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Aerial image of battleship Yamato discovered
NHK Online ^ | 03 Jul 06 | Unkn

Posted on 07/03/2006 8:42:25 AM PDT by GATOR NAVY

A Japanese museum has obtained a rare photo of Japan's World War Two battleship the Yamato shortly before it departed for the East China Sea, where it was sunk by US warplanes.

The aerial photo was taken by a US reconnaissance plane on April 6, 1945, off Tokuyama in Yamaguchi prefecture, western Japan, five hours before the Yamato made its final sortie.

The Yamato Museum in Kure City, Hiroshima Prefecture, recently obtained a digital image of this photo, which is stored in the US National Archives in Washington.

The Yamato, the world's largest-ever battleship, sank on its way to Okinawa after being attacked by US naval aircraft on April 7, 1945.

The image shows the Yamato preparing for departure, and six other escort vessels, including the light cruiser Yahagi, which were anchored around the Yamato.

The Yamato was remodeled several times to counter US air attacks. A researcher says the picture is the first photo that clearly shows anti-aircraft guns installed near the Yamato's stern.

The Yamato Museum Director, Kazushige Todaka, says the photo is important since there is a lack of data on the battleship shortly before it sank.


TOPICS: Japan; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: battleship; battleshipyamato; navy; okinawa; pacific; wwii
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To: COEXERJ145
Oh, I agree, it's just that my point is that Toranto, Pearl Harbor, and the sinking of Prince of Wales and Repulse demonstrated that they were nearly helpless against a determined air attack. And of course, it was obsolete Fairey Swordfish from Ark Royal who damaged the Bismark's steering, affectively dooming her.
101 posted on 07/03/2006 11:10:01 AM PDT by ABG(anybody but Gore) ("By the time I'm finished with you, you're gonna wish you felt this good again" - Jack Bauer)
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To: ABG(anybody but Gore)
Imagine how it must have galled those old big-gun navy salts to see million dollar battleships done in by these newfangled flying contraptions.

BTW...if you ever wanted to get back into waterline models there is a great site for plastic and resin ship builders: http://www.steelnavy.com/

I've lurked there for years and still check it every day. Just finished up a Fletcher class destroyer last week in fact.
102 posted on 07/03/2006 11:18:44 AM PDT by Gator101
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To: ABG(anybody but Gore); Artemis Webb
Sorry ABG, I confused you with Artemis Webb. That steelnavy link was for him...or anybody else with an interest in modeling.
103 posted on 07/03/2006 11:22:02 AM PDT by Gator101
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To: Robert A. Cook, PE
You're speaking of the Graf Spee, of course, and the HMS Exeter, HMS Ajax and HMNZS Achilles?

The Graf Spee, with 11" guns, took out the Exeter who had only 8" guns. Didn't sink the Exeter, but she was ordered back to the Falklands, heavily damaged. The Ajax & Achilles, with 6" guns, did little damage to the Graf Spee.

The Graf Spee took refuge in the Plate Estuary, and there remains some question as to why he did so, since the ship wasn't that heavily damaged. She then returned to sea where the Captain scuttled his ship.

...Plate River (south America): 3 British cruisers took out a larger German ship.

104 posted on 07/03/2006 11:25:30 AM PDT by Ready4Freddy (Carpe Sharpei!)
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To: Defender2
Not many people know about the Montana Class battleships or the fact that two more Iowa class ships were partially built. These were the Illinois and Kentucky.
The bow of the partially built Kentucky ( BB-66) was used to repair the Wisconsin after she suffered a collision at sea. The Kentucky's keel was laid in 1944 but she wasn't scrapped until 1958.
105 posted on 07/03/2006 11:29:26 AM PDT by Eric in the Ozarks (BTUs are my Beat.)
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To: longtermmemmory

The Yamato was built at great cost during the height of the War. Previous to its single engagement it had a reputation as a floating hotel for Imperial Navy brass. The Army, fliers and common Japanese had suffered terribly because of a War that the Navy was preceived to have started. By the time the Yamato set sail no one expected it to come back, few expected to even score against the Americans, and in the event it did not. Its demise probably provided US Navy fliers invaluable target practice. Japan would have been better served if it had been scuttled.


106 posted on 07/03/2006 11:29:47 AM PDT by Lonesome in Massachussets (NYT Headline: 'Protocols of the Learned Elders of CBS: Fake But Accurate, Experts Say.')
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To: edzo4; CJ Wolf

Sing it with me...

"we're off, to save the day, to save the human race..."


107 posted on 07/03/2006 11:29:51 AM PDT by stacytec (Nihilism, its whats for dinner)
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To: APRPEH

That's true.

