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Yamato was commissioned / in late 1941. /
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In her first mission, / the Battle of Midway, /
Yamato served / as the flagship / of the Japanese Combined Fleet. /
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During the battle, / on June 4 through 6, 1942, /
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Yamato did not fire a single shot /
and was used / only as an HQ ship. /
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The Japanese military command / was definitely saving /
their two best battleships /
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for an upcoming major battle / against the US fleet. /
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As a result, / Japanese seamen started to feel disappointed /
with their flagship. /
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They even made up a saying /
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that the world's three most useless things /
were China's Great Wall, / the Egyptian pyramids, / and battleship Yamato. /
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It was not until autumn 1944 /
that the Japanese naval giant / fought its first real battle. /
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Together with her sister ship Musashi, /
Yamato attacked US landing craft / near the island of Leyte. /
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In that battle, / Yamato was only slightly damaged, /
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demonstrated her power, /
and recovered / the status of an unsinkable giant. /
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However, / the situation in the Pacific theater /
had changed / by that time... /
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Progress in military technology / basically follows / the laws of philosophy. /
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When making a new weapon system, /
designers and the military usually seek / to enhance its specifications: /
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bigger caliber, / thicker armor, etc. /
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Then / they come to a dead end, /
where / they are no longer developing the navy, /
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but / improving a separate weapon type / within the existing limits. /
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A radical change / is carrier-borne aviation /
and, later, / missile systems. /
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Yamato is the peak, /
the peak / in the construction of battleships. /
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It is not about progress, / it is about reaching the peak. /
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In 1945, / World War II reached / Japan's home islands. /
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The command / of the Japanese Combined Fleet /
made a Bushido-style decision: /
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Yamato, [[ with the help of a light cruiser / and eight destroyers, ]]
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was to defend the island of Okinawa /
and prevent the US troops / from getting any further inland, /
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or fight to the end / and finish her journey gloriously. /
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Executing this order, / on April 6, 1945, /
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the legendary Japanese battleship sailed off / to fight her last battle.... /
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The United States sent its TASK FORCE 58 /
to intercept the flagship / of the Japanese Combined Fleet. /
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The Americans would not miss the chance /
to destroy the symbol / of Japan's naval power. /
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As early as at 10 a.m., / the first US squadrons took off /
from five heavy and four light aircraft carriers, /
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located about 300 miles / away from Yamato. /
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A total of 227 aircraft took part in / the destruction of the Japanese force. /
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The battle began / at 12:34. /
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Four aerial bombs hit Yamato, /
taking out a 5-inch gun / and several automatic cannons. /
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In just 20 minutes, / two more bombs struck the battleship, /
and a torpedo hit / her port side. /
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In response, / Yamato fired / her anti-aircraft weapons. /
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At 14:02, / the Americans launched the last attack /
on the wounded, / but still combat capable, Yamato... /
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It was a demonstrative execution : / four torpedoes /
( three to the port side / and one to the starboard side ) /
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destroyed / the ship's damage control center. /
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Yamato stopped moving /
and started listing to port more / and more every minute... /
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and / when / this huge ship capsized, /
a monstrous explosion erupted. /
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[ The pride and hope / of the Japanese fleet ] went under. /
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Together with the ship, / 3,000 crew members were lost, /
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including the commanders / of the Japanese force / and the ship. /
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For the Japanese, /
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Yamato still remains a symbol / of the nation's might /
that fell in battle / like a true samurai. /
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The city / where the legendary battleship /
was built opened a museum, /
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whose centerpiece / is an 85-foot model of Yamato . /
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The Kure Municipal Museum of Naval History and Science / was built /
10 years ago /
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to preserve / the rich naval tradition of the city. /
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Now it is known / as the Yamato Museum. /
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The exhibits reflect / the naval history of Kure; /
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in other words, / the history of naval affairs / and technologies. /
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The museum / has become quite popular. /
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Fans of battleships come here / from all over the country. /
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However, / we should remember /
that it was originally dedicated / to all kinds of shipbuilding. /
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The violent explosion / that finished the destruction of Yamato /
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was caused by the detonation / of her main battery magazines. /
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However, / there is plenty of debate /
about the reason / for that tremendous explosion. /
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The answer is probably hidden / on the bottom of the ocean: /
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so far researchers / have been unable to lift / what is left /
from the giant battleship... /
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It is true / that Yamato had a number of drawbacks. /
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Like her sister ship, Musashi, /
the battleship was sunk / as a result of air strikes. /
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The key reason for that / was the ships' fundamental lack /
of ability to resist massive air attacks. /
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Yamato remains / the largest and most powerful battleship / in history. /
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For every person / who takes interest in the history / of military ships, /
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Yamato embodies military might. /
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Born / to terrify and crush enemies, /
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this formidable steel giant / managed to glorify her name /
even as she was defeated. /
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She represented a pinnacle / in large battleship design, /
one that will probably never be surpassed, /
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and in that sense, / Yamato will always remain / a symbol and a legend. /