RMS Titanic, Inc. - Battleship Yamato Briefing

The Yamato is the largest battleship ever built. When designed in 1936, the political environment caused her construction to be shrouded in secrecy. During World War II however, Yamato remained very much an unexploited weapon.

With the loss of Iwo Jima in the spring of 1945, the Japanese Naval Command decided to commit a last large naval offensive in an effort to avoid the imminent loss of Okinawa, the closest major island to Japan.

On April 6, 1945, with nine support ships, Yamato left the naval harbor of Kure with a crew of 3332. Many of them were young men who were newly trained.

On April 7, Yamato engaged the overwhelming forces of the U.S. Naval Fleet which was supported by extensive carrier support. The battle began at 12:37pm and Yamato foundered at 2:23pm. The surviving crew consisted of 269 men, while 3,063 were lost. Among Yamato's escort force, an additional 1,187 men were lost. The total American loss that day was 12 men.