Known as "the largest battleship in human history," how sturdy was the Japanese "Yamato" record in World War II?

The construction and equipment of the Yamato

Japan has been deeply influenced by the sea power theory in modern times to develop its navy. The sweetness gained during the Sino-Japanese Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1895 and the naval battles of the Russo-Japanese War made it attach great importance to naval construction in modern history.

As early as World War I, Japan had a huge shipbuilding plan of the so-called "Eight-Eight Fleet" composed of eight battleships and eight battlecruisers, but this plan was ultimately due to the "Five Nations Naval Treaty". Restricted and stranded. However, Japan did not stop. In the 1930s, spent hundreds of billions of yen to secretly build two super-large battleships, namely the "Yamato" class battleships-sister ships of the Yamato and Musashi. tried in vain to rely on the single-ship gun caliber and tonnage to seize the advantage in the strategic decisive battle in the Pacific.

"Yamato" class battleship is the largest battleship ever built in human history in terms of tonnage. In terms of artillery, the "Yamato" is also unprecedented in the history of battleship development. She is equipped with nine 460mm main guns-the largest caliber naval gun ever equipped on a battleship.

In addition, the "Yamato" is also equipped with dozens of secondary guns and anti-aircraft guns ranging from 155mm to 127mm. In addition, there are hundreds of machine guns ranging from 25mm to 13mm, densely arranged. All over the hull. Therefore, is simply speaking of naval gun firepower, "Yamato" is the most powerful super warship ever built in human history.

Figure 1 "Yamato" huge 460mm gun

In terms of armor protection, "Yamato" can also be described as armed to the teeth. Its key armor was 410 mm thick, and the thickness of the turret reached 650 mm, which was able to withstand the firepower of almost all mainstream naval guns in the world at about 20 kilometers. So what is the actual result of such a sea monster with both offensive and defensive capabilities?

The embarrassing performance and record of the "Yamato" in actual combat

Although on the surface the "Yamato" has the most powerful main gun and thick and solid armor in the world, its existence, in The entire Pacific War has been very embarrassing. The main reason lies in the rapid decline of its status as a battleship in the naval battles of World War II.

In the entire Pacific War, the main combat ships of the United States and Japan were aircraft carriers. Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor and the US Midway Island victory all relied on aircraft carrier operations to obtain the main results, while other types of ships, especially battleships, had few results. Aircraft carriers can attack enemy fleets dozens of kilometers or even hundreds of kilometers away through carrier-based aircraft. This combat efficiency is unmatched by battleship whose gun range of generally does not exceed 40 kilometers.

Therefore, the "Yamato" was almost always in a state of "watching a show" throughout the Pacific War. This is also related to the inferiority of the "Yamato" in mobility.

The Yamato has a top speed of 27 knots, while the speed of most Japanese aircraft carriers generally exceeds 30 knots. This also makes it unlikely that the Yamato can keep up with the speed of the main maneuvering force. coupled with the poor coordinated command of various ships by Japanese naval officers, makes it difficult for the Yamato to participate in frontline operations. And because the Japanese navy attaches great importance to the Yamato, and regards it as a trump card that will never be revealed until the last moment, the Yamato is rarely sent to the front line.

So what tasks did the Yamato undertake most in the Pacific War?

From the archives of the Japanese Navy, it can be roughly seen that in the early stage of the war, the Yamato was mainly engaged in the transportation of supplies and troops. In some important battles, the "Yamato" also served as a reserve force instead of an assault force. This also made the "Yamato" miss many decisive battles in the Pacific War. For example, in the Battle of Midway, the Yamato was incorporated into the main fleet under the direct command of Yamamoto 56. However, Yamamoto kept this main force as a reserve force throughout the Battle of Midway, and has not used it for a long time.

Although the Yamato seldom went straight during its serviceHe then participated in combat, but was often attacked. These attacks did not come from battleships comparable to their tonnage, but from submarines and aircraft. In 1943, the Yamato was attacked by a US submarine and was hit by torpedoes twice and had to return for repairs. In the Battle of Wright Bay in 1944, he encountered repeated attacks by US bombers and was hit by three bombs. The "Yamato" itself is weak in air defense and anti-submarine capabilities, which makes her generally powerless to deal with these attacks. Therefore, the Yamato appears very weak in the face of air strikes and submarine attacks.

