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[Rob Wood]

1:10 Yamato Photos: Series II-C (Heavy AA Armament)

Various views of turreted and non-turreted heavy AA emplacements.

[steve pickstock]

How in the name of that all that can fly did anything get anywhere near that ship? And how did they do it enough times to sink it?

[TailUK]

As far as I can remember the Yamato was sunk by Curtiss Helldivers, dive bombers.  Attacking from immediatly above the ship would prevent a lot of the heavy Triple A being able to bear on the aircraft.  Added to the torpedo attacks at the same time, fire was also split on the lighter Triple A. 

[Martin (Admin)]

Fantastic photos Rob!   

[tigertiger]

By gosh. I have just googled images of 1:10 Yamato.
What a beast 

[a3nige]

Just as a matter of interest, how many rounds of ammo would she have carried for the various weapons?
Nige

[TailUK]

Just as a matter of interest, how many rounds of ammo would she have carried for the various weapons?
Nige

According to numbers I've got it's as follows
 
Main Armament
46cm guns 100 rounds per tube
 
Secondary Armament
15.5cm guns - 150 rounds per tube
12.7 cm guns - 300 rounds per tube
 
Light AAA
Type 96  25mm HA - 2000 rounds per tube
Type 93 13mm MG - 2500 rounds per tube

[a3nige]

According to numbers I've got it's as follows
 
Main Armament
46cm guns 100 rounds per tube
 
Secondary Armament
15.5cm guns - 150 rounds per tube
12.7 cm guns - 300 rounds per tube
 
Light AAA
Type 96  25mm HA - 2000 rounds per tube
Type 93 13mm MG - 2500 rounds per tube

Thanks,
100 rounds per tube for the 46cm (18 inch) I can understand, but only 2500 for the 13mm (1/2inch) seems a bit low considering they wouldn't be trying to save ammo on a diving plane!
Nige

[TailUK]

Thanks,
100 rounds per tube for the 46cm (18 inch) I can understand, but only 2500 for the 13mm (1/2inch) seems a bit low considering they wouldn't be trying to save ammo on a diving plane!
Nige

That was as built, by 1944 all the 13mms had been removed and the 25 mm increased.
 
In 1945 she was carrying  146 25mm AA guns  (41 x 3 barrels)
         (23 x single barrels)
 
This amounts to a grand total of 292,000 rounds of 25mm ammo (whew!)

[Rob Wood]

In answer to Steve Pickstock's question about how any attacking aircraft managed to get through all of that defensive firepower, the simple truth is that she was attacked by 450 airplanes! Yamato, with her small screen of escorts, was literally the last IJN target of opportunity of the war. Ironically, it was the Japanese who had demonstrated once and for all that no battleship could defend itself against a determined attack from the air. The day of the battleship as anything more than a shore bombardment platform, or as an escort to the aircraft carrier - the real naval might of the seas - had long been over. Why, then, knowing full well that the Allies controlled the airspace, did the Japanese naval command order the Yamato to steam out on that day?

To really understand the Yamato, and what the ship meant (and means to this day) to the Japanese people, I recommend this excellent book by Russel Spurr: A Glorious Way to Die: The Kamikaze Mission of the Battleship Yamato, April 1945



And thanks to everyone who has expressed appreciation for my photos!

Rob

[Norseman]

Well when you post a photo Rob YOU POST A PHOTO ! Always well worth seeing.

Dave

[marinemole]

Superb photographs as always. Please keep them coming if you have more.


Andy

[Rob Wood]

OK, just uploaded Series III (Hull)

Rob