Battleship Film Revives Japan's Pride In Wartime Generation

The telegraph (UK) ^ | 11-28-2005

[Sam Cree]

Why is there a Yamato Road in Boca Raton, I wonder. As a kid I built a plastic model of this ship.

[jim_trent]

Thanks for the additional information. It has been a lot of years since I read about it. I seem to remember something about one of the reasons it went down was because of some kind of a design flaw (I am a structural engineer so it was of interest to me). The torpedo that hit (and I think there was only one) should NOT have caused enough damage to sink it, less pumps or not. I wonder if the Yamato also had the same design flaw?

[SES1066]

That this was an absolute suicide mission could not have been clearer to the Japanese as they had proven themselves in 1941 with their attack on the un-air protected 2 ship 'task force' "HMS Prince of Wales" and "HMS Repulse". As Billy Mitchell demonstrated decades earlier, no air cover in an area of enemy air superiority leads to significant naval loses. Unsinkable merely means that you need to try harder with bigger weapons.

As a story I can see the attraction to the Japanese. The Imperial Japanese Navy was, like its Royal Navy counterpart and frequent mentor, the premier service for an island nation. The "Yamoto" and "Musashi" represented an enormous investment for the Japanese in money, effort and spirit. While little could have been done to stave off the disaster that they had lit the fuse for, it might have been better to build smaller. As Comrade Stalin is reputed to have said, "Quantity has a quality all its own".

[yarddog]

When I was a kid, I had a model of the Yamato. It was really a beautiful ship.

If used earlier with support from carriers etc. it could have a devastating impact on places like Guadalcanal. Those 18 inch guns would have done a little damage I guess.

[yarddog]

I think the Yamato took 19 torpedoes if my memory is right plus a lot of bombs.

[GonzoGOP]

I should have been more clear. When I said it wasn't a suiside mission I was talking about the carrier Shinano. They only put enough fuel in her for a one way trip so it was clear they didn't expect her to return.

[DTogo]

The film does not glorify the sacrifice, graphically portraying the anguish of the crew's families and the bloody end to which the men came as their ship was swarmed by US Navy planes. But, like other recent Japanese war movies, it glosses over Tokyo's aggression and focuses instead on the bravery and comradeship of the men who fought.

As if the crew of the Yamato were spending their last hours holding philosophical discussions about Empirial Japan's aggression.

Japan * ping * (kono risuto ni hairitai ka detai wo shirasete kudasai : let me know if you want on or off this list)

[GonzoGOP]

" it might have been better to build smaller" It certainly appears that the IJN would have been served by 20 or 30 escort carriers and a few squadrons of fighters to protect their merchant fleet from the US Submarines than they were by these two giant battleships. Of course if Admiral Toyoda hadn't lost his nerve at the Battle of the Philippine Sea and had used Yamato's big guns to wipe out MacArthur's entire army on the beach we probably would consider them to be the greatest investment the Japanese made. Its best to say that the big battleships were badly misused by the IJN. The presence of these ships in Iron Bottom sound during Guadalcanal could have tipped the balance. But they were so expensive that the IJN afraid of loosing the and hence didn't use them early in the war when they could have made a difference. Later they sacrificed them when their sacrifice, and that of their 3000 man crews, wouldn't make a difference even if they succeeded in their attack.

[Temple Owl]

The young sailors of the Yamato are widely seen as victims, who fought bravely to protect their country even as they were betrayed.

They probably had a good time raping Korean "Comfort Girls" before getting nailed by the United States Navy.

[Lockbar]

When I was a teenager I met a guy who was one of the air crew of an Avenger that sank the Yamato. I told him I heard that it was a really, really giant ship, and how big was it? His reply: "It was the biggest thing I ever saw in my life!"

He also mentioned that he himself never saw torpedo loaded in his Avenger after he left flight crew school. His plane was a always loaded with conventional bombs.

[skinkinthegrass]

Dommo. :D

[GonzoGOP]

If you want to see what she looks like today visit
http://www.warship.get.net.pl/Japonia/Battleships/1941_Yamato_class/Wreck/_Yamato_wreck_02.html

[Calvin Locke]

The History Channel had the Battle of Leyte Gulf on a couple of weeks ago. A destroyer escort launched it's 3 torpedoes
at the Yamato and took the battleship (and admiral) out of the battle for 10 minutes as it turned away to avoid them.

[COEXERJ145]

The mushroom cloud created by explosion of the Yamato was visible from the Southern Japanese Islands. People who say it said it was the largest explosion they ever saw. Well, at least it was until August 6th, 1945.

[SW6906]

Oh, I'm sure you're gonna wanna go see this one.......

[91B]

Do not forget to give some credit to the suicidally brave task force of destroyer escorts and escort carriers that put up so much of a fight that Toyoda believed he had encountered the main force (foolishly sent north after the Jap carriers).

[kilowhskey]

The ship you are referring to is the Shinano. It was sunk by the USS Archerfish.

[yarddog]

I saw that on the History channel. Simply incredible bravery by the American sailors. They said at first the Japanese shells were not doing much damage to the little destroyers because they were passing right through them because their armor was so thin.

The Japanese figured out what was happening and changed the type shells and began to destroy them. Absolutely suicidal attacks by tiny ships against an entire fleet of capital ships.

[alfa6]

Minor nit picking note.

Admiral Kurita was the on scene commander for the Leyte Gulf battle. Adm Toyada was the IJN C in C

For a good read on the attack by the "Small Boys" see the book "Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors" it was published in the last year or two.

Also the Yamato was sunk 7 April 1945, about a week after the Okinowa invasion beging so President Bush #41 would not have been there.

http://www.combinedfleet.com has lots of cool stof on the IJN

Regards

alfa6 ;>}

[GonzoGOP]

Do not forget to give some credit to the suicidally brave task force of destroyer escorts and escort carriers that put up so much of a fight that Toyoda believed he had encountered the main force (foolishly sent north after the Jap carriers). Absolutely. The men and ships that fought with Adm. Sprague off Samar saved the US from a total disaster. And as an additional correction I identified the Japanese commander as Toyoda. Toyoda was in command at the Battle of the Philippine Sea, it was in fact Kurita was in command at Leyte Gulf and who lost his nerve when attacked by the escort carriers and DEs of Taffy 3.

Some mention should also be made of the fighting spirit sailors on board the escort carriers. The pilots who returned to their carriers to rearm and refuel to attack the battleships again and again instead of flying away towards land. And the sailors of Taffy 2 who steamed TOWARDS Kurita's battle line and who's arrival helped convince Kurita he was up against Halsey. A fighting spirit that can best be demonstrated by a signalman on Sprague's flagship who upon seeing the Japanese turn away declared "damn it, they’re getting away!"