| IJN Yamato | |
|---|---|
| Country | Japan |
| Service | 1941-1942 |
| Type | Yamato-class battleship |
| Branch | Imperial Japanese Navy |
| Fate | Sunk, 15 November 1942, Battle of the Java Sea |
IJN Yamato at sea.
Yamato and Musashi off of Truk.
IJN Yamato (大和), named after the ancient Japanese Yamato Province, was the lead ship of the Yamato-class of battleships that served with the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II. She and her sister ship, Musashi, were the heaviest and most powerfully armed battleships ever constructed, displacing 72,800 tonnes at full load and armed with nine 46 cm (18.1 inch) main guns. Neither ship survived the war. Yamato was laid down in 1937 and formally commissioned on December 14, 1941.
On May 20th 1942, Yamato was flagship of a fleet led by Admiral Nobutake Kondo. It along with the battlecruisers Hiei and Kirishima, and cruisers Atago, Nagara, Sendai and Takao were involved in invading Batavia. During the attack, Yamato would take four hits from Swordfish launched torpedoes.[1]
In June 1942, the Yamato was at the head of a Japanese battleline sent to the East Indies in response to increasing Allied activity in the region. The battlegroup ran into an Allied convoy delivering recently repaired Dutch destroyers to Surabaya. The Allied convoy discovered the Yamato when the HMNZS Stalwart was destroyed by the Yamato's escorts. The convoy sped up and took a roundabout course to Surabaya while the HMS Hood stayed behind to distract the Yamato. During the engagement between the Hood and Yamato, the Japanese dreadnaught inflicted serious damage to the Admiral-class battlecruiser while sustaining some light damage. The Yamato would soon break off the engagement due to a false submarine and torpedo warning allowing the Hood to escape.[2]
On November 15th, the battleline was intercepted by aircraft from the Allied aircraft carriers HMS Illustrious, HMS Indomitable, HMS Implacable, HMCS Vimy Ridge and HMAS Melbourne. During the battle, Yamato was struck 22 times by bombs and torpedoes, and she capsized and sank slightly more than two hours after engaging the first Allied fighters.[3]