The Incredible Engineering of the Battleship Yamato

In late 1941 the Japanese navy unveiled their secret weapon, a monstrous battleship with guns capable of hitting targets from miles distant. Today we’ll take a look at Yamato and peel back the layers of armour to reveal how the legend really worked.
Oceanliner Designs explores the design, construction, engineering and operation of history’s greatest vessels- from Titanic to Queen Mary and from the Empress of Ireland to the Lusitania. Join maritime researcher and illustrator Michael Brady as he tells the stories behind some of history's most famous ocean liners and machines!
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#ships #sinking #disaster #titanic #wrecks #exploration #history #adventure #design #engineering #mairitime #safety #vessels #sailing #documentary #story #oceanlinerdesigns

[@OceanlinerDesigns]

Hi friends! This video is the first in a proposed series where we look at the engineering of famous warships in depth. Which other ships would you like to see covered like this? This episode wouldn’t have been possible without the incredible work of Janusz Skulski and his book ‘The Battleship Yamato.’ These sources also proved invaluable and make for great further reading; warshipprojects.com/2018/04/24/the-yamato-class-genesis/ www.navweaps.com/Weapons/WNJAP_18-45_t94.php www.diepresse.com/4702366/die-selbstmordfahrt-des-letzten-super-schlachtschiffs www.dreadnoughtproject.org/tfs/index.php/Follow-the-Pointer www.usni.org/magazines/proceedings/1907/january/size-battleships-function-their-speed

[@yogaflame30]

Obviously,… The Bismarck :)

[@F-Man]

Definitely the Iowas, Nelsons, and KGVs need to feature!

[@amb9087]

Iowa class

[@Archer-e2t]

"Big E" USS Enterprise Admiral Graf Spee and her sister ships Admiral Hipper Escort Carriers Ark Royal

[@SetsunaF.Seiei00]

Scharnhorst/geisenau

[@oldtimegames96]

It's our friend Mike Brady from Oceanliner Design

[@stoned9874]

You forgot the S

[@uurkisme]

He's the best

[@basfinnis]

Better than Drachenfel who just reminds me of a bloke down the pub droning on 😮

[@lukum55]

​@@basfinnisBecause thats exactly what he is and thats the way I like it.

[@Plaprad]

During the war, my Grandfather was on board the USS Alabama. One day he was telling me about the Battle of Samar and how he missed it because they were heading for the carriers up North. He mentioned at the time he was mad that he missed a chance to take out the Yamato and was salty for a couple years after. At the time, the Navy thought she was just a really big ship with 16" guns. He said after the war he learned she had 18.1" guns. Suddenly, realizing the Alabama was armored against 16" guns, he wasn't so salty about missing the battle anymore. Also, I like how the model used is early war on one half, and late war on the other.

[@Wha2les]

Those 18.1 behaved similarly to Iowa's super heavy shells in penetration though

[@stanleyrogouski]

Alabama had radar and vastly superior fire control. Punching through Yamato's belt armor would have been tough but with the amount of fire Alabama could throw up she would turned Yamato into a flaming death trap by riddling her superstructure.

[@xxnightdriverxx9576]

@@Wha2les at medium and close range, yes, but at long range (20+km) Yamatos shells had superior penetration. They also had a bursting charge that was almost twice as large (41 lbs/18.5kg vs 75lbs/35kg) so they would do more damage after a penetration. They also had more fuse delay, which means the shell takes more time to explode after impact, that can be good or bad depending on where you hit, your chances to penetrate deep into the gun turrets, magazines or machinery spaces and thus do more meaningful damage are increased, as are your chances of a sucessful underwater hit, but there is also a higher chance of your shell not doing any significant damage as it passes through very thin sections of the ship, like the bow or upper parts of the superstructure.

[@Plaprad]

@@Wha2les While true, I don't think that would be very comforting if they were falling around the ship you were currently on.

[@Plaprad]

@@stanleyrogouski True. But I think Drach was right with his opinion on the battle had it gone that way. Alabama and Washington would have gone after Nagato and the other smaller ships while the Iowas would have gone after Yamato. Would have been a hell of a fight.

[@BrandNaz]

Bout time you talk about the Yamato class🔥

[@RG-Models86]

Deadly and beautiful in equal measure. That's the way I would describe the Yamato.