I once heard a story that after a kamikaze hit on a US battleship the next command that came over the loudspeaker was "Sailors, man your brooms!"

(...of course I have heard the same story to describe a hit on a British carrier which had an armored flight deck)


108 posted on 07/03/2006 11:30:20 AM PDT by Gator101
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To: GATOR NAVY


109 posted on 07/03/2006 11:31:47 AM PDT by fso301
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To: GATOR NAVY

Yeah, that's big.

But how would it fare against this?


110 posted on 07/03/2006 11:32:38 AM PDT by Lazamataz (Proudly Posting Without Reading the Article Since 1999 !!!)
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To: stacytec

who were the bad guys? I just remember rushing home after school to watch, I remember the space marines and the comet but little else


111 posted on 07/03/2006 11:32:54 AM PDT by edzo4
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To: Lonesome in Massachussets
You're correct. Not even the most optimistic person in the Imperial Navy thought Yamato would make it back from Okinawa. I don't know if this is accurate or not, but I remember reading that she only had enough fuel to reach Okinawa, where she would beach herself and fight as a very large shore based battery. When that was no longer possible, her crew was to fight as naval infantry.
112 posted on 07/03/2006 11:35:29 AM PDT by ABG(anybody but Gore) ("By the time I'm finished with you, you're gonna wish you felt this good again" - Jack Bauer)
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To: SmithL

If you ever get a chance to see the Alabama in Mobile, I highly suggest it. Katrina did a number on the park, and especially the planes in the Aviation Pavillion, but the Alabama & Drum are in fine shape. I took my nephew yesterday and it was a blast. It would be better if they'd let me shoot those double 40's though.


113 posted on 07/03/2006 11:38:37 AM PDT by numberonepal (Don't Even Think About Treading On Me)
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To: Gator101

Unlike a few visionaries such as Nimitz and Yamamoto, before WW2, most of the admirals considered the carrier as a scout who would find the enemy fleet so the battlewagons could go in and slug it out.


114 posted on 07/03/2006 11:40:50 AM PDT by ABG(anybody but Gore) ("By the time I'm finished with you, you're gonna wish you felt this good again" - Jack Bauer)
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To: edzo4

http://www.desslok.com/INFO/storyint.htm

As always, the The Gamilons were eliminated using everyone's favorite weapon of mass destruction, the wave motion gun!


115 posted on 07/03/2006 11:41:16 AM PDT by stacytec (Nihilism, its whats for dinner)
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To: Gator101
If only Halsey had left his fast battleships back to guard San Bernardino Strait in 1944 this "what if" may have been answered.

The major role of the fast battleships was to protect the CV's from a major surface combatant like the Yamato. The thinking was that it might be possible during adverse weather conditions, or in narrow waters, to catch a carrier unready. The fast battleship, because it could keep pace with the CV's, was ideal for that role. In addition you could put a lot of AAA guns on a battlewagon to help drive off enemy aircraft.

That said, Halsey left his slow battleships to cover San Bernadino Strait, and took his fast BB's with him as insurance. Had Halsey known that the Japanese CV's posed no threat (they didn't have any aircraft embarked), he might have reacted differently.

116 posted on 07/03/2006 11:43:22 AM PDT by Tallguy (When it's a bet between reality and delusion, bet on reality -- Mark Steyn)
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To: CJ Wolf

I saw this battleship last week. It was damaged during the Katrina hurricane but is open to the public now.

117 posted on 07/03/2006 11:46:50 AM PDT by blam
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To: Rummyfan
Ever see that flick with Kirk Douglas where the USS Nimitz is transported back in time to December 6th 1941?

The single worst acting job ever done by Kirk Douglas had to be "The Final Countdown". I swear he just mailed that one in.

118 posted on 07/03/2006 11:47:51 AM PDT by Tallguy (When it's a bet between reality and delusion, bet on reality -- Mark Steyn)
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To: COEXERJ145

That looks like an LPD (?)


119 posted on 07/03/2006 11:49:11 AM PDT by 70times7 (An open mind is a cesspool of thought)
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To: ABG(anybody but Gore)
Yep...and if I remember correctly, the admirals at first dismissed the effectiveness of air power at Taranto and Pearl Harbor because they were surprise attacks on ships that were sitting ducks. The sinking of HMS Prince of Wales and HMS Repulse at sea and ready for battle 3 days after Pearl Harbor helped put an end to that argument.

Of course, if your battleships were sunk at anchor at least you might have a chance to recover them.
120 posted on 07/03/2006 11:50:48 AM PDT by Gator101
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