WEBVTT 1 00:00:07,872 --> 00:00:12,934 Yamato was commissioned / 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 / of the Japanese Combined Fleet. / 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 ship. / 5 00:00:33,351 --> 00:00:37,415 The Japanese military command / was definitely saving / their two best battleships / 6 00:00:37,415 --> 00:00:40,334 for an upcoming major battle / against the US fleet. / 7 00:00:40,334 --> 00:00:44,342 As a result, / Japanese seamen started to feel disappointed / with their flagship. / 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, / 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 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 / near the island of Leyte. / 12 00:01:16,460 --> 00:01:19,977 In that battle, / Yamato was only slightly damaged, / 13 00:01:19,977 --> 00:01:24,937 demonstrated her power, / and recovered / the status of an unsinkable 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 technology / basically follows / the laws of philosophy. / 16 00:01:43,379 --> 00:01:49,059 When making a new weapon system, / designers and the military usually seek / to enhance its specifications: / 17 00:01:49,059 --> 00:01:51,505 bigger caliber, / thicker armor, etc. / 18 00:01:51,505 --> 00:01:55,372 Then / they come to a dead end, / where / they are no longer developing the navy, / 19 00:01:55,372 --> 00:01:58,871 but / improving a separate weapon type / within the existing limits. / 20 00:01:58,871 --> 00:02:03,385 A radical change / is carrier-borne aviation / and, later, / missile systems. / 21 00:02:03,385 --> 00:02:06,971 Yamato is the peak, / the peak / in the construction 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 / of the Japanese Combined Fleet / made a Bushido-style decision: / 25 00:02:24,961 --> 00:02:28,741 Yamato, [[ with the help of a light cruiser / and eight destroyers, ]] 26 00:02:28,741 --> 00:02:35,104 was to defend the island of Okinawa / and prevent the US troops / from getting any further inland, / 27 00:02:35,104 --> 00:02:40,144 or fight to the end / and finish her journey gloriously. / 28 00:02:40,144 --> 00:02:44,370 Executing this order, / on April 6, 1945, / 29 00:02:44,370 --> 00:02:52,214 the legendary 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 the flagship / of the Japanese Combined Fleet. / 31 00:03:00,604 --> 00:03:08,872 The Americans would not miss the chance / to destroy the symbol / of Japan's naval power. / 32 00:03:08,872 --> 00:03:15,813 As early as at 10 a.m., / the first US squadrons took off / from five heavy and four light aircraft carriers, / 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 / the destruction 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 hit Yamato, / taking out a 5-inch gun / and several automatic cannons. / 37 00:03:37,055 --> 00:03:46,227 In just 20 minutes, / two more bombs struck the battleship, / and a torpedo hit / her port side. / 38 00:03:46,227 --> 00:03:54,024 In response, / Yamato fired / her anti-aircraft weapons. / 39 00:03:54,024 --> 00:04:05,961 At 14:02, / the Americans launched the last attack / on the wounded, / but still combat capable, Yamato... / 40 00:04:05,961 --> 00:04:13,391 It was a demonstrative execution : / four torpedoes / ( three to the port side / and one to the starboard 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 to port more / and more every minute... / 43 00:04:20,816 --> 00:04:28,996 and / when / this huge ship capsized, / a monstrous explosion erupted. / 44 00:04:28,996 --> 00:04:39,253 [ The pride and hope / of the Japanese fleet ] 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 / 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 / that fell in battle / like a true samurai. / 49 00:05:07,082 --> 00:05:11,138 The city / where the legendary battleship / was built opened a museum, / 50 00:05:11,138 --> 00:05:21,088 whose centerpiece / is an 85-foot model of Yamato. / 51 00:05:21,088 --> 00:05:25,152 The Kure Municipal Museum of Naval History and Science / was built / 10 years ago / 52 00:05:25,152 --> 00:05:28,465 to preserve / the rich naval 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 reflect / the naval history of Kure; / 55 00:05:33,769 --> 00:05:37,308 in other words, / the history of naval affairs / 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 / to all kinds of shipbuilding. / 59 00:05:50,167 --> 00:05:53,450 The violent explosion / that finished the destruction of Yamato / 60 00:05:53,450 --> 00:05:57,121 was caused by the detonation / of her main battery magazines. / 61 00:05:57,121 --> 00:06:01,897 However, / there is plenty of debate / about the reason / for that tremendous explosion. / 62 00:06:01,897 --> 00:06:05,078 The answer is probably hidden / 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. / 65 00:06:28,108 --> 00:06:33,381 Like her sister ship, Musashi, / the battleship was sunk / as a result of air strikes. / 66 00:06:33,381 --> 00:06:44,537 The key reason for that / was the ships' fundamental lack / of ability to resist massive 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 in the history / of military ships, / 69 00:06:58,640 --> 00:07:01,155 Yamato embodies military might. / 70 00:07:01,155 --> 00:07:04,592 Born / to terrify and crush enemies, / 71 00:07:04,592 --> 00:07:10,804 this formidable steel giant / managed to glorify her name / even as she was defeated. / 72 00:07:10,804 --> 00:07:17,092 She represented a pinnacle / in large battleship design, / one that will probably never be surpassed, / 73 00:07:17,092 --> 00:07:29,388 and in that sense, / Yamato will always remain / a symbol and a legend. /