Good Morning: Imperial Japanese Navy plays its last good hand...and loses

[Okla-homey]

April 7, 1945: Imperial Japanese Navy battleship Yamato is sunk by Allied forces

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64 years ago on this day in 1945, the Imperial Japanese Navy battleship Yamato, ostensibly the the most powerful battleship in the world, is sunk in Japan's first major counteroffensive in the struggle for Okinawa; Operation TEN-GO.

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Yamato under construction

Weighing 72,800 tons and outfitted with nine 18.1-inch guns, the battleship Yamato was Japan's only hope of destroying the Allied fleet off the coast of Okinawa in Operation TEN-GO. But insufficient air cover and fuel cursed the endeavor.

Operation TEN-GO was a deliberate suicide attack against American forces off Okinawa by Yamato and nine escorts, beginning on 6 April 1945. Embarking from Kure, Yamato was to beach herself near Okinawa, and act as an unsinkable gun-emplacement—bombarding American forces on Okinawa with her 18.1-inch heavy-guns.

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Yamato underway during sea trials.

Yamato carried only enough fuel to reach Okinawa, as the fuel stocks available were insufficient to provide enough fuel to reach Okinawa and return. While navigating the Bungo Strait, Yamato and her escorts were spotted by the American submarines USS Threadfin and USS Hackleback, both of which notified Task Force 58 of Yamato's position.

At 1232 on 7 April 1945, Yamato was attacked by a first wave of 280 aircraft from Task Force 58, taking three hits (two bombs, one torpedo). By 1400, two of Yamato's escorts had been sunk.

Shortly afterwards, a second strike of 100 aircraft attacked Yamato and her remaining escorts. At 1423, having taken 10 torpedo and 7 bomb hits, Yamato's forward ammunition magazines detonated.

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Yamato as her ammunition magazines explode moments before sinking

The smoke from the explosion—over 4 miles high—was seen 100 miles away on Kyūshū. 2,498 of the 2,700 crew members aboard Yamato were lost, including Vice Admiral Seiichi Itō, the fleet commander.

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[Vaevictis]

Isoroku Yamamoto, architect of the attack on Pearl Harbor was reputed to have said, with contempt, the following about the Yamato class battleships:

"Even the greatest serpent can be killed by a swarm of ants."

And that is exactly what occurred.

[Okla-homey]

Isoroku Yamamoto, architect of the attack on Pearl Harbor was reputed to have said, with contempt, the following about the Yamato class battleships:

"Even the greatest serpent can be killed by a swarm of ants."

And that is exactly what occurred.

Battleship admirals <shakes head> Remind me of pols who cling to the notion that government can and should fix social ills.;)

[Scott D]

Yamamoto wasn't a fan of the battleship, he preferred the quick strike carrier attacks that carried the Imperial Navy for the first 6 months of the war. Everything went downhill for his strategy once the Battle of Coral Sea happened.

Unlike Tojo, he was a good and honorable man.

[MR2-Sooner86]

Everything went downhill for his strategy once the Battle of Midway happened.

Fixed.

[Curly Bill]

We might debate the ultimate usefulness of the battleship...


....but damn are those things cool looking!

[soonerscuba]

I'm amazed that it only took two nukes to bring them to surrender. Any culture that intentionally allows a destroyer to engage in a suicide mission with 2,700 men possesses a will that few cultures could, or should, ever have.

[Scott D]

Fixed.

despite the popular myth that Midway was the turning point. The actual turning point was the fact that the Battle of the Coral Sea (a good month or so before Midway) was the turning point. It wasn't a victory in the way that Midway was a victory, but at a time when we were still somewhat on our heels, we fought the Japanese Navy to a stalemate with both forces losing some of their carrier strength in the battle. The only real difference is we were able to repair the Yorktown enough for her to participate in Midway with the Enterprise and the Hornet.

Midway turns out far differently if the Japanese roll out the 6 active carriers they had at the time.

[Harry Beanbag]

despite the popular myth that Midway was the turning point. The actual turning point was the fact that the Battle of the Coral Sea (a good month or so before Midway) was the turning point. It wasn't a victory in the way that Midway was a victory, but at a time when we were still somewhat on our heels, we fought the Japanese Navy to a stalemate with both forces losing some of their carrier strength in the battle. The only real difference is we were able to repair the Yorktown enough for her to participate in Midway with the Enterprise and the Hornet.

Midway turns out far differently if the Japanese roll out the 6 active carriers they had at the time.


I guess you could say the attack on Pearl Harbor was the turning point then since none of our carriers happened to be there.

[Scott D]

Nah, Pearl Harbor was the starting point. The lack of our carriers being in port was only part of the luck we had (not saying losing all those men and battleships was luck, and you know I've been to the Arizona multiple times), the fact that they didn't hit ANY of our oil storage facilities nearby was a huge luck factor for us as well.

The main thing is that prior to the Battle of the Coral Sea, the Japanese were winning virtually every engagement. That was the first one between the two countries involving capital ships where we didn't come out the obvious loser.

[RADsooner]

and don't forget the fact that they didn't hit the submarine docks, and the drydocks.