[@BHuang92]

It was a finely crafted sword brought into battle where everyone has guns

[@jeffslote9671]

She was out of date before she first left port. A waste of resources. An utter failure

[@briancross7835]

Mike Brady, my friend, your content just gets better & BETTER!!!

[@nkc-cam9897]

Hey Mike, I am Kiel from the Philippines. I am a big fan of your videos. Your videos have been a constant source of enjoyment, particularly during my late-night meals. They have become an essential part of my evening routine before I fall asleep.

[@OceanlinerDesigns]

Thanks for watching and hi from Australia :)

[@Dumb-Comment]

Bismarck: I'm outdated when i launched Yamato: I'm 10 years ahead when i launched Torpedo bombers: Allow us to introduce ourselves

[@jeffslote9671]

Both of the battleships were out dated before they entered service

[@8ballmashups293]

I have been WAITING for a video about the Yamato thank you

[@ameisee4]

I'd love to see a video about stowaway passengers on oceanliners. Might make for an interesting video.

[@35Cyt]

I would absolutely love to see that!

[@Local-Of-The-Mitten-State]

OMG, Mike dropping a video on the Yamato was a big surprise, ngl.

[@ijnfleetadmiral]

Yamato portrayed by Oceanliner Designs using the same graphics as they do for Titanic?! *YES F-ING PLEASE!!!*

[@Calilasseia]

I remember Jeremy Clarkson describing this vessel as "hyperbolic". At nearly 73,000 tons displacement full load, that was a strikingly apposite choice of adjective. It's also notable (and *many* thanks to Mike Brady for providing the details) that the Japanese designers were meticulous and thorough when designing this colossus. Unfortunately, technology - particularly aircraft carrier and strike aircraft technology - overtook the Yamato. A supreme irony, given that the first attempt by the IJN at a "decisive strike" was a carrier assault itself. A Japanese film about the Yamato's last hours exists, and it's compelling, if at times gut wrenching, to watch. Those sailors may have been enemy combatants 80 years ago, but they were still human beings, and watching them die in that manner takes a strong stomach. The film also gives a good indication of how much bombing and torpedo strikes it took to sink her.

[@kulot-ki1tu]

otokotachi no yamato is a brilliant movie even though its centered around the crew the final battle scene is worth an entire military movies worth of engagement

[@davidbrims5825]

The Japanese have built a 1-10 scale model of Yamato, it’s a magnificent model.

[@chheinrich8486]

And then 250 years later, it got a second lease on life, IN SPACE, uchuu senkan YAMATO😊

[@mikebrase5161]

LoL, Im 50 and I just got a buddy to watch Starblazers for the first time.

[@davidvavra9113]

Betcherass

[@ijnfleetadmiral]

And in another AU, life as a shipgirl that dislikes being called a hotel. 😆

[@mikethompson2650]

@@mikebrase5161 Which one, the on from 1979 or the newer anime version call Starblazers 2199?

[@mikebrase5161]

@@mikethompson2650 the old school one. He is into Anime and I'm not. I told him the only one I liked was from when I was a kid. Turns out all 70 something episodes are on KZbin.

[@mbvoelker8448]

This uploaded with perfect timing for DH and I to watch together. The most amazing thing for him was that the "little" turrets that were the size of the ones on her escorts.

[@nah-xl6no]

Did a double take when I saw which channel put this video out. Very excited to see you cover military ships

[@loganhuffgarden9705]

Another outstanding video Mike!👍

[@gundog39]

It's our Commander Rear Admiral Mike Brady from Warship Designs. 🙂

[@luisy.gonzalez6469]

A Mike Brady and Drachinifel collaboration must happen!

[@alexandercurtis4427]

Mike will never run out of awesome ship content, love this channel

[@williamcarter1993]

our friend Mike Brady from Ocealiner Designs keeps making fantastic videos

[@deversandbello]

an entertaining, respectful and informative video covering a topic i’ve wanted done by you for a very long time. thanks for all the hard work Mike

[@Kuda084]

as always, bang up job Mike! Two REALLY good movies about the Yamato, Yamato (2005) deals with the ship, sinking and service. The Great War of Archimedes(2019) deals with the building of the ship. Both are worth checking out.

[@rebinred495]

Been waiting a while for a video on this beast, thank you Mr. Brady!

