Background
There is no more of a controversial naval construction project then that of the Japanese Yamato class battleship. Built to be the central Flag ship of the Imperial Japanese Navy, this heavily gunned and armored dreadnought was the largest and most powerful warship ever constructed. As the lead vessel of her class, she was later joined by her sister ship the Musahsi. Ironically the third of her class was converted to become the Aircraft carrier Shinano in mid construction.
Japan was caught in a quandary in the 1930’s. Japan itself was a nation that was short on natural resources that were required for the early 1930s. Short on space, arable farmland, and minerals and Oil, Japan was also paranoid about her place in the Pacific Ocean and especially her strategic position as an isolated Island Nation. These questions lead to the rise of fascist militant leadership guided by the Japanese Bushido code of honor. This rise acted as a seed for Japanese Imperialist ambitions. If she was going to be vulnerable due to the above resources, Japan would have to seize these lands and assets and become a self reliant Empire under the guise of the Co-Prosperity Sphere. Japan envisioned itself as the lead in an Empire that covered most of the Pacific Ocean as well as the Asiatic nations to the West.
Japan though was caught in a poor strategic situation, for their imperialist ambitions to be realized they knew that they would need a powerful and well trained Navy that would be capable of knocking their main competitor out of the Pacific Ocean quickly as they knew that once engaged with the United States they would quickly be overwhelmed by America’s awesome manufacturing capabilities.
With Japan committed to this course of action, it became apparent that they would have to withdraw from the Washington Naval Treaty. This treaty which was signed in 1922 by the US, Great Britain, France, Italy and Japan. By design the Washington Treaty was put in place to prevent a new arms race by limiting naval construction. It was focused around limiting Cruisers, Aircraft Carriers and Battleships by using a sheer tonnage and guns calculation. For example, Battleships were limited to 35,000 tones and guns no larger the 16 inches, Aircraft Carriers were limited to 27,000 tonnes and all other ships were limited to 10,000 tonnes with limited guns. On top of the individual ship calculations nations were limited in the sheer tonnage of capital ships (Cruisers, Battleships) and Aircraft Carriers. Japan for example was limited to 315,000 tons for Capital Ships, and 81,000 tons for Aircraft carriers. Going by the calculation of the weight limits, this would allow Japan to have about 4 Aircraft Carriers and less then 10 Battleships and Cruisers. Japan realized that they would not be able to realize their dream of building the massive navy required to curtail the US presence in the Pacific Ocean. The Japanese also felt that staying within the Treaty would guarantee their defeat to industrially superior nations like the United States, and that the Treaty Ratio was unfair to Japan. Therefore, Japan withdrew in 1934 so they could begin their naval buildup.
There have been questions around why the Japanese would build these massive Battleships, especially in what was the rise of Naval Airpower. There are more then a few reasons for this. In 1937 when the keel for the Yamato was laid down, naval aviation was still unproven, the planes of that generation could still only carry a very limited load of ordinance. It wasn’t until the Japanese were able to build very competent Aircraft Carrier based bombers and prove that Aircraft doctrine was the next stage of naval power projection at Pearly Harbor that we saw questions rise up in terms of the effectiveness of battleships.
The other reason for building this class of monstrous battleships was the belief that a Super Battleship was an intimidation factor. A heavily armored nearly indestructible war ship that was capable of flinging phone booth sized rounds over 26 miles, would be frightening in a standup fight.
The Japanese were not the only ones that put stock into the Battleships. The American Navy was based around the Battleship. The Germans had built the excellent fast Bismarck class Battleships and were starting the construction of the monstrous H Class Super Battleships.
The Japanese Imperial Navy and Army clashed over the design and use of Battleships vs Aircraft Carriers with the Army eventually gaining key concessions as up until Pearl Harbor they still felt that Aircraft Carriers would have limited effectiveness in a fleet to fleet battle.
