Yamato

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Yamato

Japanese battleship

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July 15, 2026

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Yamato — Yamato The Japanese battleship Yamato, 1941.

The Yamato was the largest battleship ever constructed. It was laid down in 1937 by Japan and, along with its sister ship Musashi, displaced 72,800 tons and was armed with 18.1-inch guns. These ships represented the pinnacle of battleship design before the advent of naval aviation rendered them largely obsolete.1

Despite their immense size and firepower, the Yamato and Musashi were ultimately sunk by carrier-based aircraft during World War II. The Yamato was sunk in April 1945, and the Musashi in October 1944. Their fate marked the end of the battleship's dominance in naval warfare, a shift largely driven by figures like Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto, who championed aircraft carriers over battleships.123

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Battle of Leyte Gulf
Battle off Samar
…new flagship, the super battleship Yamato—eight cruisers, and nearly a dozen destroyers. Displaying an aggression that sharply belied their underdog status, the three U.S. destroyers, led by the USS Johnston, launched an audacious torpedo attack that damaged the heavy cruiser Kumano and caused the Yamato to take evasive maneuvers that…
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…new flagship, the super battleship Yamato—eight cruisers, and nearly a dozen destroyers. Displaying an aggression that sharply belied their underdog status, the three U.S. destroyers, led by the USS Johnston, launched an audacious torpedo attack that damaged the heavy cruiser Kumano and caused the Yamato to take evasive maneuvers that…
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Battle of Okinawa
Invasion
…kamikaze planes and the battleship Yamato. The Japanese had hoped that Yamato might finish off the Allied fleet after it had been weakened by the wave of kamikazes, but, with no air cover, the largest battleship ever constructed was easy prey for Mitscher’s carrier-based planes. The sinking of the Yamato…
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…kamikaze planes and the battleship Yamato. The Japanese had hoped that Yamato might finish off the Allied fleet after it had been weakened by the wave of kamikazes, but, with no air cover, the largest battleship ever constructed was easy prey for Mitscher’s carrier-based planes. The sinking of the Yamato…
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warship
The last capital ships
…expired, Japan laid down the Yamato and Musashi. These two 72,800-ton ships, armed with 18.1-inch guns, were the largest battleships in history.
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…expired, Japan laid down the Yamato and Musashi. These two 72,800-ton ships, armed with 18.1-inch guns, were the largest battleships in history.
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World War II
Okinawa
…air raids but also the Yamato, the greatest battleship in the world (72,000 tons, with nine 18.1-inch [460-millimeter] guns), which was sent out on a suicidal mission with only enough fuel for the single outward voyage and without sufficient air cover. The Japanese hoped the Yamato might finish off the…
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…air raids but also the Yamato, the greatest battleship in the world (72,000 tons, with nine 18.1-inch [460-millimeter] guns), which was sent out on a suicidal mission with only enough fuel for the single outward voyage and without sufficient air cover. The Japanese hoped the Yamato might finish off the…
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Pacific War
Okinawa
…and also by the battleship Yamato. At 72,000 tons fully loaded, Yamato was one of the two biggest battleships in the world (the Yamato’s sister ship Musashi had been sunk at the Battle of Leyte Gulf). It was armed with nine massive 18.1-inch (46-cm) guns, the most powerful naval guns…
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…and also by the battleship Yamato. At 72,000 tons fully loaded, Yamato was one of the two biggest battleships in the world (the Yamato’s sister ship Musashi had been sunk at the Battle of Leyte Gulf). It was armed with nine massive 18.1-inch (46-cm) guns, the most powerful naval guns…
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