[@josesuicune27]

I'm no going to lie i love the Titanic and i have learn soo much from You about ocean liners but You talking about warships is a dream come true to me

[@TheTransporter007]

It would have been one heck of a duel Yamato v. Montana.

[@aircraftcarrierwo-class]

Montana was never built, sadly, so the closest that could've happened was the Iowa. And considering what the USA thought they knew about the Yamato at the time they could've encountered each other, I really don't think it'd turn out well for the Iowa.

[@MikeHunt-fo3ow]

yamato couldnt fight montana cause its a land locked state lol jk

[@stanleyrogouski]

@@aircraftcarrierwo-class Iowa was 6 or 7 knots faster than Yamato. She could have easily dictated the terms of engagement. In 1943 though South Dakota or Massachusetts might have been able to defeat Yamato. Both had radar and vastly superior fire control. This engagement actually should have happened. Instead of sending Yamato to Guadalcanal, the Japanese sent Kirishima, an upgraded WWI battlecruiser similar to HMS Repulse. Washington tore it to pieces in a few minutes.

[@miamijules2149]

@@stanleyrogouskiYeah but, you had Willis Lee on the ship…. that grants the ‘Sharpshooter Shitshow’ Buff +23,132% accuracy

[@stevenhussey9228]

Mike thank you so much i've been watching and playing to many Japanese ship movies and games

[@F-Man]

Amazing to see a ship like this featured. Even 80 years after the fact, the lens of politics - and now, quasi-mythology - still influences how many interpret warships, and I feel that it doesn’t do much service to trying to understand their design and objective merits in their own right. The Yamato class ought to be studied as is any other great ship, civilian or otherwise. Thank you for advancing that interest as only your expertise and ability can.

[@irregularhunter0586]

I wish we had detailed video from the fighters, bombers, ships, and subs that took her and the Musashi out so we could watch in detail her sinking.

[@marcothorsen950]

One of my Favourite Battleships on World of Warships.. 👍

[@connorredshaw5650]

The US lost 10 aircraft to sink the Yamato. But most of them were taken out of the sky by chunks of flying debris when the ships magazines exploded.

[@D02519568]

Cosmoship Yamato

[@nikerailfanningttm9046]

I love how the Yamatos were the heaviest battleships ever built, but they weren’t the longest. The Yamatos measured 863FT, compared to the Iowa Class’ 887.6ft.

[@randa200771]

Amazing story brilliantly narrated

[@stevecausey545]

That was wonderful, thank you, Mike

[@ghegun]

Have to say this is an mazing piece of work !! An amazing channel !!

[@lukum55]

Ah yes, our friend Mike Brady from Battleship Designs.

[@jazzhands7771]

Hey Mike, missed your videos lately, greetings from Belfast Northern Ireland!

[@HeaanLasai]

Though the beehive shells were famously useless. Even if a lucky hit was achieved, they would do little to an aircraft. The wp would simply bounce off the aircraft, and the few metal fragments it gave off had such a low probability of hitting anything non-redundant that it was an exercise in futility. Add the extreme delay between getting a firing solution and actually lobbing a shell, as well as the extremely slow traverse of the turret, and the probability of even coming close was close to nil.

[@gregsanders8498]

Brlliant piece of work.

[@thetitansofbrahma6702]

ooooh fun. Well, not fun for the sailors. Fun watching for me on a lazy Sunday afternoon. Thanks.

[@jguth6]

Always love a new video!

[@sandweiler4640]

Dear Mike, your content is great, your pronunciation perfect, the historical research top notch with great pictures and graphics. Always a pleasure to watch and learn from your channel. Cheers from Luxembourg 🇱🇺

[@serebiipalmer740]

YAMATOs Never Die!!!

[@mvp019]

Except by this time battleships were already obsolete, which WW 2 proved beyond doubt.

[@xxnightdriverxx9576]

Battleships were NOT obsolete by the late 1930s and the beginning of the war. They would eventually become obsolete throughout the war, but they werent in the early war. But that was more due to heavy guided bombs like the Fritz X that could be launched from outside the AAs range, and the fact that carriers were simply more useful overall while battleships were too expensive. A battleship with good AA could defend itself quite well against the attack from a single carrier. Look at the dozens of attacks and hundreds of planes US battleships shot down in the later stages of the pacific war. Yamato and Musashi were attacked by 7 and 11 carriers respectively, and they had very bad AA. That is what killed them. They are also the only battleships ever sunk in open sea by carrier aircraft alone.