The keel of the Yamato was laid down in 1937, it was so large that the dockyard had to be deepened and new specially constructed cranes guilt. After 3 years of construction the Yamato was christened in 1940, and commissioned as the flag ship of the Japanese Navy in 1941.
The Yamato
The Yamato was the most heavily armed battleship ever created. It was armed with 9 type 94 18 inch naval guns. The largest naval guns ever fitted to a warship. These monsters could fire a 3000 pound high explosive shell over 25 miles with relatively good accuracy. Her secondary armaments were made up of 12 6.1 inch guns in 4 turrets (1 forward, 2 midships) and 1 rear. 12 5 inch guns and 24 1 in anti-aircraft guns.
Defensively the Yamato boasted a 16 inch waterline armor belt, her deck featured 9 inches of deck plating.
Additionally, she also carried up to 12 E8N scout planes that could be launched from rear catapults and recovered by a rear mounted crane.
At Sea Operations
Initially designated as the Flag Ship of Yamamoto’s combined fleet, she was formally commissioned days after Pearl Harbor, which is seen as the start of the ascension of the Aircraft Carrier.
She first took part in the Battle of Miday which was a disastrous loss for the Japanese Navy. The Yamato served as the Command hub of the operation, but the Battleship fleet under Yamamoto was too slow to maneuver with Japan’s Aircraft Carriers, and the Yamato was too far away to aid in the battle.
Yamato couldn’t take part in the key battle of Guadalcanal because of a lack of ammunition for shore bombardment, after that she returned home for a refitting which included adding more 1 inch anti aircraft batteries.
From there it seems like the Japanese Navy was not sure what it was going to use the Yamato for. Because of her thick armor and storage spaces she was used as a transport with her sister ship. But while she was carrying troops and stores she was attacked on the way to Truk by the infamous USS skate who fired a 4 torpedo spread into her hill ripping open a 5 meter hole in the ship and flooding its magazines. From there Yamato returned to Kure for repairs, and from there had a radar system upgraded before she returned to sea in April of 1944.
From there she went to the Philippines sea where she acted as a transport and escort before departing for the Battle of Leyte Gulf, the larges naval battle in history, and Yamato was about to take a large role in the battle.
Frankly, Leyte was a mauling of the Japanese Navy, as the American’s sank 5 heavy cruisers which stripped the Japanese center force of much of its anti-aircraft capability. The Yamato came under heavy attack by US Naval Air and was struck by two armor piercing rounds through her top deck causing her to take on 3500 tons of water, however even with the flooding she stayed in the battle.
Following this we saw one of the great miscalculations of the war as Admiral Bill Halsey assumed that the Japanese Center Force was in retreat. However, this was achieved by the Japanese using a decoy fleet, while the remaining part of center force snuck through the San Bernardino straight to attack an American formation.
Yamato finally got to fire its guns in anger, hitting several American ships including the escort carrier Gambier Bay. The American’s counter fired with a spread of torpedoes and the Yamato was forced to evade and could not join the battle. The Japanese center force intimidated by the American’s were forced to withdraw from battle and the Yamato escaped unphased, however this represented the last time that the Yamato would fire its main batteries.
Operation Ten-Go and the End
Operation Ten-Go represented the end of the Japanese Navy in WW2, seeing the end of the Japanese Navy and the impending attack on the Home Islands by the American Navy, 9 warships escorted the Yamato for a suicide attack on the American Forces fighting the Battle of Okinawa.
Desperate and lacking aircraft or operational ships. What was left of the Japanese navy was to fight their way to Okinawa and then beach themselves and act like shore batteries until they could fire no more. Then the surviving crewmen were to abandon ship and fight the US forces on land. It was a sad end to the proud Japanese Navy. It was also a failure and showed the surface combatants couldn’t hope to survive in a battle without air cover and proper anti air defenses.
On April 6th this 10 ship floatilla centered around the Yamato departed and was promptly spotted by the Threadfin and Hacklback two American submarines who trailed the group and radio’d contact details to the US fleet.
