| These huge Japanese battleships
with their near 70,000 ton displacement and 18.1-inch main batteries
were the largest such vessels ever constructed. Like the Bismark
and Tirpitz, they met the letter but not the spirit of the Washington
Naval Accords.
The Musashi was sunk entirely by aircraft on October 24, 1944 during
the Battle of the Sibuyan Sea. The Yamato was also sunk by carrier
aircraft on April 7, 1945 as it headed towards Okinawa on a suicide
mission.
Photos courtesy Naval Historical Center, Washington, DC.
Japan's battleship, the Musashi.
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