by Steve Wiper of Classic
Warships
reviewed by Timothy Dike |
| The Yamato and the Musashi were the largest battleships
ever built. They also carried the largest guns of any warship ever built
and were designed to out gun any ship then afloat. But the era of the big
gun ship was over and air power was now king. This book documents those
mighty ships in a series of photo's, plans, and drawings. Many of which
I have never seen before. On the cover is a painting by the famous naval
artist Tom Freeman. |
| The Yamato class were so big that even their secondary
armament was superior to other ships. They were originally built with twelve
6" guns in four turrets to supplement the nine 18" main guns in three triple
turrets. This was later changed to provide a more defense against aircraft.
These changes are well covered in a number of great photo's showing the
two ships from their builders trials to their end at the hands of American
air power. As with the other books the photos are of the highes quality. |
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| There are many pictures taken of the Yamato and Musashi in action including
Battle of the Sibuyan Sea, off Samar, the Philippine Sea, and the last
sortie of the Yamato. The latter covers the her sinking and the damage
inflicted in great detail. Some of the photo's such as the example on the
right are labeled to note the ships in view, a nice touch for us untrained
spotters. |
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| A full color plan and profile of the Yamato in 1941 is featured as
the centerfold. Note the lack of anti aircraft guns on the ship. This is
in stark contrast to the later photo's as the two amidships 6" gun turrets
were traded in for more anti aircraft protection. There are also other
drawings showing hull sections, a plan view of the Musashi, and the float
planes that were carried. |
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| The two super battleships are among the most well known
ships ever built, yet there is little information about them, this book
will help remedy that problem. These ships have been reproduced in just
about every scale in the modeling world. Some of them are nice kits, but
none is totally accurate so the detail photo's in this book will go a long
way towards producing a better model. But you don't have to be a model
ship builder to appreciate this book. It is a great reference for anyone
interested in naval sea power and history.
A third Yamato class battleship was planned but was changed to aircraft
carrier Shinano when the lessons of Pearl Harbor became apparent. Her history
and short career are also covered. |
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| Conclusions:
 A
great book for anyone interested in these famous Japanese Warships. This
book is 64 pages with 70 black & white and one colorized photograph,
and 8 sets of technical illustrations. A history and record of movement
for the ship, and general statistics throughout the years in a 8-1/4"
x 11" soft book format. With a retail price of $13.95 US this book is an
excellent value and a great addition to your Warship reference library.
Warship Pictorial #25 - IJN Yamato Class Battleships ISBN #0-9745687-4-0
Links:
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