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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, <span class="brackets"></span> with the help of a light cruiser   and eight destroyers, <span class="brackets"></span> 

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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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 <span class="brackets"></span> The pride and hope   of the Japanese fleet <span class="brackets"></span> 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.  <br>