[@Myuutantobasuta]

You should try taking one to Iscandar sometime.

[@kineuhansen8629]

next should be about the fast battleship iowa class

[@Large47957]

Great video. When I saw the Japanese language at the beginning of the video, I didn't realize that this was the "Oceanliner Designs" channel.

[@CHRIS_5226]

The japanese anthem at the end made me bawl my eyes out..

[@anuraagt]

Great video. Love your work, but this spoke to my military interest! Very very well made.

[@Uncle_Roadkill]

Oi, it's Mike Brady from Oceanliner Moustache!

[@bgw33]

Great video ❤

[@clandeszipp4564]

Even though the ship was destroyed, the winners would continue to admire it down the decades. Respect your enemy, people. Even in its defeat.

[@845_Mk6]

Amazing video maybe we can get one about Bismarck and the Iowa class ?

[@harryvlogs7833]

Yayyy awesome new vid

[@DakotaBishop-zg7zd]

Can you pls do story of Bismarck next ocean liner designs?

[@zogzoogler]

Thanks Mike, briliant content. Research Vessels are an area that nobody covers, if you ever need ideas for content the Scientific Research Vessels 🙏👍🏻

[@aliasunknown7476]

Excellent!!!!! Sub earned!!

[@Th.G.M.]

Lots of Bots commenting here… What a beautifully done video of this ship! Thank you for your always fascinating work! As the Yamato has been found, shouldn’t there many wreck photos available?

[@ghostdiaries369]

❤Thank God you have finally got into real ships that deserve legendary title. It is sad these ships dont get light whereas Titanic steals it all. Even the underwater pictures are very limited Where as Titanic have complete 3D scanned

[@GameCastNoah]

KZbin finally did its job and showed me this only 17 minutes in to it being Uploaded, lets wait till the end :D

[@The_Dudester]

WW2 wasn't the only war that the Yamato fought in. The story It revolves around the character Susumu Kodai (Derek Wildstar) and an international crew from Earth, tasked during an interstellar war to go into space aboard the space warship Yamato, derived from the World War II battleship of the same name, in response to a message of aid from the planet Iscandar in order to retrieve a device which is able to reverse the radiation infecting Earth after being bombed by the Gamilons.

[@chheinrich8486]

uchuu senkan YAMATO❤😊

[@LorenzoFerrari-d5e]

@@chheinrich8486 And what a ship she became... I watched all Seasons and Movies and I found that she NEVER ACTUALLY LOST A BATTLE! She became so famous that the U.N.C.F. gave her the nickname "The Grand Old Lady of Space"

[@gabbleratchet1890]

Came here for the Star Blazers moments. Man, does that bring back childhood memories

[@mike.4277]

Nice 👍

[@user-fz9zk3v7h]

The Yamato was the largest battleship in the world of all time

[@UniversalChallenge4454]

Collab with drachinfel

[@randomrazr]

PART 2 video - Converting Yamato into a Space Battle Ship XD

[@Chobittsu]

Couple minor errors regarding the boats on this one; you called them "lifeboats", a simple slip of the tongue due to your usual topics im sure. But you mention the ship's adt crane was used to lift the boats, this is incorrect, the ships boats were raised and lowered using overhead rails and pullies attached to the deck which stretched out over the sides

[@thatE-100guy]

yesss

[@RUHappyATM]

I'm surprised they didn't concentrate on carriers. Oh well, history proved the wrong.

[@kinocorner976]

“The incredible engineering” Some Avenger with a Torpedo: “Nah.”

[@red_d849]

14 minutes ago???? damn

[@javkal7501]

Port side guns are not modelled in?

[@BHuang92]

You should cover the Miskasa

[@tommcglone2867]

Here's YAMMY!

[@xavierwalko4175]

What about the beam cannon? ;)

[@chheinrich8486]

uchuu senkan YAMATO😂😊❤

[@THEGLITCH_YT.]

