1st Battleship Division. ''Yamato'' left drydock two days later for Japan's Inland Sea. This reassignment was brief; the 1st Battleship Division was deactivated once again on 10 February and ''Yamato'' was allotted to the 1st Carrier Division.Reynolds (1982), p. 160. On 19 March, American carrier aircraft from TG 58.1 attacked Kure Harbour. Although 16 warships were hit, ''Yamato'' sustained only minor damage from a number of near misses and from one bomb that struck her bridge. The intervention of a squadron of Kawanishi N1K1 "Shiden" fighters (named "George" by the Allies) flown by veteran Japanese fighter instructors prevented the raid from doing too much damage to the base and assembled ships,Reynolds (1968), p. 338. while ''Yamato''s ability to maneuver—albeit slowly—in the Nasami Channel benefited her. As the final step before their planned invasion of the Japanese mainland, Allied forces invaded Okinawa on 1 April.Feifer (2001), p. 7. The Imperial Japanese Navy's response was to organise a mission codenamed
Operation Ten-Go , also known as Operation Heaven One (or Ten-ichi-gō 天一号), was the last major Japanese naval operation in the Pacific Theater of World War II. The resulting engagement is also known as the Battle of the East China Sea. In April 1945, t ...
that would see the commitment of much of Japan's remaining surface strength. ''Yamato'' and nine escorts (the cruiser and eight destroyers) would sail to Okinawa and, in concert with ''
kamikaze , officially , were a part of the Japanese Special Attack Units of military aviators who flew suicide attacks for the Empire of Japan against Allied naval vessels in the closing stages of the Pacific campaign of World War II, intending to d ...
'' and Okinawa-based army units, attack the Allied forces assembled on and around Okinawa. ''Yamato'' would then be beached to act as an unsinkable gun emplacement and continue to fight until destroyed. In preparation for the mission, ''Yamato'' had taken on a full stock of ammunition on 29 March. According to the Japanese plan, the ships were supposed to take aboard only enough fuel for a one way voyage to Okinawa, but additional fuel amounting to 60% of capacity was issued on the authority of local base commanders. Designated the "Surface Special Attack Force", the ships left Tokuyama at 15:20 on 6 April.Reynolds (1982), p. 166.Garzke and Dulin (1985), p. 60. Unfortunately for the Japanese, the Allies had intercepted and decoded their radio transmissions, learning the particulars of Operation Ten-Go. Further confirmation of Japanese intentions came around 20:00 when the Surface Special Attack Force, navigating the
Bungo Strait The is a strait separating the Japanese islands of Kyushu and Shikoku. It connects the Pacific Ocean and the Seto Inland Sea on the western end of Shikoku. The narrowest part of this channel is the Hōyo Strait. In the English-speaking worl ...
, was spotted by the American submarines and . Both reported ''Yamato''s position to the main American carrier strike force, but neither could attack because of the speed of the Japanese ships——and their extreme
zigzag A zigzag is a pattern made up of small corners at variable angles, though constant within the zigzag, tracing a path between two parallel lines; it can be described as both jagged and fairly regular. In geometry, this pattern is described as ...
ging. The Allied forces around Okinawa braced for an assault. Admiral
Raymond Spruance Raymond Ames Spruance (July 3, 1886 – December 13, 1969) was a United States Navy admiral during World War II. He commanded U.S. naval forces during one of the most significant naval battles that took place in the Pacific Theatre: the Battle ...
ordered six battleships already engaged in shore bombardment in the sector to prepare for surface action against ''Yamato''. These orders were countermanded in favor of strikes from Admiral
Marc Mitscher Marc Andrew "Pete" Mitscher (January 26, 1887 – February 3, 1947) was a pioneer in naval aviation who became an admiral in the United States Navy, and served as commander of the Fast Carrier Task Force in the Pacific during the latter half of ...
's aircraft carriers, but as a contingency the battleships together with 7 cruisers and 21 destroyers were sent to interdict the Japanese force before it could reach the vulnerable transports and landing craft. ''Yamato''s crew were at
general quarters General quarters, battle stations, or action stations is an announcement made aboard a naval warship A warship or combatant ship is a naval ship that is built and primarily intended for naval warfare. Usually they belong to the arme ...
and ready for anti-aircraft action by dawn on 7 April. The first Allied aircraft made contact with the Surface Special Attack Force at 08:23; two
flying boat A flying boat is a type of fixed-winged seaplane with a hull, allowing it to land on water. It differs from a floatplane in that a flying boat's fuselage is purpose-designed for floatation and contains a hull, while floatplanes rely on fusela ...
s arrived soon thereafter, and for the next five hours, ''Yamato'' fired Common Type 3 or ''Beehive'' (''3 Shiki tsûjôdan'') shells at the Allied seaplanes, but could not prevent them from shadowing the force. ''Yamato'' obtained her first radar contact with aircraft at 10:00; an hour later, American
F6F Hellcat The Grumman F6F Hellcat is an American Carrier-based aircraft, carrier-based fighter aircraft of World War II. Designed to replace the earlier Grumman F4F Wildcat, F4F Wildcat and to counter the Japanese Mitsubishi A6M Zero, it was the United St ...
fighters appeared overhead to deal with any Japanese aircraft that might appear. None did.Garzke and Dulin (1985), pp. 60–61. At about 12:30, 280 bomber and torpedo bomber aircraft arrived over the Japanese force. , which had fallen out of formation with engine trouble, was caught and sunk by a detachment of aircraft from . The Surface Special Attack Force increased speed to , and following standard Japanese anti-aircraft defensive measures, the destroyers began circling ''Yamato''. The first aircraft swooped in to attack at 12:37. ''Yahagi'' turned and raced away at in an attempt to draw off some of the attackers; it drew off only an insignificant number. ''Yamato'' was not hit for four minutes, but at 12:41 two bombs obliterated two of her triple 25 mm anti-aircraft mounts and blew a hole in the deck. A third bomb then destroyed her radar room and the starboard aft 127 mm mount. At 12:45 a single torpedo struck ''Yamato'' far forward on her port side, sending shock waves throughout the ship. At 12:46, another two bombs struck the battleship's port side, one slightly ahead of the aft 155 mm centreline turret and the other right on top of the gun. These caused a great deal of damage to the turret and its magazines; only one man survived. Because many of the ship's crew who did not go down with the vessel were killed by strafing aircraft as they swam in the oily water, the details are uncertain, but authors Garzke and Dulin record that little damage was caused. Shortly afterward, up to three more torpedoes struck ''Yamato''. Two impacts, on the port side near the