On April 7th at noon the end arrived. American Hellcat and Corsair fighters arrived over the Yamato, their initial job was to act as an aggressive fighter sweep to destroy any defending Japanese fighters. There were none, the Japanese formation was badly exposed.
Unimpeded American Avenger bombers arrived and tipped over into the dives. The Yamato was hit by two armor piercing bombs and a single torpedo, she suffered what was considered to be light damage though her super structure was on fire. It was about to get worse. A second and third wave of American’s arrived and concentrated on killing the Yamato. She was hit by 8 torpedos and 15 bombs. Her gun directors were knocked out and the Yamato had to aim her guns manually. The torpedo hits caused the Battleship to list heavily to the port side and she lost her damage control water pumping stations.
In order to save the ship the damage control crews flooded the Starboard engines and boiler rooms drowning several hundred crewmen. At the same time 20 Avengers dropped their torpedoes and three hit the Yamato, jamming her rudder. Surprising the Yamato continued to sail on.
The American’s continued to fire torpedoes and disabled her steerage and turning gears and the Japanese Admiral in command ordered what was left of her crew to abandon ship while he and the ships captain stayed on. At 14:20 on April 7th, the Yamato capsized and began to sink, however fires on the ship managed to reach her main ammunition storage and she exploded sending a mushroom could 20,000 feet in the air and the blast could be heard 200 km’s away. Out of the 3,332 volunteer crew members that had sailed on this suicide mission, 3,055 were killed.
The Watery Grave
The Yamato’s wreckage was discovered in 1982, there was talk by the American’s to recover the wreckage and give a proper burial to the crewmen trapped below. But to date while the wreckage has been digitally surveyed it sill lays 290 km sw of Kyusha under 1000 feet of water.
The Flaws
First and foremost the Yamato was exactly as advertised, her heavy guns would be devastating in a naval vs naval battle and she was one of the toughest ships ever built survival multiple bomb and torpedo attacks before sinking.
Strategically there were several problems with the Yamato class battleship. While it heavily outgunned its American counterparts, it was far slower then the fast battleship, which was a key disadvantage if a battle ever occurred between the two. It was also far too slow to engage in a running battle with an American Battlegroup.
The Battleship concept was in its descendants almost immediately after the Yamato was commissioned, Pearl Harbor and the Battle of Midway showed that a Battleship with a sphere of influence of 26 miles paled in comparison with a naval air strike force where for example an Avenger Bomber with an operational range of 1000 miles.
The Battleship couldn’t survive without significant air protection and anti-air protection from other ships to provide an all angles lead shield. Even though the Yamato had significant AA batteries they didn’t do well firing straight up which allowed a bomb funnel for a dive bomber.
While the 16 inches of armor should have protected the Yamato from submarines and other ships. There were issues with the welding of the armor plates in the belt and precise hits would pop the seams.
The Yamato also lacked fire control radar for its main guns and anti-aircraft guns, because of this these guns had to be manually aimed and fired, which was a tremendous disadvantage.
One of the biggest problems thought, and I’ve pointed it out in other talks around the Japanese Navy was that their damage control was poorly conceived and the crew was often poorly trained. This lead for example to the crew drownings as the Yamato tried to counter its list and flooded work space without warning the crews in those spaces. As well the Japanese damage control was hindered by poor design and things like armor around ammunition storage, and sufficient deck armor to protect from dive bombers.
Conclusions
While WW2 and the destruction of the Japanese Navy signaled the end of the Battleship as a primary offensive weapon. The Battleship carried on in different roles. Because of their large frames and heavy guns the American’s modified their battleships to become shore bombardment engines. The last US Battleship the USS Missouri was decommissioned in 1992 after taking part in the Gulf War.
The Yamato class battleship was really though the last of its concept and dreadnought built to intimidate, instead it went through the second world war only firing its main batteries once. Since then Naval Air power has been ascendant with ships being designed around protecting an aircraft carrier which is now the primary power protection platform at sea.