WEBVTT 1 00:00:07,872 --> 00:00:12,934 Yamato was commissioned(完成する) in late 1941. 2 00:00:12,934 --> 00:00:21,356 In her first mission, the Battle of Midway, Yamato served as the flagship旗艦 of the Japanese Combined複合 Fleet艦隊. 3 00:00:21,356 --> 00:00:26,016 During the battle, on June 4 through 6, 1942, 4 00:00:26,016 --> 00:00:33,351 Yamato did not fire a single shot and was used only as an HQ司令 ship. 5 00:00:33,351 --> 00:00:37,415 The Japanese military軍 command司令官 was definitely saving(保護する) their two best battleships 6 00:00:37,415 --> 00:00:40,334 for an upcoming来るべき major battle against the US fleet艦隊. 7 00:00:40,334 --> 00:00:44,342 As a result, Japanese seamen started to feel disappointed with their flagship旗艦. 8 00:00:44,342 --> 00:00:45,770 They even made up a saying 9 00:00:45,770 --> 00:00:55,389 that the world's three most useless things were China's Great Wall万里の長城, the Egyptian pyramids, and battleship Yamato. 10 00:00:55,389 --> 00:01:05,526 It was not until autumn 1944 that the Japanese naval海軍 giant fought its first real battle. 11 00:01:05,526 --> 00:01:16,460 Together with her sister ship Musashi, Yamato attacked US landing craft船 near the island of Leyte. 12 00:01:16,460 --> 00:01:19,977 In that battle, Yamato was only slightlyわずかに damaged, 13 00:01:19,977 --> 00:01:24,937 demonstrated(証明する) her power, and recovered the status of an unsinkable沈まない giant. 14 00:01:24,937 --> 00:01:35,038 However, the situation in the Pacific theater had changed by that time... 15 00:01:39,092 --> 00:01:43,379 Progress in military軍事 technology basically follows the laws法則 of philosophy哲学. 16 00:01:43,379 --> 00:01:49,059 When making a new weapon武器 system, designers and the military軍 usually seek to enhance(強化する) its specifications:スペック 17 00:01:49,059 --> 00:01:51,505 bigger caliber口径, thicker armor装甲, etc. 18 00:01:51,505 --> 00:01:55,372 Then they come to a dead end行き詰まり, where they are no longer developing the navy海軍, 19 00:01:55,372 --> 00:01:58,871 but improving(改良する) a separate weapon武器 type within the existing limits. 20 00:01:58,871 --> 00:02:03,385 A radical change is carrier-borne空母搭載型の aviation航空機 and, later, missile systems. 21 00:02:03,385 --> 00:02:06,971 Yamato is the peak, the peak in the construction建造 of battleships. 22 00:02:06,971 --> 00:02:12,128 It is not about progress, it is about reaching the peak. 23 00:02:12,128 --> 00:02:20,404 In 1945, World War II reached Japan's home islands. 24 00:02:20,404 --> 00:02:24,961 The command司令官 of the Japanese Combined複合 Fleet艦隊 made a Bushido-style decision: 25 00:02:24,961 --> 00:02:28,741 Yamato, with the help of a light cruiser巡洋艦 and eight destroyers駆逐艦, 26 00:02:28,741 --> 00:02:35,104 was to defend(守る) the island of Okinawa and prevent(防ぐ) the US troops軍隊 from getting any further inland, 27 00:02:35,104 --> 00:02:40,144 or fight to the end and finish her journey gloriously華やかに. 28 00:02:40,144 --> 00:02:44,370 Executing(実行する) this order, on April 6, 1945, 29 00:02:44,370 --> 00:02:52,214 the legendary伝説的な Japanese battleship sailed off to fight her last battle.... 30 00:02:52,214 --> 00:03:00,604 The United States sent its TASK FORCE　 58 to intercept(追撃する) the flagship旗艦 of the Japanese Combined複合 Fleet艦隊. 31 00:03:00,604 --> 00:03:08,872 The Americans would not miss the chance to destroy the symbol of Japan's naval海軍 power. 32 00:03:08,872 --> 00:03:15,813 As early as at 10 a.m., the first US squadrons戦隊 took off from five heavy and four light aircraft carriers空母, 33 00:03:15,813 --> 00:03:20,399 located about 300 miles away from Yamato. 34 00:03:20,399 --> 00:03:27,313 A total of 227 aircraft took part in(参加する) the destruction破壊 of the Japanese force　. 35 00:03:27,313 --> 00:03:30,431 The battle began at 12:34. 36 00:03:30,431 --> 00:03:37,055 Four aerial bombs空爆 hit Yamato, taking out a 5-inch gun and several automatic cannons大砲. 