Aerial image of battleship Yamato discovered

NHK Online ^ | 03 Jul 06 | Unkn

[GATOR NAVY]

Boilers and main engines that were made for Kentucky and Illinois were used in the Sacramento class AOEs.

[GATOR NAVY]

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.

As futile as it sounds, that was the plan.

[Defender2]

For You, UCANSEE2, again, I say, Happy Fourth of July for You and Yours!!!!:-)

[GATOR NAVY]

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.

Halsey and 3rd Fleet didn't have any slow BBs-his were all capable of keeping up with the carriers. You might be thinking of the slow BBs at Surgio Strait, but they belonged to Kinkaid and 7th Fleet and were never in position to block San Bernardino Strait.

In fact, it was Kinkaid asking whether or not San Bernardino Strait was covered that led to the whole TF 34 fiasco.

[republicanwizard]

Yes! I liked it! u?

[Gator101]

A while back I read a book called "Destroyer Commander" by Tameichi Hara. It's a great book for anybody who wants a look inside the Imperial Navy in WW2. Anyways he ended up commanding the accompanying cruiser, Yahagi, during the last voyage of the Yamato. My memory is a bit shaky but I seem to recall that he writes that the men stationed at the last fueling point for this ill fated fleet went against orders and gave the Yamato more fuel than what was needed for a one way trip. The couldn't bring themselves to believe that the pride of the Imperial fleet was being sent on a suicide mission. I can't remember if the Yamato's captain knew or not. As it was, it didn't matter since she never made it to Okinawa anyways.

[libstripper]

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.

This is how to be misleading by omission. The Yamato didn't "sink"; it was sunk by a massive series of US ariel assaults.

[Robert A Cook PE]

For my reference:

http://www.ausairpower.net/Warship-Hits.html

Note to self: look at the difference in damage between Liberty ship and landing ships damage compared to destroyer-sized hulls.

Second note to self: USS Schenectady was SUNK! (Maybe the most useful thing that hull did: Middie cruise, summer 1975 out of San Diego)

[COEXERJ145]

I'm still working on it but so far its been good. I loaned it to my dad as he had been pestering me since I got it. He served on DE's in the early 1960's. He hadn't returned it yet and since he is on vacation until the end of the week, I can't get it back.

[Robert A Cook PE]

Hara's book was very sobering.

[COEXERJ145]

Yamato's fuel bunkers were anywhere from 60%-80% full depending on which account one reads. The story of enough fuel for a one way voyage is really a myth. She had as much fuel as was available at the time she departed.

[libstripper]

It was about 70,000 tons compared to about 45,000 tons for Iowa class battleships, one or two of which we periodically renovate anduse for shore bombardment. None of our battleships is currently on active duty.

[Eric in the Ozarks]

The Iowas could carry 50,000 bbls of fuel but first sailed on Bunker C (Number 6 fuel oil). Sometime afterward, they were converted to distillate. Any idea when this happened ?

[GATOR NAVY]

"Japanese Destroyer Captain". I have that book. It's currently out of print but you can find paperback copies around (mine is from 1962).

I recently read that the Naval Institute Press finally tracked down the copyright owners (the three original authors are dead) and will be reissueing it.

[BenLurkin]

Nuclear power plants -- Aegis radar/defense systems -- NEW ammo for the big guns -- cruise missiles -- ship to ship missiles -- ASW capability -- well trained crews


AND put them back out to sea!

[Gator101]

I am sure you knew this GN but for anyone who doesn't know what the "TF 34 fiasco" was, the message below was sent from Nimitz to Halsey once the battle off of Samar had started:

TURKEY TROTS TO WATER GG FROM CINCPAC ACTION COM THIRD FLEET INFO COMINCH CTF SEVENTY-SEVEN X WHERE IS RPT WHERE IS TASK FORCE THIRTY FOUR RR THE WORLD WONDERS

Task force 34 contained the fast battleships that many wrongly assumed Halsey had left covering San Bernadino Strait. The parts before the GG and after the RR are meaningless "padding" meant to confuse code-breakers. For some reason the padding at the end was left on when it was read to Halsey. Perhaps the radioman thought it was fitting. Anyways Halsey thought Nimitz had sarcastically dressed him down over the airwaves and was pretty sore over the issue.

[GATOR NAVY]

When they were recommissioned in the '80s they all converted to burn DFM. From what I have read it was one of the most difficult aspects of the process.

[Gator101]

"Japanese Destroyer Captain"...yes that was it. Thanks for the title. I have an old, delicate, copy sitting next to "Panzer Commander" by Hans Von Luck.

That's why us Republican are so much better than Democrats when it comes to National defense. We understand the importance of understanding the way the enemy thinks.

[Gator101]

That's why us Republican are so much better than Democrats when it comes to National defense. We understand the importance of understanding the way the enemy thinks.

Let me restate that: We understand the importance of understanding the way the enemy thinks but make a distinction between understanding him...and excusing him.

[OKSooner]

"Maybe some lone pilot flew over and got a picture."

Yes, that would be a dude named Commander Eddington, the only man in the US Navy who knew how to fly a B-25 and a dead ringer for Kirk Douglas, on a suicide recon mission after sexually assaulting a pretty young nurse named Ensign Dorn. About the time he radioed in the location of Yamato, he was shot down by Japanese fighters. His boss, knowing of his crime, declined to nominate him for any decoration.

It was all set to film in the Otto Preminger classic, In Harm's Way.