Figure 2 The densely packed anti-aircraft guns around the "Yamato" bridge may seem mighty, but in fact the air defense effect is very general.

Here we have to mention the "Yamato" Emergency air defense capability. Although the "Yamato" hull is densely packed with various anti-aircraft guns, its performance is really not flattering. Take the more than 100 96-type triple 25mm anti-aircraft guns equipped by Yamato as an example. Its rate of fire reached 260 rounds per minute, but its magazine only had 15 rounds. In other words, this anti-aircraft gun needs to change its magazine every less than four seconds after firing at its theoretical rate of fire. In addition, its ammunition is very weak and cannot cause much damage to the US military aircraft. Even if it hits the US military aircraft, it is difficult to shoot it down.

However, the "Yamato" was not completely without record in the entire World War II.

In the Battle of Wright Bay in 1944, the 460mm main gun of the Yamato finally came into play. However, its targets were not the opponent's battleships, but several destroyers and small escort aircraft carriers. In the Battle of Sama Island in the Battle of Leyte Bay, the Yamato’s 460mm main gun finally fired for the first time in actual combat. According to statistics from Japan after the war, the "Yamato" sank one aircraft carrier, one cruiser, and one destroyer.

But in fact, according to the statistics of the US military after the war, the US military lost two escort aircraft carriers, three destroyers and some frigates in the entire sea battle on Samar Island. And one of the escort aircraft carriers was sunk by the Japanese "Kamikaze". In addition, other Japanese warships also declared after the war that they had sunk several escort aircraft carriers and destroyers. Therefore, the record of the "Yamato" is undoubtedly moist.

Figure 3 The "Yamato"

in the Battle of Wright Bay However, Yamato's artillery was also considered powerful in this battle. According to the memories of US military combatants at the time, a US destroyer was hit by the Yamato’s 460mm main gun. The situation was almost like a puppy being crushed into meatloaf by a truck. However, the "Yamato" 460mm main gun was originally designed for large enemy ships, but in actual combat it was used to deal with weakly armored escort aircraft carriers and destroyers, and it had a sense of sight of anti-aircraft guns hitting mosquitoes.

The end of the "Yamato"

With Japan's continuous defeat in the Pacific War, the Japanese navy had to show the "Yamato" trump card and sent it in the Battle of Okinawa in 1945. Take the initiative. However, at this time, what the "Yamato" was performing was a mission with no return. At that time, the Japanese Navy's aircraft carriers were basically annihilated by the US forces, and there were not many battleships and cruisers left. The "Yamato" carried out a desperate suicide attack at the headquarters of the Japanese Navy.

After obtaining the intelligence of the "Yamato" attack, the US military sent more than 400 carrier-based aircraft to attack it. "Yamato" was bombarded by US military planes for three hours, and finally sank after being hit by 10 torpedoes and 24 bombs. During this battle, she failed to sink any enemy ship.

Figure 4 The "Yamato" struggling before being sunk

According to official Japanese files, the entire "Yamato" was attacked by the US military and sank. Only 3 planes were shot down in three hours. Its poor air defense capability was revealed again at the last moment of its destruction. In the end, the record of "Yamato" came to an end in such a slightly dark humorous form.

Figure 5 The final record of the "Yamato"

Overall, the record of the "Yamato" is very average. During its service, it sank only one destroyer, one escort carrier (suspect), and several aircraft. -It is totally unworthy of its title of "the largest battleship in human history". This was caused by the innovation of naval battle tactics during World War II. The aircraft carrier has become a capital ship, and relying on carrier-based aircraft's over-the-horizon strike has become the main form of naval warfare. In World War I, the era of battleship arrays firing at each other is over. The battleships of the "Yamato" with mediocre mobility and poor air defense capabilities can no longer find a suitable stage for their use. The crazy gamble of Japanese militarists on the battleship finally ended in failure.