Career Ordered: March 1937 Laid down: 4 November 1937 Launched: 8 August 1940 Commissioned: 16 December 1941 Fate: Sunk 7 April 1945 North of Okinawa General Characteristics Displacement: 65,027 tonnes (empty, including 21,266 tonnes of armor); 72,800 tonnes (estimated, full load) Length: 256 m (800.5 ft) water-line 263 m (862.5 ft) overall Beam: 36.9 m (121 ft) Draft: 11 m (36 ft) maximum Propulsion: • 12 Kanpon boilers, driving 4 steam turbines • 150,000 shp (110 MW) • Four 3-bladed propellers, 6.0 m (19.7 ft) diameter Speed: 27 knots (50 km/h) Range: 11,500 km at 16 knots (30 km/h) Complement: 2,750 Armour: • 650 mm on face of turrets • 410 mm side armor, inclined 20 degrees • 200 mm armored deck Armament: (1941) • 9 × 46 cm (18.1 inch) (3×3) • 12 × 15.5 cm (6.1 inch) (4×3) • 12 × 12.7 cm (6×2) • 24 × 25 mm AA (8×3) • 4 × 13 mm AA (2×2) Armament: (1945) • 9 × 46 cm (18.1 inch) (3×3) • 6 × 15.5 cm (6.1 inch) (2×3) • 24 × 12.7 cm (12×2) • 162 × 25 mm AA (52×3, 6×1) • 4 × 13 mm AA (2×2) Aircraft: 7, 2 catapults
Good to remember that the Japanese had some of the best ships around at the time of WWII Kelly, the Yamato being one of them. Yamato battleship under construction. She and her sister ship Musashi were the largest, heaviest battleships ever constructed, weighing 72,802 tons (full load.) She carried the heaviest armament ever fitted to a battleship: nine 460 mm (18.1 inch) guns.
They were the biggest ever built but also when they actually saw combat the most vulnerable in the end. Musashi was sunk during the Leyte landings in the Phillipines in October 1944 & Yamato was sent on a virtual Suicide Mission during the American landings on Okinawa in April 1945. Both were sunk by Aircraft from the by now numerous US Navy Fleet & Light Carriers operating in the 3rd & 7th Fleets.
I remember my grandfather used to talk about it. He says that it is the mightiest ship of the Japanese empire. Now, I know that it is true. For the first time in my life, I have seen its picture.
I would also say that Japan in truth failed to learn their own lessons at Pearl Harbor. Look how vulnerable the US Pacific Fleet turned out to be on 7th December 1941... All be it not forewarned.
I can say that the Japan Empire was truly outstanding during that time because we can all see the Yamato ship as the most formidable of all the ships during that time. I think Japanese always has their talents on building stuffs.