engine room On a ship, the engine room (ER) is the compartment where the machinery for marine propulsion is located. To increase a vessel's safety and chances of surviving damage, the machinery necessary for the ship's operation may be segregated into vari ...
and on one of the
boiler A boiler is a closed vessel in which fluid (generally water) is heated. The fluid does not necessarily boil. The heated or vaporized fluid exits the boiler for use in various processes or heating applications, including water heating, centr ...
rooms, are confirmed; the third is disputed but is regarded by Garzke and Dulin as probable because it would explain the reported flooding in ''Yamato''s auxiliary steering room. The attack ended around 12:47, leaving the battleship listing ° to port; counterflooding—deliberately flooding compartments on the other side of the ship—reduced the list to °. One boiler room had been disabled, slightly reducing ''Yamato''s top speed, and strafing had incapacitated many of the gun crews who manned ''Yamato''s unprotected 25 mm anti-aircraft weapons, sharply curtailing their effectiveness. The second attack started just before 13:00. In a coordinated strike, dive bombers flew high overhead to begin their runs while torpedo bombers approached from all directions at just above sea level. Overwhelmed by the number of targets, the battleship's anti-aircraft guns were ineffective, and the Japanese tried desperate measures to break up the attack. ''Yamato''s main guns were loaded with ''Beehive'' shells fused to explode one second after firing—a mere from the ship—but these had little effect. Three or four torpedoes struck the battleship on the port side and one to starboard. Three hits, close together on the port side, are confirmed: one struck a fire room that had already been hit, one impacted a different fire room, and the third hit the hull adjacent to a damaged outboard engine room, increasing the water flow into that space and possibly flooding nearby locations. The fourth hit, unconfirmed, may have struck aft of the third; Garzke and Dulin believe this would explain the rapid flooding reported in that location. This attack left ''Yamato'' in a perilous position, listing ° to port. Counterflooding of all remaining starboard void spaces lessened this to °, but further correction would have required repairs or flooding the starboard engine and fire rooms. Although the battleship was not yet in danger of sinking, the list meant the main battery was unable to fire and her speed was limited to . The third and most damaging attack developed at about 13:40. At least four bombs hit the ship's superstructure and caused heavy casualties among her 25 mm anti-aircraft gun crews. Many near misses drove in her outer plating, compromising her defense against torpedoes. Most serious were four more torpedo impacts. Three exploded on the port side, increasing water flow into the port inner engine room and flooding yet another fire room and the steering gear room. With the auxiliary steering room already under water, the ship lost maneuverability and became stuck in a starboard turn. The fourth torpedo most likely hit the starboard outer engine room, which, along with three other rooms on the starboard side, was being counterflooded to reduce the port list. The torpedo strike accelerated the rate of flooding and trapped many crewmen. At 14:02, the order was belatedly given to abandon ship. By this time, ''Yamato''s speed had dropped to and her list was increasing. Fires raged out of control and alarms on the bridge warned of critical temperatures in the forward main battery magazines. Protocol called for flooding the magazines to prevent explosion, but the pumping stations had been knocked out.Garzke and Dulin (1985), p. 65. At 14:05, ''Yahagi'' sank, the victim of twelve bombs and seven torpedoes. At the same time, a final flight of torpedo bombers attacked ''Yamato'' from her starboard side. Her list was now such that the torpedoes—set to a depth of —struck the bottom of her hull. The battleship continued her inexorable roll to port. By 14:20, the power went out and her remaining 25 mm anti-aircraft guns began to drop into the sea. Three minutes later, ''Yamato''
capsized Capsizing or keeling over occurs when a boat or ship is rolled on its side or further by wave action, instability or wind force beyond the angle of positive static stability or it is upside down in the water. The act of recovering a vessel fro ...
. Her main 46 cm turrets fell off, and as she rolled suction was created that drew swimming crewmen back toward the ship. When the roll reached approximately °, one of the two bow magazines detonated in a tremendous explosion. The resulting
mushroom cloud A mushroom cloud is a distinctive mushroom-shaped flammagenitus cloud of debris, smoke and usually condensed water vapor resulting from a large explosion. The effect is most commonly associated with a nuclear explosion, but any sufficiently ener ...
—over high—was seen away on
Kyūshū is the third-largest island of Japan's five main islands and the most southerly of the four largest islands ( i.e. excluding Okinawa). In the past, it has been known as , and . The historical regional name referred to Kyushu and its surround ...
. ''Yamato'' sank rapidly, losing an estimated 3,055 of her 3,332 crew, including fleet commander Vice-Admiral
Seiichi Itō was an admiral in the Imperial Japanese Navy and the flag officer of the task force centered around the battleship on her final mission towards the end of World War II. Biography Early career Born in Miike County Takada Town (present da ...
. The few survivors were recovered by the four surviving destroyers, which withdrew to Japan. From the first attack at 12:37 to the explosion at 14:23, ''Yamato'' was hit by at least 11 torpedoes and 6 bombs. There may have been two more torpedo and bomb hits, but this is not confirmed.Whitley (1998), p. 216.


