Aerial image of battleship Yamato discovered

NHK Online ^ | 03 Jul 06 | Unkn

[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.

[AmusedBystander]

There are no current battle-ships

Actually following a trip to Pearl Harbor some years back, I was told that the USS Arizona is still officially on the books.

[Gator101]

I believe that all our battleships are of WWII vintage.

Technically - the USS Texas is of WW1 vintage. Great ship to visit if you have the chance. She is the last dreadnought era battleship left in the world I believe.

It's a shame the British didn't save HMS Warspite (also of the same era) as a museum ship. Not many battleships had a history as rich as hers (she was at Jutland, D-Day, and a lot more).

[quikdrw]

IOWA, NEW JERSEY, MISSOURI, and WISCONSIN were designed to fight with, at least, two of them together. I learned that at the WISCONSIN in Norfolk, VA.

[quikdrw]

I think that might be correct.

[wolficatZ]

Thanks for the info, it may well have been the Robert Rowan; I haven't had any luck finding a video clip, but I'm still looking when I get a chance.

I seem to remember it being shown in the context of a Pacific battle, but that doesn't mean much considering all the chronological and historical inaccuracies dealing with archival film in documentaries.

[Gator101]

shown in the context of a Pacific battle

Yep...that's the kicker. I've also seen footage of Japanese zeroes getting splashed in the Battle of Britain, Stuka's bombing Truk in the Pacific, and my personal favorite: The WW1 Austrian Battlehip Szent István capsizing in 1918 used to represent any number of WW2 ships capsizing.

[Ruy Dias de Bivar]

***and my personal favorite: The WW1 Austrian Battlehip Szent István capsizing in 1918 used to represent any number of WW2 ships capsizing.***


Especially with Flying Saucers hovering around! ( Earth VS the Flying Saucers)

[Gator101]

Yep. Poor Szent István has even been called into service for Hollywood B-movies

[Gator101]

Good point.

I was thinking about this the other night and it occurred to me that Ozawa's Northern decoy probably succeeded in drawing off Halsey BECAUSE he knew it was a decoy. Thinking he had defeated the Center Force (as you described) he then probably thought the decoy force was going to take off once Ozawa realized 3rd fleet had defeated the force that Ozawa's ships were supposed to be distracting it from. Wanting to send some more Japanese ships to the bottom Halsey took of after them in order to prevent their escape.

I wonder...had he thought the Northern force was a legitimate striking force and not knowing what the overall strategy was, would he have been a bit more conservative and waited for them to come to him? If so maybe 3rd fleet, with its fast battleships, would have been in position to face Kurita when he appeared instead?

Imagine what a battle that would have been! This time had Kurita turned back he may have had a whole lot of American steel in hot pursuit looking to finish him off...rather than a few destroyers and CVE's looking on in bewilderment, wondering how they were still alive.

[wolficatZ]

LoL, I know what you mean when it comes to historical accuracy in archival film.

 

How about the longest range battleship vs battleship engagement in history?

 

 

"On 9th July 1940, the Mediterranean Fleet intercepted an Italian force returning from Benghazi in Italian-held Libya. Although the engagement was inconclusive, Cunningham pursued the Italians to within site of the coast, and his flagship the elderly battleship HMS Warspite scored a hit on the battleship Julio Cesare at a range of fifteen miles (approximately 26,000 yards )."

 

 

HMS Warspite

 

 

 

 

RM Julio Cesare

 

 

Back to the subject at hand, has anyone ever heard of the Yamato carrying 18" "shotgun" shells, which were to be used as anti-aircraft defense, and if they were ever used in combat or otherwise?

[snowrip]

Starblazers!

Where did you find that image? That was one of my favorite cartoons when I was a kid.

[Gator101]

I read that the Yamato had a special "beehive" AA round made specially for it's 18-inch guns. It was a shell filled with thermite and metal shards that was set to explode at a predetermined altitude. I don't think it was too effective though...given that the Yamato was sunk by airplanes.

[RetiredSWO]

It will be a few years before the Zumwalt class is online.
The gun is going to be 155mm (close to 6") for the "Joint"
classification of the projectiles. The 8" gun originally
designed for the Spruance is still sitting at Dam Neck.

The cargo projectiles be used in the 155mm round are
more efficent killers that the massive 16" projectile.
http://www.vectorsite.net/twbombb.html

[P8riot]

Here's some specs on the "Montana" class

General Characteristics - Montana class
Builders:	Philadelphia Naval Shipyard, Philadelphia, Penn. (BB 67 and 68) New York Naval Shipyard, Brooklyn, New York (BB 69 - 70) Norfolk Naval Shipyard, Norfolk, Va. (BB 71)
Power Plant:	8 B&W Boilers (615 PSI), 172,000 horsepower
Length:	920.6 feet (280.6 meters)
Beam:	121 feet (36.9 meters)
Draft:	36.1 feet (11 meters)
Displacement:	approx. 70,500 tons full load
Speed:	28 knots
Crew:	115 Officers, 2240 enlisted
Weapons Systems:	12 - 16-inch guns (Main Battery) 20 - 5-inch guns (Secondary Battery) 56 - 20mm guns (Secondary Battery) 10 Quad - 40mm machine guns (Secondary Battery) 12 - .50-cal machine guns (Secondary Battery) 2 - 21 in torpedo tubes (above water)
Aircraft:	four planes
Catapults:	two
Armor:	horizontal: 154mm vertical: 457mm gun turrets: 197 - 534mm conning tower: 197 - 457mm

[Ruy Dias de Bivar]

***Yep. Poor Szent István has even been called into service for Hollywood B-movies****

Woops, the flying saucers were seen over the HMS BARHAM torpedoed and exploded in WWII.

[wordsofearnest]

Made it to USS Arizona memorial and the USS Missouri on July 30th. We were first in line for our group and the volunteer guide (who was six years old and living in Honolulu on 12/7/41) gave us a small bunch of orchids to put in the water at the memorial.

Found out that one 16 inch gun barrel of the Missouri weighs 179,000 pounds (weight of the space shuttle). Yesterday after we got home I found out my wife's uncle served on the Missouri during the 1950's.

A very moving experience all in all. Anyone in Hawaii must visit the Memorial.

[Rummyfan]

It is very moving to visit both the Arizona and the Missouri.

[wordsofearnest]

Wholeheartedly agree. RIMPAC was just ending when we got there. Saw CINCPAC HQ at Pearl Harbor (windowless building).

Also X band radar dome was sitting in the harbor on a submersible oil platform on its way to Alaska.

[Robert A Cook PE]

Ssssssh.

[wordsofearnest]

OK, but don't google on it then.