37 00:03:37,055 --> 00:03:46,227 In just 20 minutes, two more bombs struck the battleship, and a torpedo魚雷 hit her port左舷 side. 38 00:03:46,227 --> 00:03:54,024 In response, Yamato fired her anti-aircraft対空 weapons兵器. 39 00:03:54,024 --> 00:04:05,961 At 14:02, the Americans launched(開始する) the last attack on the wounded, but still combat capable能力, Yamato... 40 00:04:05,961 --> 00:04:13,391 It was a demonstrative決定的な execution攻撃 : four torpedoes魚雷 ( three to the port左舷 side and one to the starboard右舷 side ) 41 00:04:13,391 --> 00:04:15,969 destroyed the ship's damage control center. 42 00:04:15,969 --> 00:04:20,816 Yamato stopped moving and started listing(傾く) to port左舷 more and more every minute... 43 00:04:20,816 --> 00:04:28,996 and when this huge ship capsized(転覆する), a monstrous巨大な explosion爆発 erupted. 44 00:04:28,996 --> 00:04:39,253 The pride and hope of the Japanese fleet艦隊 went under. 45 00:04:40,136 --> 00:04:43,949 Together with the ship, 3,000 crew members were lost, 46 00:04:43,949 --> 00:04:53,516 including the commanders司令官 of the Japanese force　 and the ship. 47 00:04:59,042 --> 00:05:00,918 For the Japanese, 48 00:05:00,918 --> 00:05:07,082 Yamato still remains a symbol of the nation's might威信 that fell in battle(戦死する) like a true samurai. 49 00:05:07,082 --> 00:05:11,138 The city where the legendary伝説的な battleship was built opened a museum, 50 00:05:11,138 --> 00:05:21,088 whose centerpiece中心 is an 85-foot model of Yamato. 51 00:05:21,088 --> 00:05:25,152 The Kure Municipal自治体の Museum of Naval海軍 History and Science was built 10 years ago 52 00:05:25,152 --> 00:05:28,465 to preserve the rich naval海軍 tradition of the city. 53 00:05:28,465 --> 00:05:31,058 Now it is known as the Yamato Museum. 54 00:05:31,058 --> 00:05:33,769 The exhibits展示物 reflect(反映する) the naval海軍 history of Kure; 55 00:05:33,769 --> 00:05:37,308 in other words, the history of naval海軍 affairs出来事 and technologies. 56 00:05:37,308 --> 00:05:40,058 The museum has become quite popular. 57 00:05:40,058 --> 00:05:42,933 Fans of battleships come here from all over the country. 58 00:05:42,933 --> 00:05:50,167 However, we should remember that it was originally dedicated(捧げる) to all kinds of shipbuilding. 59 00:05:50,167 --> 00:05:53,450 The violent激しい explosion爆発 that finished the destruction破壊 of Yamato 60 00:05:53,450 --> 00:05:57,121 was caused(起こす) by the detonation爆発 of her main battery大砲 magazines火薬庫. 61 00:05:57,121 --> 00:06:01,897 However, there is plenty of debate about the reason for that tremendousすさまじい explosion爆発. 62 00:06:01,897 --> 00:06:05,078 The answer is probably hidden隠されている on the bottom of the ocean: 63 00:06:05,078 --> 00:06:16,404 so far researchers have been unable to lift what is left from the giant battleship... 64 00:06:25,076 --> 00:06:28,108 It is true that Yamato had a number of drawbacks欠陥. 65 00:06:28,108 --> 00:06:33,381 Like her sister ship, Musashi, the battleship was sunk as a result of air strikes攻撃. 66 00:06:33,381 --> 00:06:44,537 The key reason for that was the ships' fundamental基本的な lack of ability to resist(抵抗する) massive大規模な air attacks. 67 00:06:47,623 --> 00:06:55,326 Yamato remains the largest and most powerful battleship in history. 68 00:06:55,326 --> 00:06:58,640 For every person who takes interest(関心がある) in the history of military軍 ships, 69 00:06:58,640 --> 00:07:01,155 Yamato embodies(体現する) military軍事の might威信. 70 00:07:01,155 --> 00:07:04,592 Born to terrify(恐れさせる) and crush enemies敵, 71 00:07:04,592 --> 00:07:10,804 this formidable恐るべき steel giant managed to glorify(称賛される) her name even as she was defeated敗北する. 72 00:07:10,804 --> 00:07:17,092 She represented(表す) a pinnacle頂点 in large battleship design, one that will probably never be surpassed(超える), 73 00:07:17,092 --> 00:07:29,388 and in that sense, Yamato will always remain a symbol and a legend伝説.