Wreck discovery

Due to often confused circumstances and incomplete information regarding their sinkings, it took until 2019 to discover and identify most wrecks of Japanese
capital ship The capital ships of a navy are its most important warships; they are generally the larger ships when compared to other warships in their respective fleet. A capital ship is generally a leading or a primary ship in a naval fleet. Strategic im ...
s lost in World War II. Drawing on US wartime records, an expedition to the East China Sea in 1982 produced some results, but the wreckage discovered could not be clearly identified. A second expedition returned to the site two years later, and the team's photographic and video records were later confirmed by one of the battleship's designers, Shigeru Makino, to show the ''Yamato''s last resting place. The wreck lies southwest of Kyushu under of water in two main pieces; a bow section comprising the front two thirds of the ship, and a separate stern section. On 16 July 2015, a group of Liberal Democratic Party lawmakers began meetings to study the feasibility of raising the ship from the ocean floor and recovering the remains of crewmembers entombed in the wreckage. The group said it plans to request government funds to research the technical feasibility of recovering the ship. In May 2016, the wreckage was surveyed using digital technology, giving a more detailed view and confirming the earlier identification. The resulting video revealed many details such as the Imperial chrysanthemum on the bow, the massive propeller, and the detached main gun turret. The nine-minute video of this survey is being shown at the ''Yamato'' Museum in Kure.


