This blog by no means captures the fascination, tragedy and irony with either the book or the yamato saga. Of course the trojans founded it, abetted if you believe all the legends by merlin the wizard. Japanese battleship yamato wikimili, the best wikipedia. Appropriately, it covers a special ship the largest battleship ever built along with her sister musashi, the yamato. The battleship yamato, of the imperial japanese navy, was the most powerful warship of world war ii and represented the climax, as itwere, of the japanese warrior traditions of the samuraithe. Requiem for battleship yamato audiobook by yoshida. A child has stowed away there, hoping to return to her mother on okinawa. Toward the end of world war ii, the imperial japanese navy put. I found so many rare photos during my research into the ship that i decided to create an internet archive to make them available to everyone who is interested in battleship yamato, her sister ship, battleship musashi, and the war in the pacific. I enjoyed this short book for its authors idiosyncratic approach to history and the.
Commissioned in 1941, yamato was initially utilized as the flagship of the japanese combined fleet and participated in the battle of midway and battle of leyte gulf. Its massive armor was the heaviest ever installed on a dreadnoughtclass battleship, making it virtually impregnable to the guns of any ship in the world. The largest battleship ever constructed, yamato was completed shortly after the pearl harbor attack. The battleship yamato, of the imperial japanese navy, was the mos. Tamiya 50 japanese battleship yamato modeling guide book japan new 71623 song. On april 7, 1945, the japanese battleship yamato, ostensibly the greatest battleship in the world, is sunk in japans first major counteroffensive in the struggle for okinawa weighing 72,800. One of the largest battleships ever built, yamato entered service with the imperial japanese navy in december 1941. When launched in it was the worlds largest battleship. Battleship yamato simple english wikipedia, the free. In its gray, armored magnificence, the great ship symbolized japans dreams of conquest. The sinking of the most powerful warship in history.
Yamato largest battleship ever built and the pride of the ijn imperial japanese navy. A lot of its dry and it doesnt talk much about the ships combat history, but its probably the best source out there if you want to get an idea of what went into building those titanic ships. Yamato, 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. Forever japanese battleship yamato collection photo book. In this slim, beautifully illustrated book, historian jan morris details an account of the battleship yamatos final, suicidal run near okinawa at the end of world war ii. If only this 2 ships begins to fight each other, i would make my bet to the bismarck. The battleship yamato, of the imperial japanese navy, was the most powerful warship of world war ii and represented the climax, as it were, of the japanese warrior traditions of the samurai the ideals of honor, discipline, and selfsacrifice that had immemorially ennobled the japanese national consciousness. The battleship and its sister, musashi, were the only battleships ever constructed with 18. This book, which some including me would consider the ultimate book on battleships in general, has exactly 9 pages on yamato. Get it delivered safely by sal, ems, fedex and save with cdjapan rewards.
Jun 12, 2014 but no american battleship holds the same degree of cultural relevance as the japanese yamato. Mar 27, 2018 magnificent book captures the beauty and tragedy of the battleship yamato jan morris chronicles the final days of the most powerful warship in the imperial japanese navy in her latest book. The battleship yamato of the imperial japanese navy was the most powerful warship of world war ii and represented the climax, as it were, of the japanese warrior traditions of the samuraithe ideals of honor, discipline, and selfsacrifice that had immemorially ennobled the japanese national. Requiem for battleship yamato history and politics. The japanese battleship yamato cestra, carlo livres. Yamato was the lead ship of the yamato class of imperial japanese navy world war ii battleships.
Forever japanese battleship yamato collection photo book ww2. The kamikaze mission of the battleship yamato, april 1945 is a 1981 military history book by russell spurr about the suicide mission of the japanese battleship yamato against the american pacific fleet during the battle of okinawa near the end of world war ii. Tamiya 50 japanese battleship yamato modeling guide book. The battleship yamato, of the imperial japanese navy, was the most powerful warship of world war ii and represented the climax, as it were, of the japanese warrior traditions of the samuraithe ideals. The sinking of the most powerful warship in history the new. 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. During the first half of the twentieth century the battleship symbolized a nation s power on the world stage, with countries such as britain, japan, and the united states contending for dominance of the high seas.
