The Design Board: Who Built the Leviathan?
Profiles of the secret design team led by Keiji Fukuda, who worked in near-total isolation to create a ship that bypassed almost every known naval treaty and convention of the 1930s.
Battleship Yamato Archives
A comprehensive historical archive exploring the engineering, tactics, legacy, and cultural impact of the world's largest battleship. Think you know everything about the legendary Yamato? Test your expertise with our comprehensive historical quiz and see how you rank among naval history enthusiasts.
Archive Topics
Browse our collection of research articles on Battleship Yamato.
Featured Articles
Deep dives into naval history, engineering excellence, and the enduring legacy of the Yamato.
Yamato Lifecycle: Birth to Death and Beyond
A comprehensive A-Z historical chronicle of the world's largest battleship—from its clandestine birth in the Kure drydocks to its final kamikaze sortie and modern-day legacy.
Yamato Engineering: Specifications and Hydrodynamic Innovations
A comprehensive technical profile of the Yamato's groundbreaking engineering, from its unconstrained 38.9-meter beam to revolutionary bulbous bow and armored funnel uptakes.
Yamato Propulsion: The Mechanical Heart of the Leviathan
A technical deep-dive into the Yamato's unprecedented internal systems, from the twelve Kampon boilers and massive geared turbines to the first centralized air-conditioning system in the Japanese Navy.
Wartime Paint Schemes: Kure Grey
A technical analysis of the Yamato's wartime paint schemes, exploring the chemical composition of 'Kure Grey' and its anti-fouling properties.
Take Them: The U.S. Command Decision
The pivotal three-word order that shifted the attack on Yamato from a surface duel to a carrier air strike, signaling the end of the battleship era.
The Battle off Samar
Exploring Yamato's single surface gunnery engagement against seemingly inferior US escort carriers. Highlights the fog of war and massive spray columns from 18-inch shells.
The Blind Radio Calls and the Type 92 Network
Kure radio operators desperately hailing Yamato long after it sank. The tragic irony proving the complete breakdown of Japanese military communications.
Dr. Ishizuka’s Heartbreak: The Infirmary Floor
A specific memoir detail regarding the ship's surgeon dying in the flooded infirmary exactly when his teenage wife laughed onshore.