Cultural significance

From the time of their construction, ''Yamato'' and her sister ''Musashi'' carried significant weight in Japanese culture. The battleships represented the epitome of Imperial Japanese naval engineering, and because of their size, speed, and power, visibly embodied Japan's determination and readiness to defend its interests against the
Western Powers The Western world, also known as the West, primarily refers to the various nations and states in the regions of Europe, North America, and Oceania.
and the United States in particular.
Shigeru Fukudome was an admiral and Chief of Staff of the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II. Biography Early life and career Born in Yonago, Tottori prefecture, Fukudome graduated from the 40th class of the Imperial Japanese Naval Academy in 1913, ran ...
, chief of the Operations Section of the
Imperial Japanese Navy General Staff The was the highest organ within the Imperial Japanese Navy. In charge of planning and operations, it was headed by an Admiral headquartered in Tokyo. History Created in 1893, the Navy General Staff took over operational (as opposed to adminis ...
, described the ships as "symbols of naval power that provided to officers and men alike a profound sense of confidence in their navy." ''Yamato''s symbolic might was such that some Japanese citizens held the belief that their country could never fall as long as the ship was able to fight. Decades after the war, ''Yamato'' was memorialised in various forms by the Japanese. Historically, the word "Yamato" was used as a poetic name for Japan; thus, her name became a metaphor for the end of the Japanese empire. In April 1968, a memorial tower was erected at Cape Inutabu on
Tokunoshima , also known in English as is an island in the Amami archipelago of the southern Satsunan Islands of Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan. The island, in area, has a population of approximately 27,000. The island is divided into three administrative ...
, an island in the
Amami Islands The The name ''Amami-guntō'' was standardized on February 15, 2010. Prior to that, another name, ''Amami shotō'' (奄美諸島), was also used. is an archipelago in the Satsunan Islands, which is part of the Ryukyu Islands, and is southwest o ...
of
Kagoshima Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located on the island of Kyushu and the Ryukyu Islands. Kagoshima Prefecture has a population of 1,599,779 (1 January 2020) and has a geographic area of 9,187 km2 (3,547 sq mi). Kagoshima Prefecture borders Kumamoto P ...
, to commemorate the lives lost in Operation Ten-Go. In October 1974,
Leiji Matsumoto is a Japanese mangaka, creator of several anime and manga series. His wife Miyako Maki is also a manga artist. Early life Matsumoto was the middle child of a family of seven brothers, and, in his early childhood, Matsumoto was given a 35m ...
created a new television series, ''
Space Battleship Yamato is a Japanese science fiction anime series produced and written by Yoshinobu Nishizaki, directed by manga artist Leiji Matsumoto, and produced by Academy Productions. The series aired in Yomiuri TV from October 6, 1974 to March 30, 1975 ...
'', about rebuilding the battleship as a starship and its interstellar quest to save Earth. The series was a huge success, spawning eight feature films and four more TV series, the most recent of which was released in 2017. The series popularised the
space opera Space opera is a subgenre of science fiction that emphasizes space warfare, with use of melodramatic, risk-taking space adventures, relationships, and chivalric romance. Set mainly or entirely in outer space, it features technological and soci ...
. As post-war Japanese tried to redefine the purpose of their lives, ''Yamato'' became a symbol of heroism and of their desire to regain a sense of masculinity after their country's defeat in the war. Brought to the United States as ''
Star Blazers ''Star Blazers'' is an American animated television series adaptation of the Japanese anime series . ''Star Blazers'' was first broadcast in the United States in 1979. It was the first popular English-translated anime that had an overarching plo ...
'', the animated series proved popular and established a foundation for anime in the North American entertainment market. The motif in ''Space Battleship Yamato'' was repeated in ''Silent Service'', a popular manga and anime that explores issues of nuclear weapons and the Japan–US relationship. It tells the story of a nuclear-powered super submarine whose crew mutinies and renames the vessel ''Yamato'', in allusion to the World War II battleship and the ideals she symbolises. In 2005, the ''Yamato'' Museum was opened near the site of the former Kure shipyards. Although intended to educate on the maritime history of post
Meiji-era The is an era of Japanese history that extended from October 23, 1868 to July 30, 1912. The Meiji era was the first half of the Empire of Japan, when the Japanese people moved from being an isolated feudal society at risk of colonization ...
Japan, the museum gives special attention to its namesake; the battleship is a common theme among several of its exhibits, which includes a section dedicated to Matsumoto's animated series. The centrepiece of the museum, occupying a large section of the ground floor, is a long model of ''Yamato'' (1:10 scale). Later that year, Toei released a 143-minute movie, ''Yamato'', based on a book by
Jun Henmi , real name , was a Japanese writer and poet born in Mizuhashi (now part of Toyama City), Toyama Prefecture, Japan. She was known for her works of fiction and nonfiction about people affected by World War II. Henmi was the daughter of Gen'yoshi ...
, to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the end of World War II; Tamiya released special editions of scale models of the battleship in conjunction with the film's release. Based on a book of the same name, the film is a tale about the sailors aboard the doomed battleship and the concepts of honour and duty. The film was shown on more than 290 screens across the country and was a commercial success, taking in a record 5.11 billion
yen The is the official currency of Japan. It is the third-most traded currency in the foreign exchange market, after the United States dollar (US$) and the euro. It is also widely used as a third reserve currency after the US dollar and the e ...
at the domestic box office. A second ''Yamato'', dubbed the "''Yamato'' Mark II", is a central plot device in the 2016 video game '' Yakuza 6: The Song of Life'', in which it was constructed in secret following the end of World War II and financed with misappropriated government funds, being stored at Iwami Shipbuilding's facility in
Onomichi is a city located in Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan, facing the Inland Sea. The city was founded on April 1, 1898. As of April 30, 2016, the city has an estimated population of 141,811 and a population density of 497.8 persons per km2. The total a ...
. The 2019 Japanese film '' The Great War of Archimedes (アルキメデスの大戦, Archimedes no Taisen)'' based on a
manga Manga (Japanese: 漫画 ) are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long prehistory in earlier Japanese art. The term ''manga'' is u ...
by
Norifusa Mita is a Japanese manga artist born in 1958 from Iwate Prefecture. He is best known for '' Dragon Zakura'' for which he received the 29th Kodansha Manga Award. ''Dragon Zakura'' has been adapted to live-action television series in Japan and South Ko ...
tells the story of a dispute within the Japanese Navy over whether to fund the construction of aircraft carriers or a new battleship that would become ''Yamato''. The film begins with the sinking of ''Yamato'' and ends with its commissioning.