Therefore yamato arrived in service at a time when events were starting to raise questions about the usefulness of battleships. Launched in 1942 alongside its sister ship, the yamato, the musashi became the flagship of the main fleet of the imperial japanese navy the following year. A young ensign on the bridge of the fabled battleship yamato during her final battle, recounts his experience. I call this a nw since the design is in a japanese book on planned designs. Japanese battleship yamato is sunk by allied forces history. Yamato and her sister ship, musashi, were the heaviest and most powerfully armed battleships ever constructed, armed with nine 46 cm 18. A planned super yamato design with 8 20 guns and 12 8 secondaries. Yamato wis the lead ship o the yamato class o imperial japanese navy warld war ii battleships. Yamato had nine 18inch guns which were the largest in the world. The germans used full armor on the warships instead of british style all or nothing armoring.
Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. Taking part in several campaigns during world war ii. The battleship as a type was sealed by airborne elements of a carrier group positioned miles away the aircraft carrier had arrived. True battleship history of imperial japanese navy vol. Japanese battleship yamato, ablaze from stem to stern, with bombs blasting her forward turret, during the furious 3day engagement in the philippines, end of oct.
Yamato was laid down in november 1937 and was commissioned into service on december 16, 1941, just days after japanese carrierbased planes had successfully attacked both pearl harbor and z force. Mar 05, 2019 launched in 1942 alongside its sister ship, the yamato, the musashi became the flagship of the main fleet of the imperial japanese navy the following year. Yamato, named after the ancient japanese yamato province, was a battleship of the imperial japanese navy, and was the lead ship of her class. This is a a 44page saddlestitch paperback with color interior, 17 fullpage photographs, and two beautiful profile drawings of the japanese navys yamato, the biggest battleship ever constructed. Yamato was a singularly beautiful ship, with a graceful sheer to her flush deck, unbroken from stem to stern, and a streamlined mast and stack samuel eliot morison, history of us naval operations in ww2, vol. That sobering fact only adds to the elegiac resonance of this magnificent little book. Ijn nagato battleship, imperial japanese navy, naval history. It contains an original blue print of the deck plan, many rare details of yamato, useful for model builders, and the test report of us navy about a 26inch armor plate which was intended for use in. The battleship yamato, of the imperial japanese navy, was the most powerful. In april 1945, the japanese battleship yamato the largest and heaviest in.
The battleship spent only a single day away from her japanese truk island naval base in the caroline islands during the period between her arrival on august 29, 1942, and her departure on may 8, 1943. A strange little book treating the historical battleship as both fact and metaphor. Requiem for battleship yamato kindle edition by mitsuru, yoshida, minear, richard. Morris calls her short book an illustrated reverie, a literary meditation. Despite its size the ship is covered in 84, 814 x 14 pages in a stapled card cover. In the 1920s and 1930s the battleship was the ultimate power in naval warfare. This blog by no means captures the fascination, tragedy. Yamato, great harmony was the lead ship of her class of battleships built for the imperial japanese navy ijn shortly before world war ii.
It was smaller faster ship, which made her harder to hit. The battleship yamato, of the imperial japanese navy, was the most powerful warship of world war ii and represented the climax, as it were, of the japanese warrior traditions of the samurai. The yamato sank in just two hours after incurring some torpedoes and 6 direct bomb hits. Battleship yamato book chicago public library bibliocommons. The ijn battleship yamato was officially sunk on april 7th, 1945 just north of the island of okinawa. Imperial japanese navy battleships yamato and musashi, volume 52, june 1981. Imperial japanese navy battleships 194145 new vanguard book 146. The very name yamato was a poetic and spiritual term for japan itself. The official mission of special attack force 2raise as much hell as possible among the american invasion fleet, then beach the ships and join the defense of okinawawas strategically irrelevant and tactically dubious. Stoically poised for battle in the spring of 1945when even japan. May 11, 2018 in her book about oxford, she notes in passing. On april 29, 1945, the japanese battleship yamato left her anchorage in kure harbor and headed for okinawa, accompanied by a single light cruiser and eight destroyers.
I can also recommend a book called build the musashi, which is about the building of yamatos sister ship in nagasaki. As the japanese battleship yamato steams towards the island of okinawa in the closing months of world war ii, a naval officer on board makes an unexpected discovery among the stores of rice, leeks, and pickled radishes. They are blithely unaware of the huge super battleship that sunk, along with the majority of its crew and its nations hopes, in april 1945 under heavy american fire off okinawa in the pacific ocean. She was built in great secrecy, even the dockyard was screened off fro view. The japanese battleship yamato super drawings in 3d. Hachette collections japan,weekly space battleship yamato 2202 wo tsukuru, book listed at cdjapan. Requiem for battleship yamato is yoshida mitsurus story of his own experience as a junior naval officer aboard the fabled japanese battleship as it set out on a last, desperate sortie in april 1945. Yoshida was on the bridge during yamato s fatal encounter with american airplanes, and his eloquent, moving account of that battle makes a. It contains an original blue print of the deck plan, many rare details of yamato, useful for model builders, and the test report of us navy about a 26inch armor plate which was intended for use in ijn battleship shinano. The allies had no clue japan had built these monsters until they were first spotted.