Fun fact: the Japanese actuele lie about the ships guns, armor size and scale the reason for this was that there could have been American Spies plus they wanted too keep it a secret and they never trusted their builders for that reason Death cause: ammunition of the ship ( under the seconde front gun ) blew after the attack what caused the mushroom cloud above the ship If its wrong im very sorry

[@jimjoe9945]

Draaama!

[@edgardchan473]

Musashi next!!!

[@jeffslote9671]

A ship that was out of date before she sailed the first time. A complete and utter failure

[@chheinrich8486]

saraba chikyuu yo tabidatsu fune wa uchuu senkan YAMATO uchuu no kanata ISUKANDARU e unmei seoi ima tobidatsu kanarazu koko e kaette kuruto te wo furu hito ni egao de kotae ginga wo hanare ISUKANDARU e harubaru nozomu uchuu senkan YAMATO

[@soviet_union1936]

it actually did sink ships Yamatos 18.1 inch guns sunk or participated in sinking 2 escort carriers and a destroyer this is confirmed

[@Tal-q3r]

not a titanic tale?! 🤣

[@algotsvensson7254]

yooo!

[@MikeHunt-fo3ow]

oh i been saying the name wrong lol i said yuh mot toe lol

[@diegoarias7774]

Space Battleship Yamato video for aprils fools.

[@1joshjosh1]

This is the only 35 minutes old

[@Submariners]

Nothing revolutionary about the yamamato she was built on a design that the rest of the world we're using just a bit bigger

[@hugothomas1199]

We’re off to outer space

[@chheinrich8486]

uchuu senkan YAMATO😂, sorry no, starbalzers bullshit for me

[@eliasthienpont6330]

🦁🦁🦁🦁🦁🦁🦁🦁🦁🦁🦁301

[@charlieberry7562]

First comment!

[@05-15.]

Ooh im early

[@lindsaybaker9480]

No country knew she had 18.1 inch guns until the end of the war. The three ships built, the third built as a support carrier, could have built a minimum of seven or so proper carriers.

[@Submariners]

flute piping is most irritating

[@pimpampet7053]

Great video Mike!

[@stanleyrogouski]

Ironically Yamato met the same end as Repulse and Prince of Wales.

[@jetsons101]

Just imagine if the Yamato was converted into an aircraft carrier before the end of the war...... It would have been the first Super Carrier.

[@mikethompson2650]

The last hull was, called Shinano. However seems the Japanese used it more as an escort or support carrier. Sunk a month after commissioning. The submarine didn't even know exactly what they had sunk and few in Pearl believed them.

[@obelic71]

The irony the most powerfull weapons of that time Yamato (build in Hiroshima) and here sistership Musashi (build in Nagasaki ) are the ones who got a visit from Little boy and Fat man in August 1945

[@Ibby.M.I.786]

You mean the Imperial Japanese Navy's biggest built coral reef in the world 🤣 Sorry, someone just had to say it! These ships sunk or still floating as museums were just beautiful

[@stanleyrogouski]

The Japanese never used Yamato when it would have counted. They sent WWI style battlecruisers like Kirishima to fight modern fast battleships like Washington and South Dakota at Guadalcanal when they should have sent Yamato and Musashi. Washington and South Dakota might have beaten Yamato but with South Dakota's electrical problems, the Japanese might have won and kept Guadalcanal.

[@oxide9679]

Ah, the famous Yamato. A tin can illusion of a ship that makes the world's greatest artificial coral reef, courtesy of the United States.

[@kinocorner976]

Speaking of Tin Cans. It ran from a bunch of them at the Battle off Samar.

[@xxnightdriverxx9576]

@@kinocorner976 It ran from the carrier aircraft that arrived from Halsays task force. The tin can destroyers/destroyer escorts were sunk at that point.

[@oxide9679]

@@kinocorner976 It ran from damn near everything. Can't be the "best" when you're too afraid to use it for it's intended purpose. My theory is that the Japanese knew their steel was inferior and the 25 inches of armor is had was only about as effective as 12 inches, so they knew it couldn't stand up. Instead, it was a propaganda and intimidation ship.

[@shereesmazik5030]

@@oxide9679Not a good look for makers of swords known the world over . Many countries are proud of their steel . The US used to be one of the best , along with the UK .

[@oxide9679]

@@shereesmazik5030 Folded steel works for swords, not for armor. At least, not for armor of that scale. But for a long time, Japanese steel was inferior. Not sure if that ever changed or when.