See also

*
Battleships in World War II World War II saw the end of the battleship as the dominant force in the world's navies. At the outbreak of the war, large fleets of battleships—many inherited from the dreadnought era decades before—were one of the decisive forces in naval th ...
* * * * *


Notes


Footnotes


References

* Ballard, Robert (1999). ''Return to Midway''. London. Wellington House. * * * * Jackson, Robert (2000). ''The World's Great Battleships''. Brown Books. . * * Johnston, Ian & McAuley, Rob (2000). ''The Battleships''. MBI Publishing Company. . * * * * * Reynolds, Clark G (1982). ''The Carrier War''. Time-Life Books. . * Skulski, Janusz (2004) 988 ''The Battleship Yamato: Anatomy of a Ship'' Conway Maritime Press. * * Steinberg, Rafael (1978). ''Island Fighting''. Time-Life Books Inc. * Steinberg, Rafael (1980) ''Return to the Philippines''. Time-Life Books Inc. * Wheeler, Keith (1980). ''War Under the Pacific''. Time-Life Books. * * Willmott, H.P. (2000). ''The Second World War in the Far East''. Wellington House. . * *


Further reading

*


External links


''Yamato'' Museum


* ttps://web.archive.org/web/20100325035351/http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/sh-fornv/japan/japsh-xz/yamato.htm US Navy history page on the ''Yamato'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Yamato Yamato-class battleships Ships built by Kure Naval Arsenal 1940 ships World War II battleships of Japan World War II shipwrecks in the East China Sea Battleships sunk by aircraft Naval magazine explosions Maritime incidents in April 1945 Ships sunk by US aircraft