Yamato_Tenichigo's video: Part 4: Battleship Yamato s Final Battle - Operation Ten-ichi-go - 04 07 1945

As the Invasion of Okinawa got underway in March-April 1945, the last operational battleship of the Imperial Japanese Navy -- and its flagship -- Yamato, the largest battleship ever built, shipping 73,000 tons fully loaded, armed with nine 18.1" guns (465 cm guns), was sent on a one-way "Surface Kamikaze" mission to attack the USN fleet off Okinawa. Yamato, light cruiser Yahagi, and 8 destroyers were all the ships that Japan had left to throw into this battle. It was to be the last operation of the Imperial Navy. Sailing with no air cover, Yamato's chances of closing to within 26 miles of the invasion fleet -- the range of its 18" guns -- were slim and none. Less than half-way to Okinawa, 386 USN planes attacked the Yamato task force in three waves, starting at about Noon of April 7, 1945. In just over 2 hours, Yamato, Yahagi, and 4 of the 8 destroyers had been sent to the bottom. The operation became a giant "turkey shoot" for the USN. Yamato herself absorbed a mind-boggling 22 torpedoes, and at least as many bombs, before she capsized and exploded, taking over 3000 of her crew of 3300 down with her. The total Japanese losses in the battle were 4000 men. The USN lost 12 planes and 10 pilots. The age of the battleship was over. Yamato's final mission is remembered in Japan today much as the Texans remember the Alamo. The story of Battleship Yamato touches on some of the most admired traits in human character - traits that cut across the ages, and across cultures. Honor, Courage, Selflessness, Sacrifice. Two millennia ago, King Leonidas and his Spartans fell to a man blocking the pass of Thermopylae long enough for the Greek armies to escape from the Persian onslaught. In ancient times, a tablet was erected there reading: "Go tell the Spartans, stranger passing by, that here, obedient to their laws, we lie." Similarly, the Jewish defenders of Masada who held out for over a year against the Roman armies of Titus, before dying to a man, are remembered to this day for their heroism. So are the defenders of the Alamo, who fell during the Texan Revolution against Mexico. In historical terms, willingly sacrificing oneself for one's country when there is no hope of victory - or personal survival - is to earn what Theodore Roosevelt called "Deathless Fame." So it was with the Men of Yamato - whose actions earned for themselves, and for their ship, the same "Deathless Fame" as the defenders of Thermopylae, Masada, and the Alamo earned before them. This Japanese recreation of Yamato's final mission is accurate to the last detail in recreating the order of battle, as well as the flow and results of that battle. It is almost like being there. Enjoy!