We’re very happy to finally introduce the legend of legends, a ship that holds many records and cultural significance: the mighty Yamato will be joining War Thunder in the Leviathans major update!
Yamato: A Battleship for Japan at Rank VII
At a glance:
- 460 mm (18.1 inch) main guns!
- Very thick armor
- Over 150 anti-aircraft guns
- Sluggish Maneuverability
Vehicle History
Yamato as a concept was born from Japan’s Kantai Kessen (decisive battle) doctrine — the theory that a single pivotal engagement could turn the entire tide of a naval war in the Pacific against the United States. Japan could never hope to match the production volume of America, so focused instead on creating a smaller number of incredibly powerful battleships that could defeat and outlast any enemy. Equipped with immense armor protection and the largest guns ever fitted to a warship (460 mm), Yamato truly embodied the Kantai Kessen doctrine with immense power concentrated into a seemingly unmatchable platform.
Combat did not turn out as expected however, with Yamato participating in relatively few naval engagements, certainly not enough to justify how pivotal an asset the ship was. While Yamato was designed as an apex battleship killer, the end for her, and many similar vessels came from the air. Such large and slow ships were easy targets from the skies, even if defended by mountains of anti-air guns. 386 U.S. carrier aircraft sunk Yamato during Operation Ten-Go on April 7th 1945, her large size and slow speed made her unable to withstand the flurry of bomb and torpedo attacks. An explosion from one of Yamato’s magazines resulted in one of the largest non-nuclear blasts ever recorded, tearing the ship in half and sinking her. Yamato never fought the decisive battle for which she was built.
Introducing Yamato!
Yamato represents arguably the most powerful battleship ever created, with the largest guns, some of the thickest armor, a sophisticated fire control system, all rounded off with a veritable mountain of anti-air defenses. Without further ado, let’s take a closer look!
We might as well get into the guns, it’s what you’re here for! Yamato is equipped with nine 460 mm (18.1 inch) guns in three turrets, the largest caliber ever fitted to a warship. It will be able to field two shells, AP and HE. The high explosive shell, despite being gigantic, is not quite as effective as contemporary HE shells on smaller 406 mm guns. It’s still packed with around 60kg of explosive filler, which is huge, but does lack when compared to other large guns.
This, ultimately, is because Yamato is a battleship killer, and so the AP shells have the spotlight. With a maximum penetration of well over 800 mm of armor, at regular combat ranges there will be little armor that could challenge these shells, on top of their incredible penetration they’re also packed with around 34kg of explosive, making an accurate hit into an enemy warship more than likely lethal.
Did you know? The weight of one of Yamato’s turrets is heavier than most destroyers, at over 2,700 tons!
To further add to this immense firepower, the accuracy of these guns is similarly effective thanks to a sophisticated fire control array, which results in acceptable accuracy even at absolute max range. The fire rate however is predictably slow, though not crushingly so, at around two shots per minute. Yamato will appear in the final fit, which means it’ll be stacked with dual-purpose 155 mm and 127 mm guns, and 154 anti-air guns!
As Yamato weighs in at around 72,000 tons, overall speed can be considered as modest, which in itself is still fairly impressive. It can reach a max speed of around 27 knots or 50 km/h, with a fairly large turning circle. This staggered maneuverability is certainly one of Yamato’s weakest areas, as while the armor is incredibly strong, it is not invulnerable, making positioning key.
Interesting: Yamato has very much found its way into popular culture, notably inspiring the titular ship in the anime “Space Battleship Yamato”, and also appearing in a more folkloreish form in the video game “Okami”.
While there are too many individual armor parts to cover in detail here, the overall protection is very effective. The main belt armor measures in at over 400 mm with angling, and the deck armor at around 200 mm at a minimum. The thickest armor however can be found on the turret face itself, a colossal 650 mm of thickness, which is among the thickest armor ever fitted on a warship.
While these are staggering numbers on paper, enemy AP shells from common ranges will be able to punch through the armor of Yamato if caught at an angle or flat on, which makes positioning this super leviathan especially vital. Long range is easily the most ideal spot for this ship — fielding the most powerful AP shell of the war, there is no range at which an enemy ship will be safe — and as such there’s no reason to weaken Yamato’s defense by getting closer to the enemy.
We’re absolutely thrilled to be introducing the final boss of battleships into War Thunder, she’s very powerful, so be sure to treat her well when she arrives in the Leviathans major update! That’s it for today, thank you for reading and stay tuned for even more!
Please note that this vehicle’s characteristics may be changed before it is added to the game.