Sinking the World's Largest Battleship "Yamato"

When launched in 1941, the Yamato was the world's largest and most powerful warship ever built. It was a symbol of Japanese military power and a response to attempts by world powers to place limitations on fleet sizes in order to de-escalate the naval arms race. The Yamato was built in absolute secrecy. Designed to be twice the size of any other battleship, it included three large gun turrets—each weighing more than an American destroyer—that could send a shell 40 kilometers. As American forces prepared for the invasion of Okinawa, the Yamato was ordered to do everything possible to stop this attack. A decision was made to sacrifice the ship in a suicide mission. But the Americans intercepted the Yamato while she was still 320 kilometers away from the closest American warship. A coordinated attack by more than 400 planes from a dozen U.S. aircraft carriers sunk the Yamato. The result was the largest naval disaster in history—only 269 of 3,016 crew members survived. Today, Yamato lies at the bottom of the East China Sea, sunk by a massive explosion that entombed 3,000 Japanese sailors in a colossal naval disaster. As it sank below the waves, the golden age of the battleship, the 20th century's first superweapon, had already faded from history. NOVA joins an international team exploring the grave of this titanic vessel to unlock the secrets of her design and final mission. Featuring powerful interviews with two of the Japanese survivors of the sinking, NOVA reconstructs the fateful last hours that led to the supership's doom.

Category:

Education

Tags:

• WORLD
• WAR
• TREASURE
• YAMATO
• SINKING
• SUPERSHIP
• GILBERTOY69
• PACIFIC
• WW2

[mauricioalfredo83]

so at the end...Japan send the Yamato to its own death alone...so usa didnt capture it and so they burn it blueprints...400+ airplanes against 1 boat...

[bloodhound2239]

@ulooklikeadope you do realize that the A-bomb was in development in Germany, however they just didn't have the resource and did not follow Einsteins theory, due to him being Jewish, when the Americans/UK/the allies found out about the A-bomb they decided to study it, figuring out how to succeed, eventually they did, oh and also, Nazi scientists actually helped to develop it.

Germany could've succeeded fool!

[ulooklikeadope]

@krangturboslank Ever here of the Manhattan Project? It was the Americans with the UK and Canada that developed the A-Bomb fool!

[Waterflux]

In terms of warship production, I think the fact that Japan armed itself well before the US turned into a major drawback once the shooting war took place. Because the US was getting its production sorted out later than Japan, its production could match whatever that was required for its campagin requirements. But this would have been harder to do for Japan as it was pretty much stuck with whatever it had built up earlier with little prospect of increase in production.

[AnimeGod1995]

I dont hate US for Dropping 2 A-Bomb. Because after seeing what happen in Germany could happen in Japan. But dont you dare think i like american coz of that. I never do like America more that Japan. No offence intended. And yes American was better back in WWII, unlike Japan know nothing but greed for more land. But now i look at America differently.

[Jdaki1]

@krangturboslank U mad?

[krangturboslank]

USA fags....read real history..not propaganda nato shit...

[JBC814]

@TheAce1082 I've always thought that the standard 5" gun was much too small for destroyers and cruisers. It should be an 8".

[JBC814]

@Nefus1988 It was 20,000 tons bigger than the Bismarck and/or any American battleship. Our biggest battleship was the 45,000 ton Iowa.

[JBC814]

The three Yamato class warships should have been carriers instead of battleships. They would have been the biggest carriers ever built, but Japan didn't realize the mistake until they started to build the third ship, which was to be a carrier named the Shinano. Nevertheless, it was too late in the war, and it was sunk by torpedoes before they could finish her. They could have had 3 of the largest carriers in the world at that time, but battleship vanity lead them astray.