Martin Antonenko
A Fixture
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- Jul 11, 2008
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And exceptionally, today we take a look at the other side of the world - in the Pacific:
The End of the "Yamato"
On April 7, 1945, the largest and most powerful battleship in the world, the Yamato of the Imperial Japanese Navy, flies in the air after a massive explosion of several US aviation bombs!
The Yamato, named after an old name for "Japan", was built in Kure from 1937 to 1941 ...
... and had the strongest armament ever installed on a warship:
Nine 46 cm guns in three treble turrets, as well as a lot of medium (15.5 cm), light and anti-aircraft guns. In addition four torpedo tubes.
With her displacement (fully loaded and manned) of over 72,000 tons and its length of 263 meters, she clearly surpassed the German "Bismarck" (53,500 tons, 250.5 m and eight 38 cm guns)!
She was the high point and the end of the era of battleships and, at the beginning of the war against the USA, was already obsolete - because the decisive "weapons" in naval warfare were now the aircraft carriers!
At the beginning of March 1945, the Yamato was the last operational large combat ship of the imperial fleet - the Japanese had no aircraft carriers, they were all sunk (by aircraft of American carriers).
Her - somewhat smaller - sister ship, the Musashi, had long been lying on the bottom of the sea.
When the Americans landed on the Japanese island of Okinawa on April 1, 1945, the Japanese leadership ordered Operation" Ten-ichi-gō sakusen" ("Operation Heaven No. 1") - the fleet's last offensive during the war !
Together with the last ships still capable of fighting - the cruiser "Yahagi" ...
... and eight destroyers - the Yamato sailed...
... under the command of Admiral Seiichi Itō...
... to Okinawa.
The japanese fleet should inflict as heavy a loss as possible on the US fleet operating off the island and, in the event of its own damage, run aground off Okinawa, so that it can at least continue to intervene on land with its guns!
"Operation Ten-ichi-gō sakusen" was a pure self-sacrifice effort - the ships had deliberately only been given enough fuel on board that Okinawa could be reached, but a return to Sasebo in Japan was impossible!
But the Americans had heard of the Japanese action through intercepted radio communications and had built a chain of submarines between the main Japanese islands and Okinawa, all of which were equipped with radar.
A hastily assembled fleet with several fast aircraft carriers as the core crosses on the presumable approach route.
There was little uncertainty about it - the Americans knew the desperate fuel shortage of the Japanese very well. They knew that Admiral Itō had to choose the shortest route!
And so it came how it had to come:
The Japanese fleet has not even made half the route ...
... when it was identified, intercepted and immediately attacked by US carrier aircrafts.
After just 12 minutes, "Yahagi" is done after several heavy bomb and torpedo hits ...:
The Yamato, however, continues to sail and fires on all sides!
She even uses her heavy artillery against the US torpedo bombers attacking in low-altitude flight by firing into the water with explosive grenades.
The almost 100 meter high water columns, which are thrown up by the grenade detonations, are supposed to cause the planes to crash.
After "Yahagi", the accompanying destroyer "Isokaze" is sunk ...
... and after that "Hamakaze" and "Suzutsuki"
The Yamato is now damaged - a bomb has hit the aft deck and a US torpedo has caused a leak - but is fully combatable! It can even run at top speed and zigzag courses to make it difficult for the bombers to aim, even if the fire in the aft ship is clearly visible in the next pictures ...:
But the American "Hellcats" ...
... "Helldiver" dive bombers ...
... and "Avenger" torpedo bombers...
... continue to attack the giant ship!
After further torpedo and bomb hits, the speed of the Yamato drops to a minimum, and the list on the port side reaches over 20 ° - as can be seen in the next picture ...:
She lies also much deeper in the water than she should ...:
The Yamato capsizes at 2:23 p.m. and a heavy explosion rips the ship apart.
**continued next post**
The End of the "Yamato"
On April 7, 1945, the largest and most powerful battleship in the world, the Yamato of the Imperial Japanese Navy, flies in the air after a massive explosion of several US aviation bombs!
The Yamato, named after an old name for "Japan", was built in Kure from 1937 to 1941 ...
... and had the strongest armament ever installed on a warship:
Nine 46 cm guns in three treble turrets, as well as a lot of medium (15.5 cm), light and anti-aircraft guns. In addition four torpedo tubes.
With her displacement (fully loaded and manned) of over 72,000 tons and its length of 263 meters, she clearly surpassed the German "Bismarck" (53,500 tons, 250.5 m and eight 38 cm guns)!
She was the high point and the end of the era of battleships and, at the beginning of the war against the USA, was already obsolete - because the decisive "weapons" in naval warfare were now the aircraft carriers!
At the beginning of March 1945, the Yamato was the last operational large combat ship of the imperial fleet - the Japanese had no aircraft carriers, they were all sunk (by aircraft of American carriers).
Her - somewhat smaller - sister ship, the Musashi, had long been lying on the bottom of the sea.
When the Americans landed on the Japanese island of Okinawa on April 1, 1945, the Japanese leadership ordered Operation" Ten-ichi-gō sakusen" ("Operation Heaven No. 1") - the fleet's last offensive during the war !
Together with the last ships still capable of fighting - the cruiser "Yahagi" ...
... and eight destroyers - the Yamato sailed...
... under the command of Admiral Seiichi Itō...
... to Okinawa.
The japanese fleet should inflict as heavy a loss as possible on the US fleet operating off the island and, in the event of its own damage, run aground off Okinawa, so that it can at least continue to intervene on land with its guns!
"Operation Ten-ichi-gō sakusen" was a pure self-sacrifice effort - the ships had deliberately only been given enough fuel on board that Okinawa could be reached, but a return to Sasebo in Japan was impossible!
But the Americans had heard of the Japanese action through intercepted radio communications and had built a chain of submarines between the main Japanese islands and Okinawa, all of which were equipped with radar.
A hastily assembled fleet with several fast aircraft carriers as the core crosses on the presumable approach route.
There was little uncertainty about it - the Americans knew the desperate fuel shortage of the Japanese very well. They knew that Admiral Itō had to choose the shortest route!
And so it came how it had to come:
The Japanese fleet has not even made half the route ...
... when it was identified, intercepted and immediately attacked by US carrier aircrafts.
After just 12 minutes, "Yahagi" is done after several heavy bomb and torpedo hits ...:
The Yamato, however, continues to sail and fires on all sides!
She even uses her heavy artillery against the US torpedo bombers attacking in low-altitude flight by firing into the water with explosive grenades.
The almost 100 meter high water columns, which are thrown up by the grenade detonations, are supposed to cause the planes to crash.
After "Yahagi", the accompanying destroyer "Isokaze" is sunk ...
... and after that "Hamakaze" and "Suzutsuki"
The Yamato is now damaged - a bomb has hit the aft deck and a US torpedo has caused a leak - but is fully combatable! It can even run at top speed and zigzag courses to make it difficult for the bombers to aim, even if the fire in the aft ship is clearly visible in the next pictures ...:
But the American "Hellcats" ...
... "Helldiver" dive bombers ...
... and "Avenger" torpedo bombers...
... continue to attack the giant ship!
After further torpedo and bomb hits, the speed of the Yamato drops to a minimum, and the list on the port side reaches over 20 ° - as can be seen in the next picture ...:
She lies also much deeper in the water than she should ...:
The Yamato capsizes at 2:23 p.m. and a heavy explosion rips the ship apart.
**continued next post**