Magnificent book captures the beauty and tragedy of the. Titans of the rising sun is a detailed study of the creation and demise of japans yamato class. Dec 30, 2018 the yamato was given the name hotel yamato by the japanese pacific ocean cruiser and destroyer crews. She and her sister ship musashi were the largest battleships ever constructed, weighing 65,027 tons and armed with nine 46 cm 18. The japanese ships were to have a speed of at least 30 knots, carry 18inch or larger guns, and have a long range with good fuel economy. Magnificent book captures the beauty and tragedy of the battleship yamato jan morris chronicles the final days of the most powerful warship in the imperial japanese navy in her latest book. Critic maureen corrigan calls battleship yamato a work of both. The book is a stapled card cover, 814 x 14, of 100 pages. Apr 17, 2020 shrouded in secrecy by the imperial japanese navy and government the ships were designed to offset projected american numerical superiority. The book, however, is no less human for it, since morriss tremendous.
But the japanese, by their attack on pearl harbor on 7 december 1941 proved aircraft carriers were now the most powerful weapon. The allies had no clue japan had built these monsters until they were first spotted yamato was huge and displaced 62, 315 tons. Japanese battleship yamato wikimili, the best wikipedia reader. The japanese battleship musashi super drawings in 3d.
Requiem for battleship yamato audiobook by yoshida mitsuru. Shrouded in secrecy by the imperial japanese navy and government the ships were designed to offset projected american numerical superiority. Battleship yamato was the heaviest and most powerfully armed battleship ever constructed and it was a proud gem of the imperial japanese navy during world war ii. The kamikaze mission of the battleship yamato, april 1945 is a 1981 military history book by russell spurr about the suicide mission of the japanese battleship yamato against the american pacific fleet. The pride of the imperial japanese navy, the yamato was said to be. The name yamato is synonymous with a cartoon space craft on television to most young japanese today. She and her sister ship, musashi, were the heaviest battleships ever constructed, displacing 72,800 tonnes at full load and armed with nine 46 cm 18.
But no american battleship holds the same degree of cultural relevance as the japanese yamato. Japanese battleship yamato in world war ii thoughtco. On april 7, 1945, the japanese battleship yamato, ostensibly the greatest battleship in the world, is sunk in japans first major counteroffensive in the struggle for okinawa. Though incredibly powerful, yamato suffered from a relatively low top speed as its engines were underpowered. Catalogue of japanese stamps 2016 book japan kitte collection set. In battleship yamato, morris uses prose, art, poetry and history to weave the most unusual battle account i have ever read. The yamato was given the name hotel yamato by the japanese pacific ocean cruiser and destroyer crews. The battleship yamato, of the imperial japanese navy, was the most powerful warship of world war ii and represented the climax, as itwere, of the japanese warrior traditions of. The 47th book in kageros super drawings in 3d series is devoted to the japanese battleship musashi, which along with her sister ship yamato, was the largest, most powerfully armed battleship ever built. Aug 12, 2015 tamiya 50 japanese battleship yamato modeling guide book japan new 71623 song. The second book is even more interesting than the first one. Offered by over the blue horizon is a great issue from the venerable but still very wellregarded japanese maru special series. Yamato was named after yamato province, the ancestral home of the yamato people, the dominant native ethnic group in japan.
It was one of five planned super battleships although only two were built. A few years back, i spent about 1500 hours building a 1200 scale model of yamato. Tamiya 50 japanese battleship yamato modeling guide. Yamato was designed to fight and destroy us battleships. The battleship yamato of the imperial japanese navy was the most powerful warship of world war ii and represented the climax, as it were, of the japanese warrior traditions of the samuraithe ideals of honor, discipline, and selfsacrifice that had immemorially ennobled the japanese national consciousness. They are blithely unaware of the huge superbattleship that sunk, along with the majority of its crew and its nations hopes, in april 1945 under heavy american fire off okinawa in the pacific ocean.
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